PITTSBURGH –No. 20 Georgia Tech volleyball (8-2, 8-2 ACC) lost its first match since the fall season opener on Monday, falling to Pitt (7-4, 6-4 ACC) 3-0 on the road to snap an eight-match winning streak.
Junior setter Mariana Brambilla paced the Jacket attack once again, this time with 11 kills to go with five digs and a pair of blocks. Freshman setter Isabella D’Amico had the lone double double on the squad, tallying 29 assists on top of 10 digs. Junior outside hitter Mikaila Dowd also had a solid outing, coming just shy of a double double with nine kills and eight digs along with two blocks.
Photo Gallery
Alex Mowrey (Pitt Athletics
How it Happened
In a back-and-forth set, Pitt jumped in front 9-6 early on a four-point run. Another run of four by the Panthers increased their lead to 12-7, but Georgia Tech answered soon after with a four-point run of its own behind kills from junior middle blocker Kayla Kaiser and Dowd along with an ace by sophomore outside hitter Julia Bergman to cut the Pitt lead to one. The Panthers then notched seven straight points to lead 20-12. The Jackets followed the run by taking six of the next seven points on a pair of kills from Brambilla and Dowd as well as another by Bergman, but Pitt closed the set taking four of the next five points for the 25-19 set win.
Set two was neck-and-neck all the way through as neither side was able to create more than a two-point advantage through the set. Despite a pair of three-point runs by the Jackets, the longest run of the set belonged to the Panthers as a four-point run gave them an 18-15 advantage. From there, Georgia Tech used the second of its three-point runs to even the tally, but Pitt picked up three of the next four points to lead 21-19. The Yellow Jackets tied things up twice more, but three following points for the Panthers resulted in a 25-23 set win for Pitt.
The Panthers kept rolling in the third set, moving ahead 5-1 early after Bergman opened the set with her second ace of the match. After trading points up to an 11-6 Pitt lead, Georgia Tech took four of the next five points through kills by Bergman, Kaiser, Brambilla and junior middle blocker Breland Morissette to trail just 12-10. The Panthers claimed the next three points before both sides took equal shots up to an 18-13 Pitt lead. The Jackets earned the next three points on a pair of kills by Kaiser and an attacking error to make it a two-point set, but the Panthers snatched seven of the next 10 points to come away with the 25-19 set win and match sweep.
Notes
- Brambilla totaled 32 kills to lead Georgia Tech’s offense through the first spring ACC pod.
- D’Amico’s double double marked the first of her young career.
- Georgia Tech has still won 26 of its last 29 matches dating back to 2019.
Up Next
Georgia Tech will head home to host its first ACC pod of the spring season against Boston College and North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets and Eagles will square off on Friday at 6 p.m. before wrapping up the weekend with the Tar Heels at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The matches will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
Multimedia
With first serve on the way shortly, our starters 👇 pic.twitter.com/zIidvln0nj
— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
S1 | It's back and forth early, but a @mariibrambilla kill puts the Jackets up❕
🐝5⃣
😾4⃣ pic.twitter.com/xCtfaaatze— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
S1 | @kaylaikaiser lays down the HAMMER from the middle 🔨
🐝-9⃣
😾-1⃣3⃣ pic.twitter.com/RIEevHdLkr— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
S1 | The Jackets are on a 4⃣-point run as a @mk_dowd kill brings us within one 👏
🐝-1⃣2⃣
😾-1⃣3⃣ pic.twitter.com/YMlGsC7j4A— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
S1 | Power + Precision from @mariibrambilla 💪🎯
🐝-1⃣4⃣
😾-2⃣0⃣ pic.twitter.com/V3vVlA9m84— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
Pitt takes the first set. @mk_dowd leads Georgia Tech so far with 🖐️ kills and ✌️ blocks.#TogetherWeSwarm /// #404Institute pic.twitter.com/hXbwwDBpMm
— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
S2 | Too hot to handle❕🔥 @mariibrambilla gets the Jackets on the board first in set ✌️
🐝-1⃣
😾-0⃣ pic.twitter.com/gJLxy7IXsG— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
S2 | The Jackets win a challenge, resulting in a kill for @kaylaikaiser❕
🐝-6⃣
😾-5⃣ pic.twitter.com/JkyVW6Uv6B— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
S2 | @erinmoss0428 with the kill to put Georgia Tech up by a pair 💥
🐝-🔟
😾-8⃣ pic.twitter.com/NZSewSRAVU— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
S2 | DENIED 🙌 @erinmoss0428 stones the Panthers 💪
🐝-1⃣9⃣
😾-2⃣1⃣ pic.twitter.com/xybYJvTcxp— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
Pitt takes a tight second set. Back at it for set three shortly as @mariibrambilla and @mk_dowd both lead the attack with 7⃣ kills apiece.#TogetherWeSwarm /// #404Institute pic.twitter.com/V6BvQXGwv2
— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
♠️ACE♠️
Julia Bergman starts the third set off with her second ace of the day 🎯
🐝-1⃣
😾-0⃣ pic.twitter.com/eRdvxvz4xn— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
S3 | A Julia Bergman kill cuts into the Panther lead.
🐝-7⃣
😾-1⃣1⃣ pic.twitter.com/ZnpkEzkELL— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
S3 | NOT TODAY 🛑 @mariibrambilla rejects the Panthers to cut down the lead 💪
🐝-1⃣6⃣
😾-1⃣8⃣ pic.twitter.com/UNkQjBUc0m— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
No. 2⃣2⃣ Pitt takes the match. No. 1⃣8⃣ Georgia Tech will head home next to host an ACC pod beginning with Boston College on Friday at 6⃣ p.m.#TogetherWeSwarm /// #poinTech pic.twitter.com/cPYgggAj7z
— Georgia Tech Volleyball (@GTVolleyball) March 8, 2021
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