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Tech Takes Down No. 14 BYU

PROVO, Utah – No. 19 Georgia Tech volleyball (4-1) secured its first ranked victory of the season on Saturday night, taking down No. 14 BYU (4-1) inside a packed Smith Fieldhouse in Provo. Spectacular team defense and an unrelenting attack from Tamara Otene and Larissa Mendes earned the Yellow Jackets a thrilling five-set victory on the road.

QUICK HITS

  • Georgia Tech has defeated at least one Top-15 opponent in each of the last four seasons (since 2021) for the first time in program history.
  • This was the 35th Top 25 victory in program history and the 11th of the Michelle Collier era.
  • Tech has now won four straight regular season non-conference matches against ranked opponents after defeating No. 12 Ohio State (twice) and No. 8 Penn State last season.
  • Georgia Tech is just the 10th team to defeat BYU inside Smith Fieldhouse over the last 10 seasons (since 2015).
  • Senior outside hitter Tamara Otene unleashed a season-high 24 kills (4.80/set). She finishes the weekend with a team-best 41 kills (5.125/set) over just two matches.
  • Otene secured her team-leading fourth double-double of the season, making 13 digs to go along with her 24 kills.
  • Sophomore right side hitter Larissa Mendes produced another incredible offensive performance, finishing with 21 kills. It’s her second 20+ kill match of the young season (23 vs. New Mexico State) after only reaching the 20-kill mark once last year (21 vs. Florida St.).
  • Mendes made her 21 kills on .459 hitting. She is hitting .300 or better in all three matches with 25 or more attacks in 2024.
  • Senior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino filled the stat sheet, delivering her third double-double of the year with 10 kills, 13 digs, four aces and a block.
  • Those four aces bring her career total to 131, tied with Amanda Medrow (1996-99) for the ninth most in program history.
  • Tech set a season best with 75 digs tonight. Four different Jackets registered double-digit digs, led by junior libero Sofia Velez (16) alongside Otene (13), Bertolino (13) and sophomore setter Heloise Soares (13).
  • Velez has made 10 or more digs in all five of her matches as a Yellow Jacket and in all but one of her 84 career matches played (79 matches at Trinity Valley CC (2022-23)).
  • Soares recorded her 2nd-career double-double, finishing with 23 assists and 13 digs.
  • Senior setter Luanna Emiliano secured 40 assists, her second 40+ assist night in White & Gold. She narrowly missed out on a double-double of her own, finishing with nine digs.

GT Volleyball at No. 14 BYU

Photos by Tyler Rover

SET BY SET

Set 1 (GT 21 – BYU 25)

The teams traded points to open the match, tied at 10-10 after seven ties early. BYU used a 3-0 run to take an 18-13 lead, forcing a Tech timeout. Tech came back with some momentum, cutting into the BYU lead, trailing 23-19, and forcing a BYU timeout. The Cougars were able to hold the lead and close the set 25-21, taking a 1-0 lead on the night. Tamara Otene closed set one with seven kills and four digs, while Sofia Velez added four digs of her own.

Set 2 (GT 25 – BYU 20)

Tech claimed the first lead of set two, opening with 3-0 run and holding a 6-2 lead over BYU. The Cougars fought back with points of their own, cutting into the Tech lead and trailing just 15-13 at the media timeout. BYU then evened the score at 16-16, before the Yellow Jackets used a 6-1 run to take a 22-17 lead. The Cougars rallied late, but Tech closed out set two with a 25-20 win, evening the match at 1-1. Larissa Mendes led the Tech attack in set two, totaling six kills on 10 attempts. Heloise Soares held it down on defense, totaling six digs.

Set 3 (GT 19 – BYU 25)

Set three opened the same as before, with Tech on a 3-0 run. BYU replied with a 3-0 run itself, tying the set. BYU carried that momentum deep into set four, taking a 13-7 lead over the Yellow Jackets. Once BYU had a lead over the Yellow Jackets, they never lost it, despite constant pressure from Tech. BYU used a 6-1 run to close the set, winning set three 25-19. Larissa Mendes carried her momentum into set three, totaling five more kills, while hitting .444.

Set 4 (GT 25 – BYU 20)

The Yellow Jackets took an early lead over the home team, up 6-1 and forcing a BYU timeout. The Cougars came out of the timeout with two quick points, but Tech shut down any momentum and maintained a 9-5 lead. BYU used back-to-back kills to cut into the Tech lead and eventually tied the set at 15-15 and again at 16-16. Tech answered with a 4-1 run, up 20-17 and forcing a BYU timeout. BYU tried to battle back coming out of the timeout, but Tech closed out set four with back-to-back kills from Tamara Otene to win 25-20. Otene finished set four with seven kills, while Larissa Mendes added six of her own.

Set 5 (GT 15 – BYU 13)

Set five mirrored the rest of the sets, a back-and-forth battle between the Yellow Jackets and the Cougars. BYU had momentum early, taking a 6-3 lead and forcing a Tech timeout. Tech answered with momentum of its own, tying the set at 7-7, before taking a 9-7 lead and forcing a BYU timeout. The set was tied again at 10-10 and 11-11, before Tech used a 3-0 run to take a 14-11 lead. BYU answered with two points of their own, trailing 14-13 and forcing a Tech timeout. Tech closed out the match with a kill from Tamara Otene, her 24th of the match, defeating BYU 3-2.

UP NEXT

Georgia Tech returns to Atlanta for the third-annual McCamish Pavilion match. The Yellow Jackets will take on No. 10 Florida from McCamish Pavilion at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Tickets can be purchased HERE

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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