LEXINGTON, Ky. – Georgia Tech volleyball (9-1) stayed put at No. 18 in the latest AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Women’s Poll, the AVCA announced on Monday. The Jackets held their ranking from a week ago following a clean sweep of Arkansas and rival Georgia as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Since appearing in the Top 25 at No. 12 on Sept. 30, 2020, Georgia Tech has been listed in 27 straight top 25 polls to date. The Yellow Jackets are joined in the poll by No. 4 Pitt and No. 5 Louisville among the ACC ranks.
Tech holds the 18th slot after breezing through the ACC/SEC Challenge to increase its current win streak to five. The Yellow Jackets remain an undefeated 7-0 against SEC foe Arkansas all time and claimed their 18th win in the last 21 matchups against Georgia.
Georgia Tech is off to a strong start for the fourth consecutive season after going 9-0 to start 2018, 6-1 to open 2019 and 8-1 to begin last season. The Yellow Jackets opened their 2021 slate without a blemish, topping No. 20 Penn State (previously 12), UCF and St. John’s on the way to a UCF Challenge title before splitting the Long Beach State Tournament defeating Long Beach State and falling to No. 19 UCLA (previously 18). Tech also swept the competition in its own Georgia Tech Classic, blanking Mississippi State before downing Indiana and Oklahoma.
The Jackets have also racked up a multitude of individual awards, led by junior outside hitter Julia Bergmann, who’s been awarded AVCA Player of the Week, ACC Player of the Week, UCF Challenge MVP and to three all-tournament teams. Freshman outside hitter Bianca Bertolino has kept pace with Bergmann being named ACC Freshman of the Week for the first two weeks of the season and to a pair of all-tournament teams. Like Bergmann, senior right-side hitter Mariana Brambilla has also been named to all three all-tournament teams this season, and senior setter Matti McKissock has picked up one all-tournament nod this season as well.
On a national scale, Bergmann continues to boast some of the top marks in the country. The veteran is currently 14th in points per set (5.28) and 21st in the nation in kills per set (4.47). Amongst the conference, those marks put her first in points per set and second in kills per set. Through the first four weeks of the season, Bergmann leads Georgia Tech with 161 kills and is second on the team in digs with 103 while also totaling 21 blocks (11 solo, 10 assisted) and a team-high 13 aces.
Up Next
Georgia Tech will open conference play on the road, heading to Wake Forest for a battle of nine-win teams in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Friday at 7 p.m. before wrapping up the weekend with Virginia Tech on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Blacksburg, Va. Live coverage information will be provided here.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets 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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