Dec. 3, 2003
The 11th-ranked Georgia Tech (31-3) volleyball team faces Alabama A&M (23-5) Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Alexander Memorial Coliseum in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. The Jackets, the No. 7 seed in the tournament, will be facing the Bulldogs for the first time in school history. Alabama A&M earned one of 33 automatic bids by virtue of winning the Soutwestern Atlantic Conference.
The winner of Thursday’s contest is scheduled to play Friday at 7 p.m. facing the winner of the Winthrop-Florida A&M match.
“We have never faced Alabama A&M before, but they have been in the tournament the past four years, so obviously they are a good program,” said head coach Bond Shymansky. “Our team is really excited to be playing in front of our crowd on our home court and have prepared this week in practice for some exciting matches.”
The Jackets, who captured the 2003 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title and have enjoyed their most successful season in school history, received one of 31 at-large bids to the tournament. Tech, who was ranked as high as fourth during the regular season, is making its seventh overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and fourth consecutive showing. The Jackets hold an all-time record of 4-6 in the tournament.
“We’ve had a very exciting season this year,” said Shymansky, who has led the Yellow Jackets to the NCAA Tournament in each of his seasons as the head coach. “But, there are still a number of great things that this team can accomplish this year. We will have our work cut out for us, but if we maintain focus and execute our offense, I think our fans will see some exciting volleyball this week.”
Tickets to the event are available in advance by calling the Georgia Tech ticket office at 404-894-5447 or 1-888-TECH-TIX. Tournament booklets for all matches are $10 for adults, $6 for students and senior citizens. Day of game tickets for individual matches are $7 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens and may be purchased at Gate One of the Alexander Memorial Coliseum, beginning one hour prior to the match. One ticket gains admission to both matches on Thursday.
