BERKELEY, CALIF. – No. 16 Georgia Tech volleyball (18-4, 10-3 ACC) began its west coast trip with a 3-0 win over Cal (10-15, 2-11 ACC) on Friday night. Tamara Otene led the Yellow Jackets on the offensive front as 19 kills and 11 digs delivered Otene her ninth double-double of the season. Bianca Bertolino joined Otene on offense with her 13th double-double (11 kills, 14 digs).
QUICK HITS
- Bertolino extended her double-double streak to eight games with her 11 kills and 14 digs on Friday.
- Logan Wiley tied her career-high for kills set previously against Clemson with 11 kills against Cal.
- Sofia Velez has now recorded 10 or more digs in 97 of her 101 collegiate matches and has recorded 10 or more digs in the last 10 consecutive matches, after recording 11 against Cal.
- Luanna Emiliano continues to help lift Tech to victory as she recorded 39 assists to extend her 25+ assists per match streak to six-games.
- Emiliano now boasts 9.31 assists/set this season.
- Larissa Mendes resumed her role on the court for Tech volleyball on Friday during set two against Cal. Her return to action included two set appearances, one set start, two kills, one dig, and one assist.
- Five of Tech’s 10 ACC wins have been sweeps (Virginia Tech, Virginia, Clemson, N.C. State, Cal).
- Georgia Tech’s hitting percentage against Cal (.373) was the second highest of the season, just behind its performance against Alabama State (.430).
- Tech’s .373 attack percentage was the highest this season against an ACC opponent.
- The Yellow Jackets recorded the most kills in a three-set match (54), the most assists in a three-set match (49) and the most total attempts in a three-set match (118) for the 2024 season.
- Georgia Tech’s now nine-game ACC win streak is the longest ACC win-streak for the program since the 10-game win streak during the 2021 season.
VB vs Cal
Photos by Tyler Rover
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 25 – Cal 22)
The Yellow Jackets dropped the first three points of set one but quickly rebounded to tie set one 4-4 before the Golden Bears could run away with the match. Tech and Cal continued to exchange points, with the visiting Yellow Jackets keeping a slight offensive edge over the Golden Bears. A kill by Wiley was enough of a spark to help Tech take a two-point lead to begin to edge out Cal as match one progressed towards match point. One kill from Otene and Bertolino respectively combined with a pair of kills from Pierce and two Golden Bear errors provided Tech with the set one victory. Emiliano tallied 11 of Tech’s 13 set one assists while Velez recorded the other two. Five Yellow Jackets recorded multiple kills in set one, but it was Otene and Bertolino who led the group with four kills respectively.
Set 2 (GT 25 – Cal 23)
Set two saw the Yellow Jackets and Golden Bears in a close battle, with neither team piecing together more than a few points before knotting the game back up. With the match tied 12-12, Cal went on a five-point run, forcing Tech to take a timeout. Georgia Tech scrapped back to tie the game 20-20 before a pair of kills from DeAndra Pierce put the Yellow Jackets on top. Two kills from Bertolino combined with two kills from Mendes took set two for the visiting Jackets. Otene, Bertolino, and Wiley all finished the second set with five kills apiece while Emiliano saw 15 digs and Velez recorded 11 digs.
Set 3 (GT 25 – Cal 12)
The Yellow Jackets took the first point in set three which Cal tied in the next play, only for Tech to go on a six-point run to establish a commanding lead in set three. Tech continued its offensive push throughout the remainder of set three, while holding Cal to only 12 points. Otene capped the game recording 10 of Tech’s 19 kills in the final set, boasting a .909 attack percentage. DeAndra Pierce had a solid showing as well in set three as she and Wiley contributed three kills each and Bertolino chipped in two. Emiliano finished the game with double digit assists for the third straight set, recording 13 of Tech’s 17 assists.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets will finish the week against Stanford on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET. 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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