THE FLATS – No. 11 Georgia Tech volleyball (13-1, 4-0 ACC) will continue its conference campaign by closing out a four-match road swing over the weekend. The White and Gold will begin the weekend visiting their second top-10 adversary of the season in No. 7 Pitt (13-2, 4-0 ACC) on Friday at 7 p.m. in Pittsburgh, then conclude the trip at Virginia (8-6, 1-3 ACC) on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Charlottesville, Va.
Coverage
- Friday, Oct. 6 | No. 11 Georgia Tech at No. 7 Pitt | 7 p.m. | ACC Network Extra | Watch | Live Stats
- Sunday, Oct. 8 | No. 11 Georgia Tech at Virginia | 1 p.m. | ACC Network Extra | Watch | Live Stats
Storylines
- Georgia Tech was ranked No. 11 in the latest AVCA DI Coaches Poll.
- The Jackets’ 11-spot for a second straight week ties the eighth highest ranking in program history alongside the squads from 2003 and 2022.
- The White and Gold have been listed in 61 straight top 25 polls dating back to 2020, reaching as high as No. 5 during that time, the highest for the program since 2003 and second-best mark all time.
- Tech landed at No. 10 in the season’s first NCAA RPI this week.
- The White and Gold recently won their third and fourth consecutive conference matches of the season, sweeping Virginia Tech and claiming their first five-set victory of the year over Wake Forest.
- Coach Michelle Collier achieved her 100th career win in ACC play with a victory over NC State and her 101st at Virginia Tech, becoming the all-time program leader in conference wins as she’s now up to 102 league triumphs.
- Collier is into her 10th season leading the Jackets as she’s also the second winningest coach overall in program history with 186 total victories.
- Freshman setter Heloise Soares was named this week’s ACC Freshman of the Week after helping guide Tech to another 2-0 weekend in conference play. Soares earned her first career weekly recognition by the ACC after finishing with a team-leading 47 assists (5.88 per set), an ace, 12 digs and two blocks on the weekend.
- The Brazilian served as a change of pace against the Hokies, totaling double-digit assists for a previous career high of 13 along with four digs. To follow, Soares took the reins as primary setter for the first time in her career, charting personal bests across the board in assists (34), digs (eight) and blocks (two), plus an ace to push Tech to the five-set triumph over the Demon Deacons. Tech’s young setter added seven of those assists in the fifth set, including match point, as the offense flowed through her to victory.
- Tech now owns five total ACC weekly awards this season as freshman right side hitter Larissa Mendes owns two ACC Co-Freshman of the Week awards of her own, senior outside hitter Tamara Otene was awarded ACC Offensive Player of the Week las week and senior libero Paola Pimentel has once been named ACC Defensive Player of the Week.
- Junior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino has been a weapon from the service line with 35 aces to top the ACC and land fourth in the NCAA. The Argentinian also leads the league and places third in the nation in aces per set (0.70).
- Sophomore middle blocker Liv Mogridge has been one of the most efficient attackers in the country, owning a 0.448 hitting percentage to place second in the ACC and sixth in the NCAA.
- Pimentel has been all over the floor, racking up 219 digs to rank fifth in the league and 4.38 digs per set to land fourth in the conference.
- Georgia Tech furthers league play amongst the top three in the ACC in five major categories – fronting the conference in digs per set (15.96), atop the ACC in aces per set (1.92), second the league and eighth in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (0.146), second in the ACC and 13th in the NCAA in kills per set (14.00), third in the league in assists per set (12.64).
- The Yellow Jackets set the program attendance record of 5,303 against Georgia in McCamish Pavilion earlier this season.
- Tech highlighted its nonconference schedule by earning the third-highest ranked victory in program history over then No. 8 Penn State and a pair of 3-1 wins over previous No. 12 Ohio State.
- The three-consecutive top-15 triumphs marked the first such streak in school history.
- Going beyond 2019’s NIVC title, Tech has won 92 of its last 113 matches.
Series Notes
- Georgia Tech leads Virginia 41-22 in the all-time series, including a six-match win streak coming into the contest. The Jackets most recently swept the Hoos at home in 2022. Georgia Tech owns a pair of nine-match winning streaks (1991-95; 2007-12) as well as an 11-match flawless stretch (2001-05) throughout the series. The Yellow Jackets lead the Cavaliers 20-7 at home, 18-15 on the road and 3-0 in neutral site contests.
- Tech currently trails Pitt 13-2 in the all-time series. Two seasons ago, the Jackets topped the Panthers on the road for their highest ranked win in program history as Pitt was No. 2 at the time. Tech also claimed the first meeting of the two sides at a neutral site in 2007.
Up Next
Georgia Tech will return home for a four-match homestand, beginning with Florida State on Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. and closing the weekend with Miami on Oct. 15 at 1 p.m., both in O’Keefe Gymnasium.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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