Nov. 21, 2001
After a disappointing defeat to Maryland in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament last week, the Georgia Tech volleyball team (18-7) looks to rebound in a match against arch-rival Georgia (11-13) at 7 p.m. on Friday night in O’Keefe Gymansium.
The match marks the fourth consecutive year the two teams have met, and the 20th time overall, with Georgia holding the all-time series edge, 17-2. Tech has won the last two meetings, including a 3-1 victory in O’Keefe in 1999.
“We really need to re-establish some confidence and momentum as we head into the NCAA Tournament, so an intense and exciting match against our in-state rival could be the perfect preparation for us,” said head coach Shelton Collier. “After not achieving our goal at the ACC Tournament last week, I expect us to be even more hungry and motivated to play well against Georgia.”
The Jackets are led by all-ACC selections Maja Pachale (Schwerin, Germany), Kyleen Bell (Rocklin, Calif.) and Kele Eveland (Grand Rapids, Mich.). Pachale, the 2001 ACC Player of the Year, leads the team in kills (426) and kills per game (4.48) and is third on the team in hitting percentage (.288). Bell, a second-team all-ACC selection is second on the team in kills (304) and hitting percentage (.298) and blocks per game (.89). Eveland, who also received second team all-ACC honors, directs an offense which leads the ACC in assists per game (14.58) and is second in the conference in hitting percentage (.255). She has tallied 1,152 assists this season and ranks third in the conference in assists per game (12.13).
“We have players on both our volleyball and football teams who have never lost to Georgia. We would certainly like to keep that tradition going,” said Collier.
Ticket prices are $4 and $2 and may be obtained at the gate at O’Keefe Gymnasium beginning at 5:30 p.m. Fans unable to attend the match in person, may tune in to WREK radio (91.1 FM) who will be carrying the match in a live broadcast.
