THE FLATS – Georgia Tech volleyball (15-11, 10-7 ACC) came up short on Friday night as it fell 3-1 to No. 7 Louisville (23-4, 15-2 ACC).
QUICK HITS
- Noemi Despaigne was nothing short of phenomenal in the four-set Friday match, as she tied her career high for kills with a team high 20. This is the second time the young outside hitter has recorded 20 kills and the third time this season a Yellow Jacket has done so.
- Anna Fiedorowicz supported Despaigne’s efforts on offense with 10 kills while also recording a career high for attacks.
- Fiedorowicz’s 10 kills were paired with 10 digs, bringing the freshman to four double-double performances this season.
- Friday’s 20 kills marked the eighth time Despaigne has recorded double-digit kills while it was the 14th time Fiedorowicz has done so.
- In conference play, Fiedorowocz has posted double-digit kills in every match except three.
- Freshman setter Abi Li tied her career high for aces for the third time with back-to-back aces in the second set.
- Heloise Soares tied her career-high for kills for the eighth time this season with two against Louisville.
- Sofia Velez recorded her 20th game of the season with double digit digs. Her 12 digs bring her to 125 games recording 10+ digs out of 136 total collegiate games.
- As a team, Georgia Tech saw its fourth most attempts of the season (144), its second most in a four-set match.
Photos vs. Louisville
Photos by Dominic Macias
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 23 – LOU 25)
- Tech was able to get an early set one lead and force Louisville to trail until the Cardinals tied the set, 10-10. The Yellow Jackets quickly responded by outscoring the Cardinals to lead, 15-12, going into the media timeout. Regardless of the back-and-forth exchange of points, Tech maintained the lead until a late three-point run gave Louisville the 20-19 lead. Despite recording their best attack percentage and their most kills of the match, Tech went on to fall in set one. Despaigne got started early as she recorded six kills on nine swings, good for a .667 attack percentage. Fiedorowicz was just behind her with five kills as was Bianca Garibaldi with four kills. Soares saw her strongest numbers of the night in set one with 14 assists.
Set 2 (GT 14 – LOU 25)
- Set two saw Tech struggle with offensive errors while Louisville saw its highest attack percentage of the night. The Cardinals jumped out early in set two and forced the Jackets to trail by as much as six before they pieced together a five-point run which resulted in a Louisville timeout (13-12). Following the timeout, Tech would keep Louisville’s offense at bay until the Cardinals would go on a nine-point run to take set two. Mimi Mambu led Tech’s offense in set two with Despaigne by her side. Velez led defensively with three digs while Mambu recorded two blocks.
Set 3 (GT 25 – LOU 23)
- Tech showcased its resiliency in set three after a tied score 10 times and four lead changes ultimately resulted in a set three win for the Jackets. The set began with an early five-point run for the Cardinals that forced the Jackets to play catch up. Tech did just that through set two, keeping no further than a four-point distance and tying the set repeatedly until it was able to claim the final three points of the set. Despaigne was unstoppable in the third set as she led both teams in kills with eight kills on 15 swings. Soares once again led the group in assists with nine while Velez recorded four assists on seven attempts. Garibaldi followed in Li’s footsteps claiming two service aces in set three. Soares and DeAndra Pierce led defensively with a pair of blocks each.
Set 4 (GT 15 – LOU 25)
- A high number of attack errors in set four cause Tech to struggle on offense, despite Tech recording more set four kills than Louisville. After beginning the set in a close race, Louisville stacked five points to lead, 13-7, and cause a Tech timeout. Despite the Yellow Jackets going point-for-point in attempt to chip away at the deficit following the timeout, a four-point run Louisville made the set 21-12 in favor of the visitors. The team teams continued to trade points through the 25-15 end of set four. Despaigne capped the match with four final kills while Fiedorowicz finished with three final kills. In the final set Soares led for both assists and digs.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets will remain at home to host Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon. The match is set to be streamed on ACCNX. Sunday’s match will begin with a senior ceremony and be followed post-match by an autograph session.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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