No. 18 Tech Welcomes Notre Dame, No. 3 Louisville for Pivotal Homestand

THE FLATS – No. 18 Georgia Tech volleyball (11-1, 2-0 ACC) is due for a vital homestand for its first weekend of ACC play on The Flats, awaiting Notre Dame (3-9, 0-2 ACC) and No. 3 Louisville (12-0, 2-0 ACC) for a pair of highly anticipated contests in O’Keefe Gymnasium. The Yellow Jackets will first take on Notre Dame, who finished second in the ACC a season ago, on Friday at 7 p.m. before a battle with the reigning ACC champion Cardinals on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Coverage

• Friday, Oct. 1 | No. 18 Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame | 7 p.m. | ACC Network Extra | Watch | Live Stats
• Sunday, Oct. 3 | No. 18 Georgia Tech vs. No. 3 Louisville | 1 p.m. | ACC RSN (In Atlanta: Bally Sports South) | Watch | Live Stats

Tickets

Adult Single Game – $6

Youth (ages 3-18)/Senior (55+) Single Game – $4

Group Single Game (10+) – $2

Limited single game tickets remain available for both matches. Secure your tickets online HERE. If you need assistance, the Georgia Tech Ticket Office may be reached by phone at 888.TECH.TIX, The Georgia Tech Ticket Office is open Monday – Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 

Full capacity is once again allowed inside O’Keefe Gymnasium, and seating is general admission. Students with a Buzz Card will be permitted free of charge.

Parking

For the Notre Dame match on Friday, the McCamish lot will be closed to the public due to another event. Parking for fans with ADA needs will be available in the East O’Keefe lot (E63), while the Family Housing lot (E66) will be open to the general public with a shuttle provided for ADA needs.

For the Louisville match on Sunday, the McCamish (E65), East O’Keefe (E63) and Family Housing (E66) lots will be open to the public. With Georgia Tech softball also hosting its alumni game at 1 p.m. on Sunday using the same lots, higher than average traffic is possible.

Fans may park free of charge in any of the aforementioned lots if available.

Storylines

• The Jackets remained 18^th for the third consecutive week in the latest AVCA Top 25 poll. Since appearing in the Top 25 at No. 12 on Sept. 30, 2020, Georgia Tech has been listed in 28 straight top 25 polls to date.
• Going beyond 2019’s NIVC title, Tech has won 43 of its last 50 matches.
• The Yellow Jackets have won 27 of their last 29 matches on The Flats in O’Keefe Gymnasium.
• Georgia Tech currently sits at 11-1 after a flawless opening weekend of ACC play, sweeping both Wake Forest and Virginia Tech on the road.
• Tech is off to its best start since 2003, when the Yellow Jackets prevailed in their first 23 matches on their way to winning the ACC and advancing to the Elite Eight.
• Notre Dame entered the year on the heels of a second-place finish in ACC play and second-round appearance in the NCAA tournament a season ago, while No. 3 Louisville took home the conference crown and advanced to the Sweet 16 last year.
• No. 3 Louisville will be the highest ranked opponent Georgia Tech has hosted in program history on record.
• The match will mark the first top-five home match since facing No. 5 Florida State in 2014.
• The Cardinals are the highest ranked opponent the Jackets have faced since No. 1 USC in 2004.
• The match also marks Tech’s first top-five match since facing No. 4 Texas in 2017.
• After playing in 11 top-five matches on record, Georgia Tech’s last win in such contests was a 3-2 victory over No. 5 Nebraska in 2003 at a neutral site.
• Senior right-side hitter Mariana Brambilla recently earned ACC Player of the Week for the first time this season and third time in her illustrious career after piling up 39 kills for a gaudy 6.50 kills per set at a robust .387 clip to lead the team in each category on the weekend. She also pitched in on the defensive end with 19 digs, the third-highest mark on the squad.
• Brambilla set a season-high in kills against Wake Forest, piling up 23 on a .395 hitting percentage while also coming away with 10 digs for her sixth double double on the year. The 23 kills mark the highest total by any Yellow Jacket this season and tie for the third most in the ACC in a single match, the most amongst the conference in just three sets.
• Against Virginia Tech, she once again led the team in kills with 16 as well as hitting percentage at a .378 clip. Brambilla also totaled nine digs defensively and contributed from the service line with a pair of aces as Georgia Tech outscored Virginia Tech 75-45 in overall points through the sweep, the Jackets’ largest point margin of the season.
• Georgia Tech’s most notable win to date came in the form of a season-opening victory over No. 20 Penn State (previously No. 12). The win marked the highest ranked triumph for Tech since the 2003 NCAA tournament, the first ranked victory for the program since 2017 and the first win over the Nittany Lions in Georgia Tech history. For Penn State, the defeat marked its first nonconference loss outside the top 10 since 2016.
• Georgia Tech boasts some of the best statistical marks in the nation to date. The Jackets currently lead the ACC and rank sixth in the NCAA in kills per set (14.45). Tech is also third in the ACC in both assists per set (12.98) and hitting percentage (0.272), placing 18^th in the nation in the former and 21^st in the country in the latter. On a conference scale, the Yellow Jackets are currently second in the league in digs per set (15.98) as well.
• Bergmann has racked up awards on a national scale this season being named AVCA Player of the Week, ACC Player of the Week, 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 182 kills (4.33 per set), 123 digs, 19 service aces and 24 total blocks (14 solo, 10 assisted).
• On a national scale, Bergmann maintains some of the top numbers in the country. The veteran is currently 14^th in the country in points per set (5.24) and 26^th in the nation in kills per set (4.33).
• Amongst the conference, those marks put her first in points per set and second in kills per set. She’s also fourth in the league in aces per set (0.45), total points (220) and total kills (182) this season.
• Following last weekend’s success, Brambilla is top five in the ACC in three different attacking categories this season – fourth in kills per set (4.31), fifth in points (202.5) and fourth in points per set (4.82). Her kills per set are currently good for 30th in the country while her points per set rank 34th in the nation.
• Along with her recent season high, Brambilla’s 21 kills against No. 20 Penn State (previously 12) are tied for the fifth most in a single match amongst the league this season.
• 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 individual matches, her 21 kills against Long Beach State are tied for the fifth most in a single match amongst the league this season.
• 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 3,233 to date. This season, McKissock leads the ACC and is 23^rd in the NCAA with 10.76 assists per set while ranking third in the conference in total assists with 441.

Series History

• Tech holds a 7-5 lead over Notre Dame in the all-time series, including a five-match win streak from 2014-17. The Jackets’ last victory came in five sets in O’Keefe in 2019 as they lead the series 4-3 in home matches and 3-2 in away contests.
• Georgia Tech currently trails Louisville 3-9 in the all-time series. The Jackets are 3-2 against the Cardinals at home, claiming a 3-1 win in O’Keefe in 2016 for their last victory in the series.

Scouting Notre Dame

• The Fighting Irish enter the weekend at 3-9 overall following an 0-2 start to ACC play. Despite the tough opening stretch, four of those losses have come to ranked opponents, including three to top-three teams at the time of competition. Notre Dame fell 3-1 to No. 1 Texas (still No. 1) before getting swept by No. 8 Ohio State (previously No. 3), then rebounding to take the Buckeyes to five sets in a rematch. The Irish also fell 3-1 to Florida State last week, who is currently receiving votes.
• Notre Dame is currently top-five in the ACC in digs per set at 15.20 (fifth) and total digs with 699 (fourth).
• On an individual level, senior setter Zoe Nunez holds the top mark in the conference for the Irish ranking sixth in the ACC in total assists with 375 this season.
• Senior outside hitter Charley Niego leads Notre Dame’s attack to date with 158 kills.

Scouting No. 3 Louisville

• The Cardinals have gotten off to a perfect 12-0 start this season, including three top-10 wins at the time of competition and a clean sweep of Miami and Florida State to open ACC play. Louisville swept No. 4 Purdue (previously No. 6) and No. 12 Nebraska (previously No. 6), while also downing No. 6 Kentucky (previously No. 8) in five sets.
• Louisville has become one of the top teams in the nation largely due to its defensive prowess ranking second in the country in blocks per set (3.23) and seventh in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (0.120), leading the ACC in both categories.
• The Cardinals are also third in the conference and 26^th in the NCAA in total blocks (129) on the defensive end while displaying one of the best offensive efficiencies in the country ranking fifth in the nation and second in the league in hitting percentage (0.316).
• Individually, Louisville holds 11 combined rankings among the top five in the ACC.
• Redshirt junior opposite hitter Aiko Jones owns three of those marks, most notably from the service line leading the league and ranking 16^th in the country in aces per set (0.55)
• Junior middle blocker Amaya Tillman also boasts three marks of her own, highlighted by placing second in the ACC and fifth in the NCAA in blocks per set (1.68) while also contributing offensively ranking second in the conference and 11^th in the nation in hitting percentage (0.435).
• Graduate senior middle blocker Anna Stevenson also has been a leader on both sides of the net for the Cardinals, leading the league and placing fourth in the NCAA in hitting percentage (0.462) while ranking fifth in the conference in blocks per set (1.29).
• Fellow graduate senior setter Tori Dilfer (daughter of former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer) sets up the formidable Cardinal attack as she holds two top-five marks in the ACC in assists, notable placing second in the conference and 29^th in the country in assists per set (10.65).
• Freshman Elena Scott, Louisville’s starting libero, is one of the top newcomers in the ACC as she’s currently fourth amongst her conference peers in digs per set (4.15).

Up Next

Georgia Tech will get back on the road for its next pivotal ACC weekend, traveling to Virginia and No. 2 Pitt. The Yellow Jackets will first head to Virginia to take on the Cavaliers on Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. in Charlottesville, Va. before yet another clash with a top-three team in No. 2 Pitt, squaring off against the Panthers on Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. in Pittsburgh, Pa.

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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