THE FLATS – Georgia Tech volleyball came out on top during day two of the Georgia Tech Classic, walking away with the 3-1 win over Ole Miss after dropping set one. Freshman Noemi Despaigne was a standout performer for the Jackets as she led the team on offense with 20 kills.
QUICK HITS
- Despaigne is the first freshman to record 20 kills since Larissa Mendes’ 2023 season against Florida State (21).
- Fellow freshman Mimi Mambu also posted double digit kills (11) as well as double digit digs (13) for her second straight double-double performance.
- The last time a freshman posted back-to-back double-double performances was during Bianca Bertolino’s 2021 freshman season against Notre Dame (12 kills, 21 digs) and Louisville (11 kills, 10 digs).
- Sofia Velez once again proved to be a vital piece of the Tech group as she recorded a team high 15 digs for her 107th game recording 10+ digs out of 113 collegiate games.
- Heloise Soares led Tech’s setters with 28 assists and not a single error across 67 total attempts, while freshman setter Sara Toth stacked 16 assists to her now 31 assist total on the week.
- Toth recorded a career high two service aces on Saturday.
- DeAndra Pierce had an exceptional night blocking against the Rebels, recording not only a team high, but a career high seven block assists while Ital Lopuyo tied her career high for blocks with six, set originally in the 2023 season.
- The Jackets saw an improved attack percentage from a .202 attack percentage on Friday against Wofford to a .325 attack percentage against Ole Miss.
- Saturday night’s match was the 45thconsecutive sold out match at O’Keefe Gymnasium, a streak dating back to the 2021 season.
- Tech’s 3-1 win on Saturday marks the first win for Tech in the overall series against Ole Miss (1-0).
- The Jackets inch closer to their 900th program win as Saturday’s 3-1 win brings them to 896 program wins.
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 25- Ole Miss 27)
- Tech began the first set outscoring Ole Miss 11-4 with Pierce, Lopuyo, Mendes, and Mambu all getting points on the board. Facing at one point a seven-point deficit, the Rebels were able to fight back and bring the game within one point and force the Jackets to fight to retain the lead. Tech was able to do just that until a service ace tied set one at 23 points apiece. Despite reaching set point twice, three consecutive Ole Miss points forced the Jackets to fall in set one. Despaigne contributed six kills to Tech’s 15 in set one while both Mambu and Mendes recorded three respectively.
Set 2 (GT 25 – Ole Miss 19)
- The Jackets got the jump on the Rebels in set two and regardless of the score getting tied up four times, did not surrender the lead once after taking it off an attack error that made the game 3-2. Tech was able to get at most a six-point lead while not letting Ole Miss get closer than two points after a Mambu kill jump started a three-point run. Noemi once again led the team in kills with six while Mambu was just behind her with four. Soares stacked another seven assists onto her 10 from the first set. Pierce, Mendes, Lopuyo, and Bianca Garibaldi all recorded two block assists respectively.
Set 3 (GT 25 – Ole Miss 17)
- Set three saw Tech’s most dominant showing of the day as the Jackets boasted a .393 attack percentage while the Rebels were held to a .176 attack percentage. The two teams traded points as well as the lead until Tech was able to go on a four-point run to take the lead (9-7). From then on, the Jackets held the lead and were able to gain some space from the Rebels as a three-point run made the set 17-12. Unable to find an answer to Tech’s offense, the Jackets quickly took set three. Lopuyo and Despaigne led the offense with four kills each while Mambu and Mendes contributed two respectively. Toth and Soares were credited with four assists respectively while Garibaldi had three.
Set 4 (GT 28 – Ole Miss 26)
- The fourth set began with Tech once again dominating on offense and forcing Ole Miss to trail 6-2 early. The Jackets pieced together a four-point run to make the set 13-8 before a five-point run from the Rebels tied up the set. Tech reached match point with the set being 24-21 only for Ole Miss to tie the match at 24 apiece with two kills and a block. The Jackets continued on to reach match point a total of five times before a Rebel attack error gave Tech its second win of the season with a 28-26 finish in set four.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets will wrap up the Georgia Tech Classic Aug. 31 at 2 p.m. against Arkansas State with the live stream available on ACCNX.
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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