THE FLATS – Everything was going right for No. 15 Georgia Tech volleyball (7-1) on Friday night, sweeping Alabama State (25-10, 25-17, 25-15) in front of a sold-out crowd at O’Keefe Gymnasium. Three different Yellow Jackets made their collegiate debuts as Tech imposed its will all night.
QUICK HITS
- This was the 33rd consecutive sold out match at O’Keefe Gymnasium, a streak dating back to the 2021 season.
- Tech hit .430 as a team, its highest hitting percentage since Nov. 18, 2022 (vs. Clemson – .475). It was the highest hitting percentage against a non-conference opponent since 2019 (Dec. 6, 2019 vs. Alabama A&M – .545).
- Senior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino led the team with 13 kills on an astounding .619 hitting, a new career best.
- Senior right side Laura Fischer set a new career high for kills, finishing with 10 on .571 hitting. Her first-career double-digit kill performance.
- Senior outside hitter Tamara Otene led the team with 12 digs (4.00/set). She has made 4+digs/set in three of Tech’s four sweeps this season.
- Tech’s starting middle blockers were unstoppable on offense. Senior DeAndra Pierce and junior Liv Mogridge combined for 12 kills (six each) off 15 swings. Both players set career highs in hitting % while also making three blocks.
- Pierce made her six kills on seven swings without committing an error (.857), a new career high.
- It was a career high for Mogridge as well, who made her six kills on .750 hitting.
- Mogridge led the team with three aces, two of which came in her first service run of the match.
- Senior setter Luanna Emiliano led the team with 36 assists (12/set) – a new season-best for assists/set.
- Three Yellow Jackets made their first career appearances tonight, with all three contributing points: senior setter Ashlyn Goolsby made six assists and recorded an ace, freshman Logan Wiley made two blocks and freshman Lara Martinez Casas recorded a pair of kills, including the match winning kill in the third set.
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 25 – ASU 10)
Tech took a quick lead in the match, leading 8-4 after a Tamara Otene kill, her first of the night. Four straight kills from Tech extended its lead, up 17-6 over Alabama State, forcing an Alabama State timeout. Out of the timeout, Tech used a 8-4 run to close the set 25-10. Tech used a balanced attack in set one, with Bianca Bertolino totaling five kills, while Liv Mogridge and Laura Fischer added for each. Mogridge led the team with three aces, the only three of the first set.
Set 2 (GT 25 – ASU 17)
The teams traded points to open the second set, with the score even at 4-4. The teams continued to exchange points, with Tech holding a two-point advantage, up 12-10 after an Alabama State serving error. The Yellow Jackets took their largest lead so far in set two, up 19-15 and forcing an Alabama State timeout. Tech held off an Alabama State attack, taking set two 25-17 and taking a 2-0 lead in the match. Bertolino added four more kills in the set, along with Fischer, who set a new career high.
Set 3 (GT 25– ASU 15)
The Yellow Jackets carried their momentum into set three, jumping out to a quick 9-4 lead over Alabama State, thanks to an ace from Ashlyn Goolsby, the first of her career. Tech took a 10-point lead over the visiting Hornets after a Bianca Bertolino kill, her 13th of the night. The Yellow Jackets win set number three 25-15, sweeping Alabama State 3-0. Laura Fisher finished the night with a career-high 10 kills. Tamara Otene helped the team in a different way Friday, totaling 12 digs in addition to her six kills.
UP NEXT
Georgia Tech gets the rest of the weekend off to prepare for Clean Old-Fashioned Hate. Tech will face Georgia on Friday, Sept. 20 at 7 pm in Athens, Ga.
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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