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No. 16 Tech Handed First Loss of Season by No. 18 UCLA

Box Score | Se​ason Stats

LONG BEACH, Calif. – No. 16 Georgia Tech volleyball (4-1) suffered its first defeat of the season at the hands of No. 18 UCLA (4-0) on Saturday, falling 3-1 (25-11, 25-22, 25-27, 25-11) to wrap up its Long Beach State Tournament play at Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. The Jackets responded to adversity by taking the third set with extra points after dropping the first two, but were unable to force the Bruins into a fifth set.

Senior right-side hitter Mariana Brambilla led the way for the Jackets, hammering down 17 kills to go with 12 digs for her second double double of the season, also adding an ace and a block assist. Junior outside hitter Julia Bergmann trailed just behind Brambilla with her fourth straight doube double through 13 kills, 12 digs and a block of her own. The third of the “Killer B’s,” freshman outside hitter Bianca Bertolino, also pitched in with nine kills and seven digs of her own. Sophomore setter Isabella D’Amico stepped up to lead the team in assists on the night, coming away with 21.

How it Happened

The Bruins delivered a haymaker early, going on a nine-point run. The Jackets were unable to close the gap as UCLA went on to take the first set 25-11.

UCLA once again took the upper hand early in set two up to an 11-5 lead. Shortly after, the two squads traded four-point runs up to a 17-13 tally in favor of the Bruins. The Jackets steadily chipped away at the UCLA lead with a three-point run to trail 19-16 and four straight points soon after to draw within a point at 22-21. The Bruins mustered up the strength to close out the set from there though, going on to take a 25-22 second set win.

Georgia Tech swarmed back in the third set, jumping ahead 4-0 early. The Bruins responded by evening the match at five all, but Tech managed to inch back ahead later with a three-point run up to a 13-9 lead. The two sides went back and forth up to a 23-19 Jacket lead, but UCLA rattled off four straight points to knot the match at 23. From there, the tally was even at 24 apiece and 25 apiece until back-to-back kills by Brambilla and Bergmann gave Tech a 27-25 third set win.

The Bruins regained control in the fourth set, taking seven points on an eight-point stretch to lead 10-4 early. A six-point run to follow proved to put the match out of reach for Tech as UCLA went on to take the fourth set, 25-11, and the match, 3-1.

Up Next

The Jackets will come home to host the Georgia Tech Classic welcoming Mississippi State, Indiana and Oklahoma Sep. 9-12, beginning with Mississippi State at 7 p.m. Sep. 9 in O’Keefe Gymnasium.

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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.   

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