Oct. 29, 2007
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech travels up I-85 for a midweek match at conference leader Clemson Tuesday night at 7 p.m. The Yellow Jackets (15-8, 9-4 ACC) and 24th-ranked Tigers (20-2, 13-0 ACC) will square off for the second time this season at Jervey Gym in what will be the first of three key Atlantic Coast Conference road matches for Tech on the week. The Jackets currently stand tied for third in the ACC with Virginia, who they face Sunday afternoon in Charlottesville, and behind Clemson and Duke (13-1).
The Yellow Jackets have won four-straight matches and are led by setter Allie Niekamp (.293, 10.67 Apg, 1.95 Dpg). Junior captain Talisa Kellogg is Tech’s top offensive threat (3.76 Kpg) while Chrissy DeMichelis (3.53 pg) and Ulrike Stegemann (3.00 pg) are both averaging at least three kills per game. Junior libero Michelle Kandell has been strong on the back row for Tech, averaging a team-best 4.69 digs per game, while Nikki Kaminskas leads Tech’s blocking efforts, with 1.07 blocks per game.
Georgia Tech has already played five matches against teams that competed in last year’s NCAA Tournament, as well as another that advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2005, and still has one remaining against a 2006 NCAA Tournament participant – vs. Duke in November.
MATCH COVERAGE: Live online video coverage of the match will be available on ACC Select (gatech.playonsports.tv) while WREK Radio will brodcast on 91.1 FM and www.wrek.org. Live stats can be found at RamblinWreck.com.
UP NEXT: Tech continues its road trip in Virginia this weekend facing Virginia Tech Friday (7 p.m.) and Virginia Sunday (1 p.m.) The match vs. the Hokies will be available on ACC Select, and live stats can be found at HokieSports.com and VirginiaSports.com.
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Tech vs. The Opponent (Clemson leads Georgia Tech, 26-19)
Georgia Tech is 19-26 all-time against Clemson, but 8-3 versus the Tigers since Bond Shymansky was promoted to head coach in 2002. The two teams split the season series in 2006, with both teams winning at home, but Clemson took a 3-0 win over Georgia Tech in Atlanta two weeks ago. The Yellow Jackets have taken three of the last five matches between the two teams, and 12 of the last 15. Tech is 8-12 against the Tigers in Clemson, but has lost just one out of the last seven matches between the two schools at Jervey Gym.
Jackets Rise to Occasion on Dig For the Cure Weekend
With 74 digs in a five-set win against Maryland last Friday, the Yellow Jackets won more than just an ACC match against the Terrapins. The team’s defensive performance, in addition to the donations and pledges made by fellow students, fans, parents and coworkers, helped Georgia Tech raise more than $7,000 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, an organization that specializes in raising funds to help find the cure for breast cancer.
Kellogg, Stegemann Reach 1,000
Talisa Kellogg reached the 1,000 plateau for kills in a career in the final match of the Regency Suites/Georgia Tech Classic, posting 20 kills against the Kentucky Wildcats. She has recorded 1,224 kills in her 2+ years on the Flats, and is 27 kills away from cracking the top-10 in the Georgia Tech career annals.
Ulrike Stegemann has also surpassed 1,000 kills in her career, notching number 1,000 with a 19-kill performance at North Carolina. The Yellow Jacket senior has notched 1,148 kills in her 3+ years at Georgia Tech.
Milestone Watch
Yellow Jacket sophomore Callie Miller has recorded 254 block assists since her arrival in 2005, which ranks just one total block shy of cracking the top-10 in school history.
Milestone Watch II
Junior Michelle Kandell is well on her way to becoming the school’s single-season record holder for digs. With nine matches still remaining on the regular-season schedule, the California native already stands ninth in the single-season digs category with 422 in 2007, which is exactly 100 shy of the record. She needs just three digs to move into a tie for eighth place, and 22 to move into sixth.
