No. 16 Jackets Vanquish Blue Devils

THE FLATS – No. 16 Georgia Tech volleyball made quick work of Duke, coming away with a sweep (25-16, 25-10, 25-16) in just over an hour on Sunday afternoon in O’Keefe Gymnasium. With the win, the Jackets earned their fourth consecutive victory and ninth sweep of the season, including four in ACC play.

Tech (15-3, 6-2 ACC) dominated Duke (12-7, 3-5 ACC) across the board through the match, namely on the defensive side holding the Blue Devils to a negative hitting percentage (-0.022) while piling up 10 blocks. The Jackets led the way in kills (37-22), hitting percentage [.412-(-.022)], assists (32-16), aces (3-1), digs (40-20) and blocks (10-1).

On the offensive side, the dynamic duo of junior outside hitter Julia Bergmann and senior right-side hitter Mariana Brambilla led the way with 10 kills apiece as Bergmann added nine digs and a pair of block assists while Brambilla pitched in with five digs and a pair of total blocks (one solo, one assisted). Senior setter Matti McKissock set up the attack with 29 assists on the day.

Defensively, senior middle blocker Breland Morrissette had the strongest presence in the middle with a career-high tying six total blocks (three solo, three assisted) while contributing offensively with five kills. Junior libero Paola Pimentel led the squad with 13 digs.

The Yellow Jackets have now won 28 of their last 32 matches in O’Keefe Gymnasium. Georgia Tech has won 47 of its last 56 matches dating back to 2019.

How it Happened

In a back-and-forth first set early, Tech used a four-point run to jump on top, 12-10. Duke managed to even things up shortly after at 13 all, but the Jackets caught fire from there, taking 12 of the next 15 points on the way to a 25-16 first set win.

The second set remained tight up to a 6-6 draw, but Georgia Tech once again took control, claiming 11 of the next 12 points out to a double-digit lead, 17-7. The Blue Devils were unable to recover as the Jackets rolled on to take the last five points of the set with freshman outside hitter Bianca Bertolino capping off the set on a kill for a 25-10 set two victory.

An early four-point run gave Tech a head start in the third set as the Jackets raced out to a 6-2 lead. The teams traded blows until a 3-point stint for the White and Gold widened the gap to 16-9. Duke battled back to keep things competitive up to a 21-15 score line, but Tech came away with four of the final five points as Brambilla closed out the match with a kill to secure a 25-16 third set win and match sweep for the Jackets.

Up Next

Georgia Tech will head north for another ACC weekend on the road, first traveling to Syracuse to take on the Orange on Friday at 7 p.m. before concluding the weekend at Boston College with a Sunday contest at 1 p.m. against the Eagles. Coverage information will be provided here.

Multimedia

🏐𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗗𝗔𝗬🏐

🆚: Duke
⏰: 2⃣ p.m.
📍: ATL
🏟️: O'Keefe Gymnasium
🎟️: 𝙎𝙀𝙇𝙇𝙊𝙐𝙏
🎀: Think Pink match!
📺: @BallySportsSO
💻: https://t.co/M5DFL5QG6q
📈: https://t.co/cN93frAYPb#TogetherWeSwarm /// #PointTech pic.twitter.com/yJTDpoeJU3

— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) October 17, 2021

Settling in for showtime 🎀 pic.twitter.com/PfIav6cDGz

— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) October 17, 2021

Starters 👇 pic.twitter.com/dm2719CybP

— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) October 17, 2021

S1 | Paola with the ♠️𝐀𝐂𝐄♠️ to give us the lead❕🎯

👿1⃣0⃣
🐝1⃣1⃣ pic.twitter.com/XELI0GpmpZ

— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) October 17, 2021

S1 | @erinmoss0428 🆂🆃🆄🅵🅵🆂 Duke to increase the lead💪

👿1⃣3⃣
🐝1⃣6⃣#TogetherWeSwarm /// #PointTech pic.twitter.com/wHpPcmu6fI

— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) October 17, 2021

𝙎𝙏𝙍𝙊𝙉𝙂 𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙍𝙏💪#TogetherWeSwarm /// #PointTech pic.twitter.com/noUjHo0NCu

— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) October 17, 2021

S2 | @mariibrambilla with the 𝚂𝙼𝙰𝚂𝙷 as we're doubling the Blue Devils midway through 🔥🔥

👿7⃣
🐝1⃣4⃣

Tech leads the match 1⃣-0⃣ pic.twitter.com/5T2NKtj0dN

— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) October 17, 2021

S2 | @erinmoss0428 𝗗𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗥 from the middle as we're nearing another potential set victory👀

👿1⃣0⃣
🐝2⃣1⃣

Tech leads the match 1⃣-0⃣ pic.twitter.com/whzVilJzc3

— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) October 17, 2021

S3 | 4⃣ straight have the Jackets cruising in front again❕

👿2⃣
🐝6⃣

Tech leads the match 2⃣-0⃣ pic.twitter.com/yMZPumqcaw

— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) October 17, 2021

S3 | @mariibrambilla and @erinmoss0428 close the door on a Duke attack 🚪✖️

👿8⃣
🐝1⃣3⃣

Tech leads the match 2⃣-0⃣ pic.twitter.com/Tn2wMu1vcb

— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) October 17, 2021

S3 | A Brambilla 💣💥 forces a Duke timeout❕

👿1⃣1⃣
🐝1⃣8⃣

Tech leads the match 2⃣-0⃣ pic.twitter.com/MD2c8JwANk

— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) October 17, 2021

🧹𝗝𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧𝗦 𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗣🧹

Tech takes care of Duke in under an hour and a half 😳🔥 The Jackets have now swept 9⃣ opponents this season, including 4⃣ in ACC play 💪#TogetherWeSwarm /// #PointTech pic.twitter.com/ouPCCc6npp

— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) October 17, 2021

Had a little Sunday sweeping to do 🧹🧹🧹#TogetherWeSwarm /// #PointTech pic.twitter.com/TBNngvcVc3

— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) October 17, 2021

Way to take care of business! Let’s keep working 🐝👊🏽 https://t.co/rjAD6ToHJQ

— Michelle Collier (@collmich) October 17, 2021

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.   

For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Instagram (@GTVolleyball), Twitter (@GTVolleyball), Facebook (Georgia  Tech Volleyball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.