No. 14 Tech Prepares for Miami, Florida State

THE FLATS – No. 14 Georgia Tech volleyball (19-3, 10-2 ACC) will remain on The Flats for the second consecutive weekend to host Miami (19-3, 10-2 ACC) on Senior Night and Florida State (16-5, 9-3 ACC) for the back end of a four-match homestand in O’Keefe Gymnasium. The Jackets will first take on the Hurricanes on Friday at 7 p.m. before going toe-to-toe with the Seminoles on Sunday at 3 p.m. to conclude weekend.

Coverage

• Friday, Nov. 5 | No. 14 Georgia Tech vs. Miami | 7 p.m. | ACC RSN (In Atlanta: Bally Sports South) | Watch | Live Stats
• Sunday, Nov. 7 | No. 14 Georgia Tech vs. Florida State | 3 p.m. | ACC RSN (In Atlanta: Bally Sports South) | Watch | Live Stats

Tickets

Adult Single Game – $6

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

Group Single Game (10+) – $2

Following an initial sellout, limited single game tickets have been made available for Friday’s match against Miami. 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.

The Florida State 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.

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, fans may park free of charge in the McCamish, East O’Keefe and Family Housing lots.

Senior Night

Friday’s match against Miami will be Georgia Tech’s Senior Night. The Yellow Jackets will host a special pregame presentation for their six seniors – Mariana Brambilla, Mikaila Dowd, Kayla Kaiser, Matti McKissock, Breland Morrissette and Maddie Tippett.

Storylines

• Tech was marked No. 14 for the second consecutive time in the latest AVCA Top 25 poll, remaining in the top 15 for the third straight week.
• Since appearing in the Top 25 at No. 12 on Sept. 30, 2020, Georgia Tech has been listed in 33 straight top 25 polls to date.
• The NCAA Selection Committee released its first rankings of the season for matches played through Oct. 27 on Sunday, with Tech cracking the top 10 coming in at No. 9.
• The Yellow Jackets were also tabbed No. 7 in the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index for the second week in a row, tying their highest rank of the season.
• Tech holds it position amongst the country’s best following yet another undefeated ACC weekend in which the Jackets swept North Carolina and handled NC State for a 3-1 win.
• Junior outside hitter Julia Bergmann was named ACC Co-Player of the Week for her third weekly award from the conference this season for her performances through both contests. Bergmann led the squad with 38 kills for a gaudy 5.43 kills per set at a robust .460 clip on the weekend for her ninth and 10^th double doubles this season. The heavy hitter owns four career ACC Player of the Week titles along with a pair of ACC Freshman of the Week recognitions for six total Atlantic Coast Conference weekly awards.
• The Jackets have now racked up eight ACC weekly awards on the year, the most in program history on record. The staggering tally leads the league this season as senior outside hitter Mariana Brambilla also owns two ACC Player of the Week honors while freshman outside hitter Bianca Bertolino has been selected as ACC Freshman of the Week three times in her first collegiate season.
• Georgia Tech has now won eight consecutive matches in ACC play.
• 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 51 of its last 60 matches.
• The Jackets have won 30 of their last 34 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 (14.82) while placing fourth in the NCAA and topping the ACC in assists per set (13.49).
• 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 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.
• 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 three 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 364 kills (4.67 per set) and 26 service aces along with pitching in on the defensive end with 210 digs and 40 total blocks (18 solo, 22 assisted). She also recently eclipsed 1,000 career kills, owning 1,060 to date.
• On a national scale, those marks currently place her 10^th in the country in points per set (5.37) and 13^th in the nation in kills per set (4.67), leading the ACC in both categories. Other notable numbers for the powerful outside hitter include ranking second in the ACC and 20^th in the NCAA in points (419) while slotting second in the conference and 21^st in the country in kills (364).
• 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 has since collected her third. 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 3,666 to date. Now the program leader during the 25-point rally scoring era, McKissock leads the ACC and is fifth in the NCAA with 11.35 assists per set while also leading the conference in total assists with 874.
• 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 nears the top 10 in program history in career kills with 1,423 to date. Currently, she ranks third in the ACC in kills per set (4.14) and points per set (4.63).

Series History

• Tech currently trails Miami 17-12 in the all-time series. The Jackets won the last meeting between the two on the road in five sets. The White and Gold hold the advantage in road matches, leading the series 8-7.
• Georgia Tech leads Florida State 33-22 in all-time matches, sweeping the last three contests on The Flats. The Yellow Jackets also own the longest win streaks of the series, claiming eight straight matches from 1993-96 and again from 2002-05. Tech leads Miami 20-10 in home contests and 2-0 in neutral matches.

Scouting Miami

• The Hurricanes enter the weekend at 19-3 overall, going 10-2 in ACC play. Miami is currently riding a five-match winning streak in ACC play, only suffering three losses all season at the hands of Louisville, Pitt and UCF.
• Miami’s biggest strength amongst the conference is on the defensive side as the Hurricanes are currently second in the league in digs per set (15.25) and opponent hitting percentage (.173) as well as third in blocks per set (2.56).
• Junior middle blocker Janice Leao anchors the Canes’ defense ranking third in the ACC and ninth in the NCAA in blocks per set (1.42) as well as second in the ACC and 22nd in the NCAA in total blocks (108).
• Other notable marks include senior defensive specialist Priscilla Hernandez ranking second in the ACC in digs per set (4.14) while junior setter Savannah Vach is second in the ACC and 16th in the NCAA is assists per set (10.93).

Scouting Florida State

• The Seminoles come into the weekend at 16-5 on the season, going 9-3 in ACC contests. Like the Miami, Florida State put together a win streak of its own taking the last four contests.
• The Noles also stack up amongst the ACC’s best defensively, leading the league in digs per set (16.41) while jumpstarting their offense with 1.52 aces per set, good for third in the conference.
• Redshirt junior setter Lily Tessier sets up Florida State’s attack and ranks fourth in the ACC in assists per set (10.23)
• Junior middle blocker Emma Clothier leads the offense with 203 kills (2.71 per set) at a .348 clip.
• Freshman middle blocker Khori Louis has been at the core of the defense with 79 total blocks.

Up Next

Georgia Tech will hit the road for a highly anticipated rematch with No. 2 Louisville in the Bluegrass State. The Jackets will face off with the Cardinals once again on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena. Coverage information will be provided here.

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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