No. 14 Tech Concludes Regular Season with Clemson and Florida State

THE FLATS – No. 14 Georgia Tech volleyball (21-5, 12-4 ACC) will wrap up regular season play with a pair of rematches this week, facing off against Clemson (12-16, 3-13 ACC) at home on Wednesday and Florida State (19-7, 11-5 ACC) on the road on Friday. The Yellow Jackets will first battle the Tigers on Wednesday at 2 p.m. in O’Keefe Gymnasium, then travel to Tallahassee, Fla. to take on the Seminoles on Friday at 6 p.m. to conclude the regular season.

Coverage

• Wednesday, Nov. 24 | No. 14 Georgia Tech vs. Clemson | 2 p.m. | ACC Network Extra | Watch | Live Stats
• Friday, Nov. 26 | No. 14 Georgia Tech vs. Florida State | 6 p.m. | ACC Network Extra | Watch | Live Stats

Tickets

General admission tickets are sold out for remainder of the regular season. Limited seating remains available for Georgia Tech students with free admission at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. A valid BuzzCard must be displayed in order for students to receive a ticket to the match.

Parking

Fans may park in the East O’Keefe lot, the McCamish lot or the Family Housing deck along with any available spaces on Fowler Street from 10th Street to 6th Street. Congestion is expected due to the women’s basketball game at noon against Hofstra on Wednesday.

Storylines

• Tech was slated No. 14 in the latest AVCA Top 25 poll, remaining in the top 15 for the sixth consecutive week.
• Since appearing in the Top 25 at No. 12 on Sept. 30, 2020, Georgia Tech has been listed in 36 straight top 25 polls to date.
• The NCAA Selection Committee released its first rankings of the season for matches played through Oct. 27, with Tech cracking the top 10 coming in at No. 9.
• The Yellow Jackets held at No. 6 in the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index, maintaining their season-high rank for the third straight week.
• Georgia Tech has gone on a winning streak as high as 10 matches in ACC play this season.
• Tech is 9-1 in true road matches this season, going 7-1 away from The Flats in ACC play.
• The Yellow Jackets previously won nine consecutive true road matches, marking the best start on the road in program history.
• Going beyond 2019’s NIVC title, Tech has won 53 of its last 64 matches.
• The Jackets have won 32 of their last 37 matches on The Flats in O’Keefe Gymnasium.
• Georgia Tech boasts some of the top numbers in the country, pacing the nation in kills per set (15.04) and assists per set (13.76). The Jackets are also currently seventh in the NCAA and second in the ACC in hitting percentage (0.293).
• Earlier this season, the Jackets made history by handing No. 3 Pitt (previously No. 2) its first loss of the season in five sets.
• Georgia Tech’s triumph over No. 3 Pitt marked the highest ranked win and the second top-five victory in program history. The Yellow Jackets’ previous highest ranked victory also came on the road in five sets over No. 5 Nebraska in 2003.
• Tech has racked up 10 ACC weekly awards on the year, the most in program history on record. The staggering tally leads the league this season as junior outside hitter Julia Bergmann has been named ACC Player of the Week four times, senior outside hitter Mariana Brambilla owns two ACC Player of the Week honors and freshman outside hitter Bianca Bertolino has been tabbed ACC Freshman of the Week four times.
• Bergmann is the first student-athlete in the conference to receive ACC Player of the Week four times in a season since 2015, and Bertolino currently leads the league in ACC Freshman of the Week honors with four.
• Georgia Tech has had at least one recipient of an ACC weekly award in seven of the 13 weeks the conference has recognized winners this season.
• Bergmann has put together a decorated season to date, racking up awards on a national scale this season being named AVCA Player of the Week, ACC Player of the Week four times, UCF Challenge MVP and to three all-tournament teams. Her AVCA honor as the best player in the nation for the week marked the first time a Yellow Jacket has received the award since Kele Eveland on Sep. 15, 2003.
• Bergmann’s numbers back up her accolades as she’s among the nation’s best in multiple categories. To date, the veteran has led the Jacket attack with 435 kills (4.68 per set) and 29 service aces along with pitching in on the defensive end with 242 digs and 53 total blocks (20 solo, 33 assisted). She also recently eclipsed 1,000 career kills, owning 1,131 to date.
• On a national scale, those marks currently place her ninth in the country in points per set (5.38) and 12^th in the nation in kills per set (4.68), leading the league in both categories. Other notable numbers for the powerful outside hitter include ranking second in the ACC and 30^th in the NCAA in points (500.5) while placing second in the conference and 31^st in the country in kills (435).
• As Bergmann has spearheaded the Jacket attack, some of her biggest performances have come in the biggest moments as she earned her AVCA weekly honor and first ACC Player of the Week on the year after Tech downed No. 15 Penn State (previously No. 12) and picked up her second ACC Player of the Week recognition after the Jackets’ historic win over Pitt.
• In one of Tech’s biggest wins in program history, the heavy hitter piled up 24 kills at a solid .386 clip, including a pair of aces as well as six digs and four total blocks (one solo, three assisted) in the triumph over Pitt.
• The week before, she compiled 30 kills against Notre Dame, the highest total by not only any Yellow Jacket this season, but also any player in the ACC to date.
• Along with Bergmann, Bertolino has staked her claim as one of the top freshmen in the conference this season as she won ACC Freshman of the Week in back-to-back weeks for her first two weeks of her collegiate career and has since collected her third and fourth. The Argentinian also was selected to two all-tournament teams in nonconference play and is up to seven double doubles this year.
• Senior setter Matti McKissock continues to climb in the Georgia Tech record books as she moved up to third in career assists in program history against NC State, totaling 3,867 to date. Now the program leader during the 25-point rally scoring era, McKissock leads the ACC and is fourth in the NCAA with 11.68 assists per set while also leading the conference and ranking 35^th in the nation in total assists with 1,075.
• Brambilla has earned a pair of ACC Player of the Week honors this season. The Brazilian owns four career ACC Player of the Week honors and six total ACC weekly awards after being tabbed ACC Freshman of the Week twice in her first season on The Flats. The explosive right-side hitter has skyrocketed into the top 10 in program history in career kills, currently ranking eighth with 1,491 to date. Currently, she ranks third in the ACC in kills per set (4.20) and points per set (4.68).

Series History

• Tech currently leads Clemson 37-35 in the all-time series. The Yellow Jackets have defeated the Tigers 10 consecutive times going back to 2016. The White and Gold lead the series 21-14 at home.
• Georgia Tech leads Florida State 34-22 in the all-time series. The Jackets have won the last four matches dating back to 2019, all of which were played in O’Keefe. The longest streaks for the White and Gold came from 1993-96 and 2002-05 when Tech took eight straight matches. Tech currently leads the series 21-10 at home, 2-0 in neutral matches and is tied 11-11 on the road.

Scouting Clemson

• The Tigers come into the contest having lost 10 straight ACC matches with their most recent victory coming over Southern Miss.
• Junior setter McKenna Slavik owns the best mark for Clemson amongst the ACC, ranking sixth in the conference in assists per set (9.61).
• Graduate senior outside hitter Kaylee Martin has been the leading attacker for the Tigers with 318 kills (3.25 per set) while senior middle blocker Ava Pritchard leads the team in total blocks with 54.5.

Scouting Florida State

• The Seminoles enter the matchup receiving votes in the AVCA poll after recently taking Miami to five sets before falling. The Noles had won five straight ACC matches before the Jackets’ victory over them earlier in the season. Florida State’s biggest win this season came over No. 20 Florida (previously No. 14).
• The biggest strengths for the Noles in the stat column are in digs and aces as Florida State leads the ACC with 15.95 digs per set and is third in the conference in aces per set with a 1.49 average.
• Redshirt junior setter Lily Tessier sets up the Seminole attack as she’s currently fourth in the ACC in assists per set (10.36).
• Junior middle blocker Emma Clothier leads Florida State’s attack with 256 kills (2.67 per set) while freshman middle blocker Khori Louis anchors the defense with 95 total blocks (15 solo, 80 assisted).

Up Next

Following Friday’s match, Georgia Tech will await potential selection to the NCAA Tournament. The Jackets will host a watch party open to the public for the 2021 DI Women’s Volleyball Selection Show on Sunday beginning at 7 p.m. in O’Keefe Gymnasium. Fans must RSVP here to attend. The show will begin at 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

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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