MADISON, WIS. – No. 7 seed Georgia Tech volleyball (21-10, 12-8 ACC) concluded its 2024 season after falling 3-1 to No. 2 Wisconsin (25-6, 17-3 Big Ten) in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. Tamara Otene was a standout performer yet again with a team-high 21 kills, while Bianca Bertolino (17) and Liv Mogridge (12) recorded double-digit kills as well.
QUICK HITS
- With 21 kills and 17 digs, Otene recorded her 14th double-double of the season, 36th overall.
- Otene has earned a double-double in all of Tech’s last five contests.
- Bertolino’s 25 kills were paired with 17 digs earning the senior her 18th double-double this season, 35th overall as well as brought her to 25 games with double-digit kills this season.
- Her Round Two performance pushed her over 400-kill mark this season (415) while Otene finished the season with 464 kills.
- Liv Mogridge recorded her second most kills this season with 12 against the Badgers.
- DeAndra Pierce showed accuracy on offense as well as she recorded her ninth match of the season with an attack percentage above .400, with a .500 attack percentage against Wisconsin.
- Sofia Velez has now recorded 10 or more digs in 105 of her 111 collegiate matches after posting a team-high 19 digs against the Wisconsin.
- Luanna Emiliano led the team as far as assists with 30 while Heloise Soares neared her season-high for assists (27) in the Jackets’ 5-2 rotation.
- Emiliano’s 30 assists and 14 digs earned the setter her 13th double-double of the season, 80th of her career.
- Georgia Tech recorded the most digs in a four-set match this season against Wisconsin (80), most assists in afour-set match (65) most kills in a four-set match (66), and most total attempts in a four-set match (180).
- This was Tech’s first four-set match since Oct. 27 against Wake Forest (W, 3-1).
- The Yellow Jackets’ four-set loss to Wisconsin was the team’s first four-set loss of the season.
- This was Tech’s 11th NCAA Second Round appearance since 1994, the fifth consecutive while under the direction of head coach Michelle Collier.
Photos by Ricky Bassman
Tech Volleyball versus Wisconsin in Round Two of the NCAA Tournament
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 27- UW 25)
Wisconsin struck first in set one and forced Tech to continuously fight to keep the match close. The Yellow Jackets trailed, 22-16, before outscoring the Badgers 7-1 to tie the match at 23-23. Despite Wisconsin reaching set point first, kills from seniors, Otene, Pierce, and Bertolino earned Tech the set one win. Otene led Tech’s offensive efforts with seven kills but it was Mogridge and Pierce who gave the Yellow Jackets the edge as far as attack percentage. Set one saw Mogridge hold a .625 attack percentage, good for five kills, while Pierce established a .667 attack percentage which was enough for four kills. Emiliano recorded nine assists while Soares pitched in seven to help Tech record double the Badgers’ assists (20-10). The defensive specialist Velez led Tech’s defensive efforts with nine digs alongside Emiliano who recorded five.
Set 2 (GT 20- UW 25)
Similar to set one, Wisconsin jumped out in front and forced Tech to respond quickly. The Jackets did just that and took the lead after a four-point run put Tech on top, 12-11. A three-point scoring run would return the lead to the Badgers and the lead would remain with the hosting team through the remainder of the second set. Wisconsin’s .211 attack percentage combined with .960 serve percentage, and .941 reception percentage were enough ultimately enough to force Tech to drop the second set. Otene continued her offensive efforts as she contributed five kills to Tech’s 13 kills in the second set. Bertolino was increasingly effective on defense, leading the group in digs with six while Otene was just behind her with five.
Set 3 (GT 23- UW 25)
In set three, Tech’s .233 attack percentage fell just short in comparison to Wisconsin’s .268 and the Jackets struggled to find a way around the Badgers’ blocking. An early six-point run for Wisconsin kept Tech on its heels, but the Jackets were up for the challenge. The Yellow Jackets battled through set three and successfully tied the match 22-22 in hopes of pulling off a comeback set three win. Pierce would get the final kill for Tech in the third set before Wisconsin took the final two points of the set. Bertolino would add another six kills to her total while Otene tallied another four. Emiliano and Soares split Tech’s set three assists almost down the middle as Emiliano had eight of the Jackets’ 15 assists and Soares had the remaining seven. Alongside her six kills, the Argentinian recorded four digs while Velez, Emiliano, and Otene had three respectively.
Set 4 (GT 21- UW 25)
Despite Tech posting more set four kills, recording more set four digs, and cleaning up its defensive execution, a higher number of attack errors hurt the Yellow Jackets’ final attempt to keep their tournament hope alive. Set four saw the score tied 11 times, but the Badgers would not surrender the lead the entire fourth set. Tech did an exceptional job at keeping the match close, even going as far to make the game tied 20-20 after a late three-point scoring run. However, three final Badger kills would end the Yellow Jackets’ 2024 season. In the final set of the season, Mogridge would once again show accuracy with a .667 attack percentage and four kills. Seniors Bertolino and Otene had a strong finish, adding another five kills respectively to their totals. Soares had a final eight assists alongside Emiliano who finished with another seven.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and 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.
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