Oct. 20, 2017
THE FLATS – In a gym full of familiar faces on Alumni Night, Georgia Tech volleyball (9-11, 4-5 ACC) came back from a first set deficit to defeat Syracuse (14-8, 6-3 ACC) 3-1 on Friday night, avenging a loss earlier this season. Seniors Gabriela Stavnetchei and Gabby Benda both had career nights for the Yellow Jackets.
How it happened:
Tech came out slow, allowing Syracuse to take an early 7-2 lead. It took Georgia Tech head coach Michelle Collier using up her second timeout to spark something in the Jackets, coming up strong from the service line to make a run to tie up the match at 17-17. Tech tallied three service aces in the set with no errors. The two teams traded points to a tie at 24-24 but the Orange found the final two points to take the set at 26-24 for the 1-0 advantage.
The Jackets once again came out slow to start the set, letting the Orange jump to an 8-3 advantage before calling a timeout. With the Jackets slowly chipping away at the lead, Syracuse called a timeout as the Jackets came within two using a 4-0 run sparked by a kill from freshman Cori Clifton. Trading points to a 20-20 tie, a kill off the swing of senior Sydney Wilson gave Tech the lead and the Jackets managed to hang on a kill from Stavnetchei sealed the set for the White and Gold at 25-22.
The two teams stayed close to start the third with Tech breaking ahead at 11-10 and using three attack errors from the Orange to take the 14-10 lead. Fighting their way back in, the Orange came back within one at 15-14 but the Jackets took three in a row with kills from Benda and Stavnetchei and a block assist to stay ahead. The Jackets led by as much as five at 20-15 off a service ace from freshman Sam Knapp but the Orange climbed back in it. Coming within one at 23-22, Collier called a timeout and it was just the kick Tech needed and the Jackets took the next two points to take the 2-1 lead at 25-22.
With 22 kills already on her stat line, Stavnetchei came out hungry for more, tallying back-to-back kills to give Tech the lead and put the Jackets up 6-4 in the fourth. The White and Gold would hold onto the lead for the remainder of the set, only allowing the Orange to tally 16 points on its way to a 25-16 victory of the fourth to win the match 3-1 off a service ace from Stavnetchei for the final point of the match. Stavnetchei recorded a career high 28 kills and Benda posted a career best 53 assists.
Up next:
The Jackets are back in O’Keefe on Sunday to take on Boston College at 1 p.m. on ACC Network Extra for their Pinkout Match.
Quick hits:
– Gabriela Stavnetchei had a career high 28 kills.
– Stavnetchei posted her eighth double-double of the season (28 kills, 14 digs).
– Stavnetchei hit at a season-high clip of .400.
– Gabby Benda recorded a career high 53 assists.
– Benda surpassed the 2,000 assist mark in her career.
– Tech remains unbeaten by the Orange in O’Keefe.
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