TALLAHASSEE, FLA. – No. 15 Georgia Tech volleyball (20-6, 12-5 ACC) came up short in Friday’s road match against No. 23 Florida State (19-8, 11-6 ACC). Bianca Bertolino (17 kills, 19 digs), Sofia Velez (11 assists, 23 digs), and Luanna Emiliano (34 assists, 14 digs) all recorded double-doubles while Heloise Soares opened her return to action with 20 assists.
QUICK HITS
- Bertolino’s double-double against the Seminoles was her 15th this season, 32nd career double-double performance.
- Velez’s double-double on Friday was the second of her career, after she secured her first double-double this season against Syracuse (10 assists, 11 digs).
- She has now recorded 10 or more digs in 100 of her 105 collegiate matches after recording 23 against FSU.
- Emiliano’s 34 assists recorded against the Seminoles improve her to a 10.05 assist per set average.
- The senior has recorded 30+ assists in nine of Tech’s last 10 contests.
- Emiliano’s double-double against Florida State was her 10th of the season and the 77th of her overall career.
- Tamara Otene’s 18 kills bring her to 965 kills as a Yellow Jacket, bringing her closer to the 1,000-kill club while in White & Gold.
- Logan Wiley tied her season-high for solo blocks (2) which she originally set against Clemson (10/18/24).
- Wiley’s five total blocks made up 63% of Tech’s total blocks.
- Larissa Mendes had her first game recording double-digit kills (12) since Virginia (10/13/24). Her game against Florida State was her seventh of the season with double-digit kills.
- The Yellow Jackets recorded a season-high 72 kills, surpassing their previous high of 71 kills set against BYU (9/7/24).
- Tech also tied its season-high for assists (70) which was also previously set against BYU.
- The last time three Yellow Jackets recorded double-digit assists was during the Tech’s 3-2 win over Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
- This was Tech’s seventh five-set match this season and only the second time the Yellow Jackets have dropped a five-set match this season.
VB at Florida State
Photos by Tyler Rover
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 13- FSU 25)
Set one began close until Florida State went on a six-point to claim control of the match (16-7). The Yellow Jackets struggled to find consistent success on offense with a .135 attack percentage, compared to the Seminoles’ .467 attack percentage could. Bertolino led Tech’s offense with four kills while Emiliano recorded five of the Yellow Jackets’ 10 set one assists. Velez and Soares also recorded multiple assists in set one. In addition to her offensive contributions, Velez earned 1/3 of Tech’s 12 digs in set one.
Set 2 (GT 25 – FSU 15)
Tech settled down in set two, improving its attack percentage to .244 while holding Florida State’s offense to a .079 attack percentage. The Yellow Jackets broke away from the Seminoles early on as a five-point run made the game 11-5. A late six-point push provided a 12-point difference as Tech neared match point. The Yellow Jackets’ offense was captained once again by Bertolino with five kills, alongside Mendes who had four and Otene who had three. Bertolino was consistent across the board in set two as she showed proficiency on defense as well with six digs.
Set 3 (GT 25 – FSU 21)
The third set saw the best offensive performance of the match for the Yellow Jackets as Tech once again boosted its attacking percentage (.409). Florida State also improved its attacking percentage from the second set to .300 but Tech dominated as far as kills (22-14). An early four-point scoring run, combined with a late six-point scoring run provided the Yellow Jackets with enough distance from the Seminoles to take set three. Five Yellow Jackets recorded three or more kills in set three and the group was led by Otene with a match-high six kills. Set three also saw four Tech players record three or more digs, including Velez who had a match-high six digs in set three.
Set 4 (GT 24- FSU 26)
With the match on the line, set four was the closets set of the night with Florida State having a slight edge over Tech as far as kills (18-17), attack percentage (.342-.302), and digs (19-15). Despite the Seminoles getting an early three-point jump on the Yellow Jackets, Tech slowly battled back and was able to not only take the lead, but get a seven-point gap from Florida State (15-8). Florida State chipped away at Tech’s lead and ultimately forced the match into the fifth set. Wiley recorded a match-high six kills while Otene chipped in another five.
Set 5 (GT 10- FSU 15)
Regardless of Florida State claiming the first three points of set five, Tech fought back to tie the game 9-9. The Seminoles then went on a four-point run before Otene could record what would be the final kill of the match for Tech. The Yellow Jackets fought until the end, but were unable to battle back on offense to pull off the fifth set win. Otene was assisted on offense by Bertolino, as both senior notched three kills respectively. Soares and Emiliano had three assists each while Velez claimed five final digs.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets remain in Florida to finish the week in Coral Gables against Miami on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The match is set to be streamed on ACCNX.
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.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on X (@GTAthletics), Facebook, Instagram or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
