CORAL GABLES, FLA. – No. 15 Georgia Tech volleyball (20-7, 12-6 ACC) fell late on Sunday afternoon to the Hurricanes of Miami (20-9, 11-7 ACC). Tamara Otene led the charge on offense as 17 kills and 10 digs earned the senior her 10th double-double of the season.
QUICK HITS
- Otene’s 17 kills bring her to 982 kills as a Yellow Jacket, bringing her closer to the 1,000-kill club while competing as a Yellow Jacket.
- Bianca Bertolino recorded 13 kills against the Hurricanes, bringing her to 22 double-digit kill games this season.
- With her 14 digs against Miami, Sofia Velez has now recorded 10 or more digs in 101 of her 106 collegiate matches.
- DeAndra Pierce tied her career-high for solo blocks (2), which she most recently set in the 2023 season against Syracuse.
- Liv Mogridge tied her season-high for services aces (3), which she previously set against Alabama St. (9/13/24).
- Luanna Emiliano led the team with 27 assists along with 17 from Heloise Soares as the Jackets returned to the 5-2 rotation for the second match since Soares returned from injury
- The few matches this season Emiliano wasn’t able to reach the 20+ mark were all against top-10 opponents (No. 1 Pitt, No. 4 Louisville, No. 6 Stanford).
- This was Tech’s eighth five-set match this season.
VB at Florida State
Photos by Tyler Rover
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 25- MIA 22)
With the Hurricanes scoring first, the Yellow Jackets began the match playing catch up and tied the score five times through set one. The competitive first set remained close but favored the hosts (21-17), until a five-point scoring run not only tied the match, but provided Tech with a one-point lead. An attack error by the Hurricanes and one kill respectively from Bertolino and Larissa Mendes put set one to bed. Bertolino and Otene led Tech’s offense with four kills each while Mendes and Wiley contributed two respectively. Along with her two kills, Wiley also garnered two service aces. Emiliano saw seven assists in set one while Velez’s defensive efforts earned her five digs.
Set 2 (GT 25 – MIA 19)
Tech jumped out front in set two, but Miami was able to take the lead, 4-3. The Yellow Jackets were quick to respond, outscoring the Hurricanes 7-1 in the plays that followed (10-5). Despite Miami tying the match 15-15 and 17-17, Tech was able to retain the lead through the remainder of the second set with some assistance from a late five-point scoring run (22-17). Mendes saw a team-high four kills in set two while Bertolino had another three. Emiliano contributed four assists to Tech’s 13 total digs in set two, alongside Soares who had five. In addition to her five assists, Soares led the group in digs (4) while four Jackets had a multi-dig set as well.
Set 3 (GT 21- MIA 25)
Both the Yellow Jackets and the Hurricanes struggling on offense in set three, but it would be Miami’s .286 attack percentage and nine blocks on defense that would force Tech to drop set three. The third set saw the scored tied eight times and included four lead changes between the ACC opponents. A three-point run for Miami would put a small gap between the teams, which Tech responded to with a five-point run to take the lead (16-15). The Hurricanes pieced together another three-point run which was enough to earn the set three win. Mogridge and Pierce stepped up in the third set, leading Georgia Tech’s offensive unit with four kills apiece. Pierce had a dominant presence in set three, going four-for-six for kills (.667 attack percentage).
Set 4 (GT 14- MIA 25)
Tech could not find an answer to Miami’s offense in set four as the Hurricanes outscored the Yellow Jackets 12-3 early. Despite bringing Miami’s lead within seven-points, Tech ran out of time to comeback and take set four. Bertolino and Otene had another multi-kill performance in set four while Emiliano was back to leading Tech in assists.
Set 5 (GT 13- MIA 15)
The fifth and final set was neck and neck with Tech leading in kills (10-8), assists (10-8), and digs (8-6). Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets a pair of attacking errors and a pair of service errors would end up being the determining factor for a fifth set victory for the Hurricanes. Otene saw a match-high six kills to finish the day while Soares and Emiliano finished the match with four final assists respectively.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets will return to The Flats to host No. 7 Stanford in a Wednesday 3 p.m. rematch before heading north for a rematch against No. 1 Pitt Saturday at 1 p.m.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and 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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