THE FLATS – No. 23 Georgia Tech volleyball (5-1, 0-0 ACC) earned its first five-set win of the season after reverse sweeping Bowling Green (2-4, 0-0 MAC) during the final day of the Stacey Clark Classic in West Lafayette, Ind.
QUICK HITS
- For the third consecutive game, Larissa Mendes led the Jackets’ offense and tallied her second game of the season with double-digit kills (13).
- Mendes also recorded three block assists for her fourth game of the season with three blocks.
- Bianca Garibaldi assisted Mendes on offense with 10 kills while also notching five blocks for the third time this season.
- Anna Fiedorowicz saw a career high 13 total attack attempts.
- Sofia Velez marked her sixth straight game of the season with double digit digs with a team high 13 digs, bringing her to 111 games recording 10+ digs out of 117 total collegiate games.
- Heloise Soares recorded a career high two kills, along with a season high 38 assists, season high .432 assist percentage, and her second highest number of assist attempts (88) this season.
- Anika Groom marked her second highest number of career kills (8) and digs (11) as well as a career high two aces.
- Friday’s match was the first match between Tech and Bowling Green that went past three sets.
- After achieving the reverse sweep, Tech advances to a 3-0 overall record against Bowling Green.
- The Jackets inch closer to their 900thprogram win as Friday’s 3-2 win brought them to 899 program wins.
No. 23 Georgia Tech vs. Bowling Green
Photos by Dave Wegiel
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 19 – BGSU 25)
- The Jackets struggled on offense in set one as the Falcons sported a .222 attack percentage with 15 kills and two service aces. Tech found itself trailing early on as Bowling Green began the game outscoring the Jackets 8-4. At one point, Tech trailed by as most as eight points (21-13) until a timeout allowed the Jackets to regroup and go on to outscore the Falcons 6-4, but by that time Bowling Green had the set one win. Mendes and Ital Lopuyo led Tech in kills with three apiece with Lopuyo sporting a .600 attack percentage. Sara Toth and Soares pitched in four assists apiece while Mendes also led the group with three blocks.
Set 2 (GT 22 – BGSU 25)
- Tech massively improved its attack percentage from set one but still fell short on offense and dropped set two. The set began with Bowling Green taking an early lead to start and even forced Tech trail by as much as seven points. The Jackets fought to stay in the match and were able to piece together a six-point scoring run before eventually tying the set 21-21. Despite the comeback effort, the Falcons out scored the Jackets 4-1 to take set two. Mendes once again posted a team high three kills with Mimi Mambu and Noemi Despaigne behind her with two respectively. Soares carried the team in assists with eight while Velez and Fiedorowicz contributed one each.
Set 3 (GT 25 – BGSU 22)
- Set three saw Tech’s best offensive set of the match, sporting a .286 attack percentage and 15 kills compared to Bowling Green’s .125 attack percentage and 12 kills. Both teams traded points and the lead with Bowling Green having the 7-5 lead at one point before Tech was able to come back and lead 15-12 going into the media timeout. A Falcon timeout shifted momentum to Bowling Green and brought the set within one point before the Jackets went on to dominate offensively seven kills to six to claim set three. Mendes saw her best set of the match with five kills and a .364 attack percentage. Soares also saw a match high 11 assists while four other Jackets also tallied assists. Groom not only was the only Jacket to record a service ace, but she recorded a pair of aces as well as four digs.
Set 4 (GT 25 – BGSU 17)
- The Jackets maintained their momentum through set four as they recorded nearly double the Falcons’ attack percentage and having minimal errors to push the match to set five. Tech got the edge early in set three after a seven-point scoring run put the Jackets ahead 9-4. The Jackets held onto that lead through the remainder of set four to keep the match alive. Garibaldi had an exceptional fourth set as she recorded six of Tech’s total kills as well as one of Tech’s three blocks. Soares boasted a .476 assist percentage with 10 assists on 21 sets.
Set 5 (GT 15 – BGSU 9)
- Tech’s overall fifth set performance is what handed them the win as it .222 attack percentage towered over Bowling Green’s .050 attack percentage alongside the Falcons six errors. An early four points for the Jackets forced the Falcons to play catch up for the win. Tech kept Bowling Green at a minimum three-point distance as it kept its foot on the gas through to the 15-9 finish. Groom was credited with half of Tech’s set five assists while Liv Mogridge and Garibaldi recorded the remaining kills. Soares capped the match with five final assists in the final set while Fiedorowicz led the Jackets in digs in set five.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets will begin next week on the road against Tennessee Sept. 9 as part of the SEC/ACC Challenge before welcoming No. 8 Wisconsin to O’Keefe Gymnasium Sept. 12.
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.
