No. 14 Tech Awaits North Carolina, NC State

THE FLATS – No. 14 Georgia Tech volleyball (17-3, 8-2 ACC) will be back on The Flats this weekend to host North Carolina (17-4, 6-4 ACC) and NC State (12-9, 6-4 ACC) for the front end of a four-match homestand in O’Keefe Gymnasium. The Jackets will first take on the Tar Heels on Friday at 7 p.m. before battling the Wolfpack on Sunday at 1 p.m. to wrap up Halloween weekend.

Coverage

• Friday, Oct. 29 | No. 14 Georgia Tech vs. North Carolina | 7 p.m. | ACC Network Extra | Watch | Live Stats
• Sunday, Oct. 31 | No. 14 Georgia Tech vs. NC State | 1 p.m. | ACC Network Extra | Watch | Live Stats

Tickets

Adult Single Game – $6

Youth (ages 3-18)/Senior (55+) Single Game – $4

Group Single Game (10+) – $2

The North Carolina match is sold out to the general public. 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.

Limited single game tickets remain for the NC State match. Secure your tickets online HERE. If you need assistance, the Georgia Tech Ticket Office may be reached by phone at 888.TECH.TIX, The Georgia Tech Ticket Office is open Monday – Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Full capacity is once again allowed inside O’Keefe Gymnasium, and seating is general admission. Students with a Buzz Card will be permitted free of charge.

Parking

For both matches, the McCamish lot (E65) will be reserved for basketball events. Parking for fans with ADA needs will be available in the East O’Keefe lot (E63) no earlier than an hour and a half before first serve, while the Family Housing lot (E66) will be open to the general public. Fans may park free of charge in the East O’Keefe and Family Housing lots.

Trick-or-Treat

For Halloween on Sunday, Georgia Tech will host a Trick-or-Treat route beginning at 11:30 a.m. The route will include stops at various Greek Houses and athletic facilities, continuing until 12:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to bring children for the event, and costumes are welcomed. More information will be available on site.

Junior Jackets

Sunday’s match against NC State will also serve as Tech’s Junior Jackets event of the month, permitting all Junior Jackets into the match with free admission.

Storylines

• Tech was marked No. 14 in the latest AVCA Top 25 poll, remaining in the top 15 for the second consecutive week.
• Since appearing in the Top 25 at No. 12 on Sept. 30, 2020, Georgia Tech has been listed in 32 straight top 25 polls to date.
• Tech receives its new position amongst the country’s best following another undefeated ACC weekend in which the Jackets claimed their first win at Syracuse in program history before capping the road trip with a sweep of Boston College.
• Senior right-side hitter Mariana Brambilla earned her second ACC Player of the Week honor of the season for her performances through the two contests, highlighted by 43 total kills to average 6.14 kills per set through the weekend. 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.
• Along with Brambilla’s recognition, senior setter Matti McKissock and junior outside hitter Julia Bergmann each hit program and career milestones. McKissock became Georgia Tech’s program leader in career assists during the 25-point rally scoring era while moving to fourth in program history with 3,582 to date, while Bergmann eclipsed 1,000 career kills.
• Georgia Tech has now won six consecutive matches in ACC play following sweeps of Clemson and Duke a week ago.
• Two weeks prior, the Jackets put together a historic weekend in which they swept ACC foe Virginia before handing No. 4 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.
• Tech is a perfect 9-0 in true road matches this season, going 7-0 away from The Flats in ACC play.
• The nine consecutive true road wins mark the best start on the road in program history.
• Going beyond 2019’s NIVC title, Tech has won 49 of its last 58 matches.
• The Jackets have won 28 of their last 32 matches on The Flats in O’Keefe Gymnasium.
• Georgia Tech boasts some of the best statistical marks in the nation to date, ranking second in the nation and leading the league in kills per set (14.72) while placing fourth in the NCAA and topping the ACC in assists per set (13.39).
• 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 twice, 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 326 kills (4.59 per set) and 23 service aces along with pitching in on the defensive end with 188 digs and 35 total blocks (17 solo, 18 assisted).
• On a national scale, those marks currently place her 10^th in the country in points per set (5.28) and 14^th in the nation in kills per set (4.59), leading the ACC in both categories. Other notable numbers for the powerful outside hitter include ranking second in the ACC and 31^st in the NCAA in points (375) while slotting second in the conference and 33^rd in the country in kills (326).
• 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. 4 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 collected her third a week ago. 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 fourth in career assists in program history against Boston College, totaling 3,582 to date. Now the program leader during the 25-point rally scoring era, McKissock leads the ACC and is sixth in the NCAA with 11.29 assists per set while also leading the conference in total assists with 790.

Series History

• Tech currently trails North Carolina 38-27 in the all-time series. The Jackets have won the last two matchups in five sets, coming out on top in O’Keefe in 2018 and on the road in 2019. The White and Gold also hold the advantage at home, leading the series 17-14 on The Flats.
• Georgia Tech leads NC State 46-20 in all-time matches, claiming the last four contests, three of which were sweeps. The Yellow Jackets own the longest win streak of the series after earning 21 straight victories from 2000-10. Tech leads the series 24-8 at home, 18-11 on the road and 4-1 in neutral matches.

Scouting North Carolina

• The Tar Heels enter the weekend at 17-4 overall, going 6-4 in ACC play. Following an undefeated nonconference run, North Carolina lost its first four ACC matches to Pitt, Virginia, Miami and Florida State. The Tar Heels have gotten hot as of late, winning six straight over Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Syracuse, NC State and Duke.
• North Carolina’s biggest strength amongst the conference is on the defensive side as the Tar Heels are currently third in the league in opponent hitting percentage (.175).
• UNC is also amongst the top 30 in the nation in multiple categories – assists per set (12.67), hitting percentage (0.266) and kills per set (13.88). In the ACC those marks rank the Heels fourth in assists per set and kills per set as well as fifth in hitting percentage.
• Individually, sophomore MH/OH Kaya Merkler ranking second in the ACC and 11^th in the NCAA in hitting percentage (0.428).
• Merkler also leads the team with 70 blocks (1.04 per set).
• Graduate senior outside hitter Nia Robinson leads attack with 278 kills (3.86 per set).

Scouting NC State

• The Wolfpack come into the weekend at 12-9 on the season, going 6-4 in ACC contests. Only falling to North Carolina a week ago, NC State has won five of its last six ACC matches over Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Syracuse, Boston College and Duke.
• NC State is currently second in the ACC and 11th in the NCAA in both assists per set (13.14) and kills per set (14.19).
• The Wolfpack is also third in the ACC in total assists (972) and digs (1,106).
• Individually, senior outside hitter Jade Parchment and graduate senior opposite hitter Melissa Evans lead the Wolfpack attack. Parchment is seventh in the conference in kills per set (3.68) and kills (272) while Evans is eighth in both with 3.64 kills per set and 269 kills.
• Defensively, sophomore middle blocker Riley Shaak anchors NC State’s defense with 55 blocks (.89 per set)

Up Next

Georgia Tech will remain home for the tail end of its four-match homestand in O’Keefe Gymnasium, hosting Miami for Senior Day on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. before concluding the weekend with a clash against Florida State on Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. Coverage information will be provided here.

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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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