THE FLATS – In the final home match of the regular season, No. 19 Georgia Tech volleyball (20-8, 12-7 ACC) fell in five sets to No. 6 Stanford (24-4, 16-3) on Wednesday afternoon. Tamara Otene was a standout performer in the final regular season match in O’Keefe Gymnasium as her 26 kills against the Cardinal helped her reach 1,000 kills in White & Gold.
QUICK HITS
- Otene becomes the 8th Yellow Jacket in the modern scoring era to reach four-digits.
- Her team high 26 kills paired with 10 digs earned Otene her 11th double-double of the season, 33rd of her career.
- With 26 kills added to her season stats, Otene sits just nine kills away from reaching 400 kills this season.
- Bianca Bertolino notched 15 kills against the Cardinal, bringing her to 22 double-digit kill games this season.
- After recording three service aces on Wednesday, Bertolino has now recorded three or more service aces in 11 matches this season.
- With her 17 digs against Miami, Sofia Velez has now recorded 10 or more digs in 102 of her 108 collegiate matches.
- Velez needs just two digs to reach 400 on the season.
- Bertolino (292) and Otene (287) both grow closer to reaching 300 digs on the season as well.
- Luanna Emiliano led the team with 25 assists while Heloise Soares pitched in 20 as the Jackets continued to get back to their 5-2 rotation.
- Wednesday afternoon’s match was the 43rd consecutive sold out match at O’Keefe Gymnasium, a streak dating back to the 2021 season.
- This was Tech’s ninth five-set match this season.
Photos by Tyler Rover
Tech Volleyball versus Stanford
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 25- STAN 22)
Set one began in a tight competition between the Jackets and the Cardinal until a four-point run from Tech provided some breathing room. Georgia Tech retained its lead through the remainder of the first set, keeping Stanford at a respectable distance. The Cardinal went on a late three-point run to make the game 21-19, but a pair of kills from Otene, one kill from Bertolino and a Stanford error put set one to rest. Bertolino led the team through set one with six kills on 14 swings while Otene pitched in four kills as well. Otene was strong defensively as well as she recorded five digs. The Yellow Jackets were relentless on offense in set one with 40 total attacks and 15 kills, compared to Stanford’s 29 attacks and only 10 kills.
Set 2 (GT 25 – STAN 20)
Despite an increase in total attacks for the Cardinal, the Yellow Jackets continued to dominate on offense, racking up 14 kills compared to Stanford’s eight. Tech broke away from Stanford after a Cardinal service error sparked a four-point scoring run and gave control of the set to the Yellow Jackets. Stanford fought back to bring the set within one point (19-18) just before Georgia Tech went on a scoring spree and eventually took set two. Otene led the Jackets’ offense with six kills while Mendes was just behind her with four. Emiliano saw a match high seven assists and recorded more than half of Tech’s set two assists (.538). Tech remained equally as dominant on defense, marking 16 digs and two blocks, compared to Stanford’s nine digs and two blocks.
Set 3 (GT 24- STAN 26)
The third set was the closest battle of the night which saw the score tied 11 times and included five lead exchanges between the Yellow Jackets and the Cardinal. Tech fell just short of matching Stanford’s offense as it recorded 15 kills with a .195 attack percentage while the Cardinal had 18 kills with a .261 attack percentage. Both teams exchanged points through the third set, with Tech outscoring Stanford 5-2 to take control late in the set (22-19). Stanford was able to edge out Tech with six kills and one block to keep the match alive. Otene claimed 61% of Tech’s set three kills with a match-high eight. Emiliano and Soares recorded five assists respectively while Bertolino also claimed three.
Set 4 (GT 18- STAN 25)
After barely dropping set three, Tech struggled to respond to Stanford’s .414 attack percentage in set four. An early four-point run for Stanford would force Tech to trail, but the Yellow Jackets were quick to tie up the match 5-5. A five-point run for the Cardinal would be enough distance for Stanford to send the match into the fifth and final set. Bertolino would get back in the swing of things as she recorded four kills on seven swings (.571) to lead Tech’s offense through the fourth set. Soares sported a .500 assist percentage as well as she posted another five assists in set four.
Set 5 (GT 12- STAN 15)
Stanford struck first in the final set and while Tech was able to tie to match six times, it could never claim the lead in set five. With the score tied 7-7, the Cardinal were able to piece together another three points and force the Yellow Jackets to try to cover ground quickly. Despite four kills and one solo block from Otene, the Jackets fell 15-12 in set five. Otene finished the game with six kills, one dig, and one solo block in the fifth. Emiliano notched a final five assists while Soares garnered another four.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets will take to the road one final time during regular season competition to play No. 1 Pitt Saturday at 1 p.m. in Pittsburgh, Pa. The match will be live streamed on ACC Network Extra.
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