THE FLATS – No. 15 Georgia Tech volleyball (19-5, 11-4 ACC) celebrated its seniors in style, sweeping Syracuse (14-13, 2-13 ACC) in true Yellow Jacket fashion on Friday night. Seniors Tamara Otene (16), Bianca Bertolino (10), and DeAndra Pierce (10) collectively led Tech’s offense while junior Liv Mogridge contributed 10 kills as well. Sofia Velez had an exceptional showing as well as the libero recorded her first double-double playing in the White & Gold (10 assists, 11 digs)
QUICK HITS
- This was the 41st consecutive sold out match at O’Keefe Gymnasium, a streak dating back to the 2021 season.
- The last time Tech had four or more Jackets record double-digit kills was during the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament when Georgia Tech beat Florida 3-2.
- Pierce had an exceptional senior night showing as she neared both her career high for kills with 11 and her career high hitting percentage with a .714 hitting percentage against Syracuse.
- Mogridge found her rhythm against the Orange and had her third game of the season with double-digit kills (10).
- Velez had a huge hand in Tech’s 51 assists as she contributed a career-high 10 assists in Friday’s match.
- The junior has now recorded 10 or more digs in 98 of her 103 collegiate matches after recording 11 against Syracuse.
- Senior Leia Harper saw a season high hitting percentage after recording four kills on seven swings (.571).
- Senior Luanna Emiliano had an impressive night as she provided almost 59% of Tech’s assists with 30 recorded against the Orange.
- Her 30 assists helped her achieve her ninth double-double of the season (30 assists, 12 digs).
- Otene’s 16 kills bring her to 930 kills as a Yellow Jacket, bringing her closer to the 1,000-kill club while in White & Gold.
- As a team, Tech set a new season-high for kills in a three-set match (56) as well as assists in a three-set match (51).
- The Yellow Jackets’ solid defensive efforts held the Orange to only 23 kills, which is the fourth lowest number of kills surrendered this season (Alabama State, 21; Virginia Tech, 23; Lispcomb, 23).
- With Friday’s win, Tech improves its home record to 11-3 while extending its home winning streak to six games.
- Tech saw five Yellow Jackets record a .500 or better kill percentage (Otene, .500; Mogridge, .667; Pierce, .714, Logan Wiley, .600; Harper, .571).
- Georgia Tech finished the match with a .396 hitting percentage, which is its best hitting percentage since Alabama State back in September (.430).
VB vs Syracuse
Photos by Danny Karnik
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 25 – SYR 16)
The visiting Orange took the first point of set one, but the Yellow Jackets were quick to go on a six-point scoring run to reclaim the lead. Tech retained their lead through the end of set one, keeping Syracuse at a minimum of a three-point distance. Otene took set one by storm, recording nine of Tech’s 19 set one kills. Mogridge contributed four kills to Tech’s unmanageable offense while Pierce and Wiley had a multi-kill set one as well. The Jackets held the Orange to only eight kills while racking up 20 digs for an overall powerhouse set one.
Set 2 (GT 25 – SYR 15)
Set two saw a closer contest between the Yellow Jackets and the Orange, but a .394 hitting percentage for Tech would be the deciding factor as the hosting Jackets recorded 18 kills compared to the Oranges’ seven. Syracuse kept set two close and was even leading 5-4 before a kill from Otene sparked a four-point scoring run to give the Yellow Jackets the lead, 8-5. From there, Tech was able to establish a more comfortable lead as a six-point scoring run made the match 13-7 in favor in of the hosting Jackets. Georgia Tech retained the lead through the remainder of the second set Otene recorded six kills and Bertolino recorded five. Emiliano saw a game-high 13 assists while also leading the Jackets for digs in set two (4).
Set 3 (GT 25 – SYR 17)
Tech began what was the third and final set with an eight-point scoring run which featured three kills for Bertolino, two kills for Wiley, two attacking errors from Syracuse, and one service ace from Emiliano. Despite the Orange finally getting points on the board, Tech never surrendered less than a four-point lead until the Yellow Jackets reached match point. Set three saw a game high three kills, her last of which resulted in the match point. Emiliano finished her senior night performance strong with 11 assists and two service aces in the final set while Bertolino lead the offense through the final set with six kills.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets will conclude their week hosting Boston College Sunday at 1 p.m. The match will be live streamed on ACC Network Extra.
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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