Nov. 1, 2008
ATLANTA – Callie Miller hit .533 and Chrissy DeMichelis notched a match-best 10 kills to guide Georgia Tech (17-6, 9-4 ACC) to a 3-0 (25-19-25-22, 25-16) win over Virginia (13-12, 5-8 ACC) Saturday evening at O’Keefe Gym. The win was the Yellow Jackets’ sixth sweep in their last seven matches and gave Tech sole possession of second place in the league standings.
Setters Allie Niekamp and Mary Ashley Tippins ran a balanced and efficient offense as the Yellow Jackets hit .298 as a team with four different players posting at least seven kills in the three-set match. Miller had nine kills and just one error on 15 swings while Talisa Kellogg and Bailey Hunter added seven kills apiece.
“We got off to a slow start tonight, but when our offense finally started clicking you could see the team that we’re working to be this season,” said Georgia Tech head coach Bond Shymansky. “Callie Miller was a dominant force once again and Bailey Hunter has really added a new spark to our offensive options.
“Building our momentum at home was crucial as we get ready for back-to-back weekends on the road.”
Before the offense began to click, Tech was forced to rely upon its defensive efforts, and particularly the play of Michelle Kandell and Jordan McCullers on the back row. Kandell led all players with 11 digs in the match, while McCullers added 10 against the Cavaliers.
Kandell showed her defensive skills in the opening set, posting seven digs to lead the Yellow Jackets to a 25-19 victory. The Jackets’ offense began to come around in the second frame, as Tech hit .303 in the frame. Miller led the way with four kills on four attempts while DeMichelis added three kills to guide Tech to a 25-22 victory.
The Jackets were nearly unstoppable on offense in the final set, hitting .467 with 17 kills on 30 attempts. DeMichelis led the way with five kills while Hunter added four on five swings to help the Jackets finish off the 3-0 win with a 25-16 victory.
Georgia Tech hits the road for the next two weekends before concluding the regular season with three straight home matches beginning Nov. 21. The Jackets travel to Duke and Wake Forest next weekend and play at Miami and Florida State one week later. Live stats for the match against Duke will be available at GoDuke.com, while fans can go to Ramblinwreck.com to see live stats for the Jackets’ match against the Demon Deacons.
–GT–
