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No. 24 Tech Rallies to Overpower UCF for 2-0 Start

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ORLANDO, Fla. – No. 24 Georgia Tech volleyball furthered its strong start to the season with a 3-1 win over UCF on Saturday. The Jackets dropped the first set to the tournament host, but roared back with three straight victories to earn a chance of coming out of the UCF Challenge unscathed. Tech’s 2-0 start marks the first occurrence for the Gold and White since 2016.

Junior Julia Bergmann took the lead offensively against the Knights as she tallied 21 kills to go with 11 digs as well as three total blocks for a double double. Senior Matti McKissock had another solid outing on the day as the offense ran through her on the way to 43 assists. Freshman Bianca Bertolino stepped up across the board to make an impact for the Jackets as she picked up her first collegiate double double with 13 kills and 14 digs along with three total blocks and a pair of assists.

Volleyball vs. UCF

Aug. 27, 2021 (Conor Kvatek)

How it Happened

Following a historic win over No. 12 Penn State in the morning, Tech sputtered of the gates in the first set as UCF worked its way up to a 10-4 lead. The Jackets trimmed the Knights’ lead down to three at a tally of 14-11 with a three-point run, but a counter run by UCF put the Knights up 20-12 as they went on to take the set, 25-17.

Georgia Tech got going earlier in the second set, building its way up to a 9-5 lead. UCF battled back to take a 14-13 lead and managed to hang onto it until the two sides were square at 20 apiece. From there, the two teams traded blows until extra points were required as Bergmann stepped up with back-to-back kills for a 26-24 set victory to even the match.

Despite an early battle into double digit points, the Jackets rolled in the third set to take 15 of the last 19 points, including runs of three, four and five points, to cruise to a 25-15 set victory.

As UCF eyed a fifth set, the Knights jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the fourth set. Although a four-point run drew the Jackets within a point, UCF clung to the lead as deep into the set as holding a 22-18 lead. Tech negated to relent, however, as the Yellow Jackets rallied to take seven of the next eight points thanks in large part to kills from Bergmann, Bertolino and junior Erin Moss. Tech would win the set, 25-23, to claim the overall match, 3-1.

Up Next

Tech will wrap up its UCF Challenge play by taking on St. John’s at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Live stats will be available here.

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Alexander-Tharpe Fund

The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.   

For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Instagram (@GTVolleyball), Twitter (@GTVolleyball), Facebook (Georgia  Tech Volleyball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.

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