THE FLATS – No. 21 Georgia Tech volleyball (5-3, 0-0 ACC) fell in O’Keefe for the first time this season after a 3-0 finish against No. 6 Wisconsin (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) on Friday evening.
QUICK HITS
- Anika Groom led Tech’s offense for the first time this season with eight kills while Larissa Mendes, Mimi Mambu, and Ital Lopuyo also recorded seven kills respectively.
- Groom’s eight kills on Friday were the third most in three-sets this season, just behind her Arkansas State performance (8/31) where she recorded a career high nine kills.
- The freshman sported a career high .273 attack percentage.
- Mendes neared her season high for attack percentage as well with 7 kills on 12 swings (.500).
- Heloise Soares led the setters with 17 assists while Sara Toth contributed 14 to Tech’s 35 total digs on Friday. Soares 17 assists on 37 attempts marked the juniors best assist percentage of the season (.459).
- Toth recorded her first career kill in set two.
- Lopuyo recorded her first assist of the season.
- As a team, the Jackets saw their second highest attack percentage of the season.
- Friday evening’s match was the 47th consecutive sold out match at O’Keefe Gymnasium, a streak dating back to the 2021 season.
Photos vs. Wisconsin
by Danny Karnik
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 22 – UW 25)
- Despite marking their highest attack percentage of the match (.462) and recording their most kills of the match (14), Tech dropped set. The first set saw the Jackets trail early as the Badgers were able to make the match 7-3 off a three-point run. A three-point run for Tech brought the set within reach and kept Wisconsin close and even went on to tie the match, 19-19, before eventually taking the lead, 21-20. Despite the comeback, Wisconsin pieced together three kills and was aided by one Tech error to take set one, 25-22. Of Tech’s six players to record kills in set one, five Jackets had a multi-kill set with Lopuyo, Mendes, and Mambu all recording three kills apiece.
Set 2 (GT 17 – UW 25)
- In set two, the Jackets struggled with offensive errors, recording six attack errors while trying to fend off the Badgers’ .520 attack percentage. Set two began with Wisconsin piecing together a three-point run, quickly followed by a four-point run, to force Tech to trail by five early. The Jackets were able to bring the set within-two points (12-10) but were unable to complete the set two comeback. Mimi once again marked three kills alongside senior DeAndra Pierce who had a 1.000 set two attack percentage. Mendes and Groom were just behind them with two apiece. Sofia Velez led tech defensively with four digs while Soares and Groom had two each, and Pierce and Mambu had one each.
Set 3 (GT 19 – UW 25)
- Set three saw both teams sport their lowest attack percentage of the match. Similar to set two, the Jackets found themselves trailing 10-5, but Tech was quick to get back within two-points of tying the match. The third set stayed close until a four-point run for Wisconsin, three of which were Tech errors, made set the 21-14. Although the Jackets continued to battle to comeback in set three, the Badgers were able to finish the match 25-19. Groom capped her solid performance with four final kills on eight swings. Lopuyo also tallied three kills in the final set. Soares and Toth shared the work in set three as they both recorded five assists, with Toth sporting a .500 assist percentage.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets remain on The Flats to host Georgia in McCamish Pavilion on Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m., presented by Delta.
McCamish Ticket Information
Single tickets for the match are $20. Group tickets are available for $15 per person for groups of 10 or more. Click here to purchase your tickets
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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