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No. 7 Panthers Escape No. 13 Jackets in Five-Set Thriller

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PITTSBURGH — In one of the most highly contested battles across the nation this season, No. 13 Georgia Tech volleyball was upended late by No. 7 Pitt (25-21, 22-25, 23-25, 25-22, 19-17) despite the world-class efforts from graduate middle blocker Breland Morrissette on Wednesday night in the Petersen Events Center.

After dropping the first set, the Yellow Jackets swarmed back to take the next two sets, coming within four points of victory in the fourth set. In the fifth set, the White and Gold drew within two points of triumph for five late, tie score lines as extra points were needed to declare a winner in the top-15 contest.

Morrissette stepped up to lead the way throughout the match, obliterating her previous career high of 11 kills with 20 on the night at a staggering .581 clip on top of two aces. The Birmingham, Ala., native not only shined offensively, but had a career night on defense, racking up a personal-best nine blocks (three solo, six assisted). Senior outside hitter Julia Bergmann stuffed the stat sheet as per usual with 25 kills and 18 digs, moving to exactly 500 kills on the season while adding her 12th 20+ kill match and 11th double double this season.

Setting up Tech’s vaunted attack was junior setter Bella D’Amico, who also shattered a pair of previous career bests, eclipsing her recent 49 assists by piling up 61 assists and topping her last top mark of three blocks with six on the night. Sophomore outside hitter Bianca Bertolino was also a key contributor, compiling 12 kills on a .440 hitting percentage, a pair of aces and tying her personal record of 24 digs.

As a unit, the Jackets topped the Panthers in most categories on paper through the night, holding advantages in kills (78-71), hitting percentage (.268-.257), digs (77-69) and blocks (16-12).

No. 13 Georgia Tech at No. 7 Pitt

November 23, 2022 (Tyler Rover - GT Athletics; Alex Mowrey - Pitt Athletics)

How it Happened

Georgia Tech (19-7, 12-5 ACC) led early and often in the first set, jumping on top 7-4 out of the gate and taking five points in six chances soon after to push further in front, 14-9. The Yellow Jackets refrained from trailing up to an 18-17 advantage, but the Panthers roared back with a decisive, six-point run to slip ahead 23-18 and come away with the eventual 25-21 win in set one.

After the White and Gold opened the second set by claiming the first two points, neither side managed to separate by more than three throughout the set. As the set wore on, the Jackets took four points in a stretch of five opportunities to even things up at 12 all, but Pitt (26-3, 16-1 ACC) used a run of three to inch back ahead. Tech would take eight of the next 11 points to move back into the driver’s seat at 20-18 and maintain control from there, earning three of the final four points to secure a 25-22 victory in set two.

The third set was another battle as the two squads traded blows up to an 11-8 lead for the Panthers. The Yellow Jackets drew back within a point, trailing 14-13, only for Pitt to rattle off three straight points of their own. Pitt continued to climb up to a 20-15 advantage before the White and Gold stormed back with six crucial, consecutive points for their first lead of the set, 22-21. After the two heavyweights alternated a couple of points, Bergmann sealed set three with back-to-back kills for a 25-23 triumph.

With their backs against the wall, the Panthers got off to a strong start to open the fourth set, moving ahead 10-5 early. A three-point run would draw the Jackets back within a pair, trailing 10-8, before Tech cut the lead to one, sitting behind, 14-13. The White and Gold knotted things up at 16 with a three-point burst before back-to-back Bergmann kills moved Georgia Tech in front, 19-18. Pitt responded with four consecutive points to move back in front, 22-19, hanging on to send the match to five sets with a 25-22 win in set four.

The Yellow Jackets came out screaming into the fifth set, winning the first three points and taking three more in succession soon after for a commanding, 6-2 lead. Another run of three shortly following furthered the advantage to 10-5, but the Panthers climbed back into contention with a four-point burst to trail, 10-9. Tech worked its way within striking distance victory with a 13-10 lead, but Pitt clawed back once more to slip in front for the first time in the set, leading 14-13. The White and Gold staved off four ensuing match points for the Panthers to knot things up time and time again up to a 17-all draw, but the Panthers put a stamp on the match with two final points, winning set five 19-17 to squeak by for the 3-2 match victory.

Up Next

Georgia Tech will close out the regular season with the finale on The Flats against Florida State (19-9, 11-6 ACC) on Saturday at 1 p.m. in O’Keefe Gymnasium. The match will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

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Competitive Drive Initiative

In a unified endeavor, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation, Georgia Tech athletics and the Alexander-Tharpe Fund have come together to accelerate funding for student-athlete scholarships with the launch of the Competitive Drive Initiative. The initiative kicks off with the Accelerate GT Match Program, where any new gift to the A-T Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund made through Dec. 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Georgia Tech Foundation, up to $2.5 million. Should Accelerate GT reach its $2.5 million fundraising goal, the matching gift would result in a $5 million impact for Georgia Tech athletics. To learn more and to contribute online, visit atfund.org/accelerate.

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