No. 13 Tech Hosts No. 3 Pitt for Another Top-Three Contest

THE FLATS – No. 13 Georgia Tech volleyball (21-4, 12-3 ACC) will host No. 3 Pitt (24-2, 13-2 ACC) on Friday at 4 p.m. in O’Keefe Gymnasium for its second consecutive rematch with a top-three team in as many weeks. On the season, the showdown between two of the ACC’s best will mark the fourth top-three contest and sixth ranked matchup for the Jackets.

Coverage

• Friday, Nov.19 | No. 13 Georgia Tech vs. No. 3 Pitt | 4 p.m. | ACC Network | 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 McCamish lot or Family Housing deck along with any available spaces on Fowler Street from 10th Street to 6th Street. The East O’Keefe lot will not be accessible.

Storylines

• Tech moved up to No. 13 in the latest AVCA Top 25 poll, tying its season-high mark and remaining in the top 15 for the fifth straight week.
• Since appearing in the Top 25 at No. 12 on Sept. 30, 2020, Georgia Tech has been listed in 35 straight top 25 polls to date.
• The NCAA Selection Committee recently 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.
• 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 63 matches.
• The Jackets have won 32 of their last 36 matches on The Flats in O’Keefe Gymnasium.
• Georgia Tech boasts some of the best statistical marks in the country, leading the nation in both kills per set (15.07) and assists per set (13.74). The Jackets are also currently fifth in the NCAA and second in the ACC in hitting percentage (0.295).
• Earlier this season, the Jackets made history by handing Pitt (previously No. 2) its first loss of the season in five sets.
• Georgia Tech’s triumph over 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.
• A win over Pitt on Friday would give the Jackets two top-10 wins in a season for the first time in program history.
• 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 12 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 420 kills (4.72 per set) and 29 service aces along with pitching in on the defensive end with 234 digs and 51 total blocks (20 solo, 31 assisted). She also recently eclipsed 1,000 career kills, owning 1,116 to date.
• On a national scale, those marks currently place her ninth in the country in points per set (5.45) and 12^th in the nation in kills per set (4.72), leading the league in both categories. Other notable numbers for the powerful outside hitter include ranking second in the ACC and 23^rd in the NCAA in points (484.5) while placing second in the conference and 25^th in the country in kills (420).
• 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. 14 Penn State (previously No. 12) and picked up her second ACC Player of the Week recognition after the Jackets’ historic win over No. 3 Pitt (previously No. 2).
• 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 3,817 to date. Now the program leader during the 25-point rally scoring era, McKissock leads the ACC and is fourth in the NCAA with 11.58 assists per set while also leading the conference and ranking 28^th in the nation in total assists with 1,025.
• 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 1,467 to date. Currently, she ranks third in the ACC in kills per set (4.12) and points per set (4.60).

Series History

• Tech currently trails Pitt 10-2 in the all-time series. The Jackets topped the Panthers in the last meeting earlier this season for their highest ranked win in program history. Tech also claimed the first meeting of the two sides at a neutral site in 2007.

Scouting Pitt

• The Panthers come into the contest riding a six-match win streak with a notable 24-2 overall record, going 13-2 in ACC play. The only blemishes on Pitt’s record this season came against the Jackets and No. 1 Louisville (previously No. 2), both in five sets.
• Pitt’s offensive efficiency has been its strongest suit to date as the Panthers are currently second in the ACC and 10th in the NCAA in assists per set (13.08) while ranking third in the league and 10th in the country in hitting percentage (0.282). Pitt is also second in the conference in both kills per set (14.03) and opponent hitting percentage (0.179).
• Senior middle blocker Serena Gray leads the way for Pitt when it comes to offensive efficiency as she’s among the ACC’s best owning a 0.418 hitting percentage to date, good for second in the ACC and 15th in the NCAA. She also leads the team in blocks with 102 this season.
• Graduate senior outside hitter Kayla Lund meanwhile fronts the attack in production with 3.18 kills per set for 296 kills this season with fellow graduate senior middle blocker Chinaza Ndee just behind her at 3.06 kills per set for 297 kills.

Up Next

Georgia Tech will close out the regular season with matches on both sides of Thanksgiving Day, first hosting Clemson before the season finale at Florida State. The Yellow Jackets will first take on the Tigers on Nov. 24 at 2 p.m. in O’Keefe Gymnasium, then wrap up regular season play with the finale against the Seminoles on Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. in Tallahassee, Fla. Coverage information will be provided here.

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