THE FLATS – No. 21 Georgia Tech volleyball (5-2, 0-0 ACC) dropped its first true road game of the season with a 3-1 finish against Tennessee (5-1, 0-0 SEC) in Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday night.
QUICK HITS
- For the fourth consecutive game, Larissa Mendes led the Jackets’ offense, this time with 13 kills and a .343 hitting percentage.
- Three other Jackets held a higher hitting percentage in the form of DeAndra Pierce (.444), Anna Fiedorowicz (.364), and Heloise Soares (.400) who tied her career high in kills (2).
- Soares also tied her career high for block assists (2), saw her third highest number of assists this season (33), and tied her season high for digs (10) originally set against Arkansas State.
- Bianca Garibaldi assisted Mendes on offense with eight kills while also leading the Jackets in blocks with a career high six block assists.
- Fiedorowicz saw her first career solo block against the Volunteers.
- Laura Bieleski saw her first career action against Tennessee and finished the match with five kills, two assists, one service ace, and nine digs.
- Sofia Velez marked her seventh straight game of the season with double digit digs with a team high 14 digs, bringing her to 112 games recording 10+ digs out of 118 total collegiate games.
- Velez has recorded no less than 13 digs in every game so far this season.
- Tech tied its season high for solo blocks on Tuesday night.
- This was the first match Tech has dropped to Tennessee since 1993.
Photos vs. Tennessee
by Tyler Rover
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 23 – UT 25)
- Set one saw the four lead changes and the score tied seven times, but it was Tennessee with the slight edge on offense with one more kill and two fewer errors than Tech. Both teams traded points until a four-point run from the Volunteers made set one 12-8. Kills from Ital Lopuyo, Anika Groom, and Garibaldi brought the set within one point, but that would be the closest the Jackets could get before set one finished 25-23. Mimi Mambu, Mendes, and Garibaldi all recorded three kills apiece in set one while Lopuyo and Groom tallied two respectively. The Jackets shared the love defensively with Groom recording four digs, Velez and Soares recording three respectively, and Garibaldi with two.
Set 2 (GT 23 – UT 25)
- Set two was just as competitive with three lead changes and the score being tied nine times. The score remained tight through set two until a four-point run for Tech gave the Jackets the 15-13 lead. Tech held the lead despite Tennessee tying the set four times until a four-point run gave the Volunteers set point (24-21). Mambu collected Tech’s last kill of the set before Tennessee took set two, 25-23. Mendes and Garibaldi were solid on offense yet again, posting four kills each in set two while Velez recorded seven digs.
Set 3 (GT 25 – UT 23)
- The Jackets were able to battle back and claim set three, boasting a match high .406 attack percentage, after eight lead changes and the score tied 12 times. Throughout all of set three, neither team was able to get further than three-points distance before dropping a point. Following the final timeout of the set, two Tech kills and a Volunteer error provided the Jackets with the set three win. Set three saw Tech record its attack percentage (.406) and set percentage (.412) of the match. Soares recorded 11 digs in back-to-back sets. Mendes stacked another four kills and was supported on offense by Pierce and Bieleski with three kills each.
Set 4 (GT 13 – UT 25)
- Similar to the other three sets, set four began in a tight race between Tech and Tennessee until the Lady Vols were able to outscore the Jackets 9-4 to take a five-point lead. Tech continued to battle to stay in the match, but a three-point run and a seven-point run quickly brought the game to match point before a final kill ended the match, 25-13. Set four saw Bieleski record the first service ace of her career.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets return home to The Flats to host No. 6 Wisconsin in O’Keefe Gymnasium Sept. 12. Friday’s match will be streamed on ESPN2.
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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