Nov. 7, 2002
After defeating Clemson Tuesday, the No. 24 Georgia Tech volleyball team (24-5, 10-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) heads to the state of Florida this weekend. The Yellow Jackets will face Florida State (18-8, 9-3 ACC) Friday at 7 p.m. followed by a Sunday afternoon meeting with Florida A&M (17-4) at 2 p.m.
“Our primary focus is the Florida State match this weekend because it is a critical conference match,” said head coach Bond Shymanksy. “Having two matches this weekend is a good schedule because it allows us to play two good teams as we head towards the end of our regular season and begin preparations for the upcoming ACC tournament.”
In their meeting in Atlanta this season, the Yellow Jackets defeated the Seminoles in five games, 30-23, 30-18, 29-31, 30-32, 15-12. As a team, Tech hit .261 and was led by Alexandra Preiss, who had 17 kills and hit .308 and Lauren Sauer, who had 16 kills and hit .361. Kele Eveland dished out 53 assists and had a match-high 15 digs. The Yellow Jackets’ played solid defense, recording a season-high 19.5 blocks while holding the Seminoles to a .177 hitting percentage.
“At 9-3 in the league, Florida State is right behind us in the conference standings and although we do have a win over them this season on our home court, it’s always a challenge to play in an opponents’ gym,” said Shymansky. “Florida State is undefeated this year in Tully Gym, and it’s our intention to break that string of wins.”
The Yellow Jackets and Florida A&M have met five times, with Tech holding the series’ advantage, 5-0. The two teams met earlier this season in September, with Tech winning the match in four games, 30-21, 27-30, 30-23, 30-19.
“Florida A&M is a good challenge for us,” said Shymansky. “They played well against us earlier this year and I expect our match will be equally as competitive when we play them on Sunday.”
Tech continues to be led this season by all-American candidate Lynnette Moster, who leads the conference in kills per game (5.24) and leads the team in kills with 456. But Laura Kuhn continues to put up some impressive numbers for the Jackets, including a career high 14 kills against No. 13 North Carolina last week. Over the past three weeks, Kuhn has raised her hitting percentage from .246 to .271 and she has averaged 3.08 kills per game during that stretch.
“Certainly we are looking to improve each week, and Laura’s improvement is important to our offensive system,” said Shymansky. “She has become an offensive threat for us and an additional hitter to go to at key times during matches.
“But, for us to have success this weekend, it’s going to take a solid effort from our entire team, consistent ball control, and the determination of playing well in our opponents’ gym.”
