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No. 11 Tech Takes a Set from No. 2 Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — No. 11 Georgia Tech volleyball was handed its first conference loss by No. 2 Louisville, falling 3-1 (25-22, 14-25, 21-25, 20-25) on Sunday in L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.

The Yellow Jackets (10-3, 3-1 ACC) got off to a strong start by snapping the Cardinals’ (13-1, 4-0 ACC) nine-set win streak with a first-set victory. Despite staying within five points of one of the nation’s best in the final two sets, Tech was unable to come out on top.

Senior middle blocker Erin Moss led the Jacket attack for the first time this season with 11 kills at a solid .409 clip. Joining Moss with double digit kills was senior outside hitter Julia Bergmann, tallying 10 kills of her own to go with six digs as she moved to 230 kills on the season. Alongside Moss and Bergmann on the attack with a blistering .500 hitting percentage was graduate middle blocker Breland Morrissette, who added nine kills.

As five Jackets tallied eight or more kills through the match, pitching in across the board were sophomore outside hitter Bianca Bertolino and junior right-side hitter Tamara Otene. Bertolino added eight kills and six digs while leading the squad with three solo blocks. Meanwhile, Otene tallied eight kills and eight digs of her own. Junior setter Bella D’Amico orchestrated the attack once more, finishing with 38 assists on top of six digs, while senior libero Paola Pimentel finished with a team-leading 16 digs.

How it Happened

In a tightly contested first set, Georgia Tech strung together four straight points to inch ahead. Despite the Cardinals tying the match twice soon after, the Yellow Jackets managed to avoid trailing for the remainder of the set, using three point runs to slip back ahead 11-8 initially and again at 14-11. Another three-point burst kept the White and Gold pacing in front, increasing the lead to 17-13. The pattern continued as Louisville rallied back once more to knot things up at 18 apiece, but Tech responded with its fifth significant run of the set as three more points moved the Jackets back on top, 21-18. The White and Gold would hang onto the lead from there, claiming the final two points of the set for a 25-22 victory to open the match.

The second set started much like the first as Georgia Tech took the first two points of the set and strung together three more points soon after for an early, 7-4 lead. The Yellow Jackets maintained the lead until the Cardinals knotted things up at 10 apiece. After the two sides traded a couple of points, Louisville would take control, claiming 14 of the next 17 points for a 25-14 win in set two to reset the match.

Tech strung together five straight points for another early lead in the third set, 7-4. The Jackets would maintain the lead into double digits with an 11-10 advantage, but the Cardinals continued to claw back to slip ahead, 12-11. The two sides each claimed a point in the next two chances, but Tech took the next three points to head into the media break leading 15-13. Louisville would go on a critical six-point run shortly after, jumping in front, 20-16. The White and Gold would rattle off three straight points of their own to follow, cutting the lead to 20-19, but the Cardinals capped the set with an identical streak to take set three, 25-21, also moving ahead 2-1 overall in the match.

The Cardinals carried their momentum into the fourth set, earning five of the first six points. The Yellow Jackets climbed back, however, using a four-point stretch sparked by back-to-back kills by Moss to take a 10-9 lead. After four tie score lines to follow, Louisville would pick up four straight points to create separation, leading 17-13. Tech would rally with one last gasp, picking up three consecutive points to trail just 20-18, but the Cardinals would close out the set on top, 25-20, for a 3-1 match victory.

Up Next

Georgia Tech will return home, hosting Virginia (8-6, 0-3 ACC) on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. before the program’s first ever match in McCamish Pavilion against No. 10 Pitt (14-2, 4-0 ACC) on Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. The Yellow Jackets’ matchup against the Cavaliers will appear on ACC Network Extra before the top-15 battle with the Panthers is broadcast on ACC Network.

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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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