Dec. 8, 2004
For the second consecutive year, the No. 20 Georgia Tech volleyball team has advanced to the NCAA Regionals as one of 16 teams who remain in the tournament. The Jackets (27-6), one of two unseeded teams remaining in the tournament, will face the No. 4 Minnesota Gophers (30-4), the No. 4 seed in the tournament, Friday at 8 p.m. ET in Minneapolis, Minn.
The winner of Friday’s contest is scheduled to play the winner Friday’s Tennessee/Ohio State match Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, with the survivor advancing to the NCAA Final Four in Long Beach, Calif.
All of Georgia Tech’s matches will be broadcast by WREK Radio (91.1 FM) and are available on streaming audio at www.wrek.org. In addition, Saturday’s match will be broadcast live on CSTV and may be seen in the Atlanta area on Direct TV 610. Fans may also find results to all matches on www.ncaasports.com.
“I’m extremely proud of our team’s ability to return to the sweet 16 this year,” said head coach Bond Shymansky, who has led the Yellow Jackets to the NCAA Tournament in each of his seasons as a head coach. “As it goes with any experience, once you get a taste for success you want more. We know that playing Minnesota in their own gym is a significant challenge to overcome but our team has thrived on those types of challenges and is very motivated to play to the best of their ability.”
The Jackets, who captured the 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title received one of 31 at-large bids to the tournament. Tech, who won 21 straight matches during the season, is making its eighth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and fifthconsecutive showing. The Jackets hold an all-time record of 9-7 in the tournament.
The match marks the third meeting between Tech and Minnesota, who earned one of 31 automatic bids to the tournament and finished in tied for second in the Big Ten this season. The Gophers lead the all-time series, 2-1, and the last time the two team’s met was a 3-1 Minnesota victory during the Second Round of the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
