No. 16 Tech Set for Midweek Matchup at Clemson

THE FLATS – No. 16 Georgia Tech volleyball (13-3, 4-2 ACC) will further its ACC road slate with a trip to Clemson (11-6, 3-3 ACC) for a midweek contest on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Clemson, S.C. The match will be televised on ACC Network.

Coverage

• Wednesday, Oct. 13 | No. 16 Georgia Tech at Clemson | 8 p.m. | ACC Network | Watch | Live Stats

Storylines

• Tech moved up two spots in the latest AVCA Top 25 poll to tie its highest mark of the season at No. 16 following a historic weekend in which the Jackets swept ACC foe Virginia before handing No. 4 Pitt (previously No. 2) its first loss of the season in five sets.
• Georgia Tech’s triumph marked the highest ranked win and the second top-five victory in program history. The Yellow Jackets’ previous highest ranked victory also came on the road in five sets over No. 5 Nebraska in 2003.
• Since appearing in the Top 25 at No. 12 on Sept. 30, 2020, Georgia Tech has been listed in 30 straight top 25 polls to date.
• Going beyond 2019’s NIVC title, Tech has won 45 of its last 54 matches.
• The Yellow Jackets have won 27 of their last 31 matches on The Flats in O’Keefe Gymnasium.
• Georgia Tech boasts some of the best statistical marks in the nation to date, ranking sixth in the nation in kills per set (14.45) and 10th in the NCAA in assists per set (13.16) while leading the ACC in both categories.
• Junior outside hitter Julia Bergmann highlighted last weekend’s competition, earning her second ACC Player of the Week honor of the season.
• The recognition marked Bergmann’s third career ACC Player of the Week honor and fifth total Atlantic Coast Conference weekly award after being tabbed ACC Freshman of the Week twice in her first season on The Flats.
• Bergmann spearheaded the Tech attack to receive the honor, piling up 42 kills (5.25 per set) at a robust .410 clip including a pair of aces along with 15 digs and five total blocks (one solo, four assisted) through the weekend.
• In one of Tech’s biggest wins in program history, the heavy hitter piled up 24 kills at a solid .386 clip, including a pair of aces as well as six digs and four total blocks (one solo, three assisted) in the triumph over Pitt.
• Bergmann’s solid weekend follows up on last week’s competition in which she compiled 30 kills against Notre Dame, the highest total by not only any Yellow Jacket this season, but also any player in the ACC to date.
• Bergmann has racked up awards on a national scale this season being named AVCA Player of the Week, ACC Player of the Week twice, UCF Challenge MVP and to three all-tournament teams. Her AVCA honor as the best player in the nation for the week marked the first time a Yellow Jacket has received the award since Kele Eveland on Sep. 15, 2003.
• Bergmann’s numbers back up her accolades as she’s among the nation’s best in multiple categories. To date, the veteran has led the Jacket attack with 266 kills (4.59 per set) and 22 service aces along with pitching in on the defensive end with 158 digs and 31 total blocks (15 solo, 16 assisted).
• On a national scale, those marks currently place her 9^th in the country in points per set (5.36) and 12^th in the nation in kills per set (4.59), leading the ACC in both categories. Other notable numbers include ranking second in the ACC and 23^rd in the NCAA in points (311) while slotting third in the conference and 26^th in the country in kills (266).
• Freshman outside hitter Bianca Bertolino has staked her claim as one of the top freshmen in the conference this season as she won ACC Freshman of the Week in back-to-back weeks for her first two weeks of her collegiate career. The Argentinian also was selected to two all-tournament teams in nonconference play.
• Senior setter Matti McKissock continues to climb in the Georgia Tech record books as she’s currently seventh in career assists in program history with 3,418 to date. This season, McKissock leads the ACC and is 14th in the NCAA with 10.98 assists per set while also leading the conference in total assists with 626.

Series History

• Tech holds a 36-35 lead over Clemson in all-time matches after winning the last nine straight contests, including six on The Flats and three on the road.
• A season ago, the Jackets hosted the Tigers twice in back-to-back days, sweeping Clemson in the first match and downing the Tigers, 3-1, in the second contest.
• Tech also claimed nine consecutive matchups from 2000-04, with four coming in O’Keefe Gymnasium and five in Clemson, S.C.
• Georgia Tech currently leads the series 21-14 at home.

Scouting Clemson

• The Tigers enter the weekend at 11-6 overall, going 3-3 in ACC play. Clemson most recently took down Virginia in five sets on the road after getting swept by Pitt, Notre Dame and Louisville in the three contests before. The Tigers swept Virginia Tech and beat Wake Forest in five sets to open ACC play.
• Clemson’s best mark among the conference comes in assists, ranking seventh in the league with 695 assists to date.
• Individually, most notable Tiger among the conference ranks is freshman libero Devan Taylor, who’s currently third in the ACC in digs per set (4.13) and fourth in the conference in total digs (248).
• Graduate senior outside hitter Kaylee Martin has led Clemson’s attack with 195 kills (3.31 per set) this season.
• Defensively, senior middle blocker Ava Pritchard has anchored the Tigers with 9 solo blocks and 35 block assists.

Up Next

Georgia Tech will return home to host Duke for a Sunday contest at 2 p.m. in O’Keefe Gymnasium. The match will be televised on the ACC’s Regional Sports Network, Bally Sports South in Atlanta.

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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