Sept. 22, 2003
With an 11-0 record, the No. 5 Georgia Tech volleyball team begins the Atlantic Coast Conference portion of its schedule Tuesday when the team travels to Raleigh, NC, to face NC State (6-7) at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum.
Tuesday’s match marks the 34th meeting between the Wolfpack and the Jackets, with Tech holding the edge, 22-11. Tech defeated NC State in both of their meetings last year, and has won the last seven matches against the Wolfpack. After winning only three matches a year ago, the Wolfpack have already doubled that and enter the match with six wins.
“NC State is much improved this year,” said head coach Bond Shymansky. “They have two dynamic outside hitters which is a nice change for their offense and we struggle at times with teams that have great outside hitters. It’s also a mid-week match for us, and the travel can be a little tiring during the week so there are variables that factor into this match and hopefully we’ll be able to respond to the challenge and play well on their court.”
The Yellow Jackets have been led by several players this year including Lauren Sauer and Lynnette Moster, who lead the team with 4.43 and 4.42 kills per game respectively. In addition, Alexandra Preiss leads the team in blocks per game (1.11) and is second on the team in hitting percentage (.422) while Marisa Aston leads the team in digs per game (3.14). Kele Eveland is running an offense which is averagaing 17.81 kills per game and 16.54 assists per game.
“Playing a tough non-conference schedule was very gratifying for us, but at the same time it was very tiring,” said Shymansky. “Our team is somewhat battered and bruised and we have to figure out a way to rebound and get healthy again and refocus so that we make sure that we are doing our best on our side of the court as we begin our conference schedule.”
