THE FLATS – Georgia Tech volleyball began the 2025 season in style with a three-set win over Wofford on Friday evening in O’Keefe Gymnasium.
QUICK HITS
- Of the seven Yellow Jackets to record a kill against Wofford, six of them recorded five or more kills.
- Five freshmen made their college debut on Friday night against Wofford.
- Freshman outside hitter Lameen “Mimi” Mambu had a breakout college debut on Friday night as she led the Yellow Jackets in kills (13), total attempts (30), and service aces (4) while also being second for digs (14) behind Sofia Velez.
- Velez led Tech defensively with 27 digs, marking her 106th game recording 10+ digs out of 112 collegiate games.
- Preseason All-ACC honoree Larissa Mendes helped lead Tech’s offense in the home opener with eight kills.
- Junior setter Heloise Soares notched a team high 19 assists while freshman setter Sara Toth had an exceptional first game with 15 assists.
- Senior Liv Mogridge and transfer red-shirt junior Ital Lopuyo recorded a team high four block assists respectively while graduate student returner DeAndra Pierce had three block assists.
- Pierce finished Friday’s match boasting a .500 attack percentage, good for five kills.
- Friday evening’s match was the 44thconsecutive sold out match at O’Keefe Gymnasium, a streak dating back to the 2021 season.
- Tech’s three-set win on Friday also keeps Tech volleyball with a spotless 2-0 record against Wofford.
- This was Tech’s 32nd all-time win in a season opener.
- Head coach Michelle Collier was honored pregame as Friday’s match marked the beginning of her 12th season, making her the longest tenured head coach in Tech volleyball history.
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 25- WOFF 22)
- Set one began with a strong showing from the Terriers who took an early 7-2 lead over the hosting Yellow Jackets. Tech was able to chip away at Wofford’s set one lead, as three kills from Mambu brought the match within two points (12-10). Mambu’s first career ace could not have come at a better time as the point tied the match 14-14 before another Mambu kill gave Tech the lead. Despite Wofford piecing the points together to force Tech to trail once again in set one, a late five-point run made of kills from Ital Lopuyo, Liv Mogridge, and Mambu as well as a block from Mogridge and Lopuyo gave the hosting Jackets the set one win. The first set of the night saw Mambu sport a .643 attack percentage, good for nine kills.
Set 2 (GT 26 – WOFF 24)
- Tech and Wofford traded points early on in the second set, with Tech eventually taking a small lead, until the Terriers were able to tie the set up at 12 apiece. Three Wofford attack errors combined with kills from Mambu and Noemi Despaigne and one service ace from Mambu, sent the Jackets on a six-point run. Wofford went on to battle back and tie the set at 23 apiece and even pushed the set to set point before a Terrier service error and a pair of kills from Mendes claimed set two for Tech. Set two saw the score tied seven times as well as the Jackets come out the better side of three lead changes.
Set 3 (GT 25 – WOFF 18)
- Set three proved to be a different story as Tech took an early five-point lead and reached double digit points while holding Wofford to only three points. The Jackets were able to maintain some distance from the Terriers, until a four-point run brought the game within four points. Regardless of the late momentum for Wofford, kills from Mendes and Despaigne and a service ace from Mambu provided Tech with it’s first win of the season. Despaigne found her rhythm in the third set, making a team high five kills. Velez finished the game with nine digs in the third set after recording 10 in the first and 11 in the second.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets will remain at home to take on Ole Miss on Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. before wrapping up the Georgia Tech Classic Aug. 31 at 2 p.m. against Arkansas State. Both games are set the be streamed 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.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and at www.ramblinwreck.com.
