Oct. 17, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Allie Niekamp tallied a career-high 18 digs and added 40 assists to notch her second double-double of the season in Georgia Tech’s 3-0 sweep (25-22, 25-22, 25-22) of Maryland (5-15, 1-7 ACC) Friday night at the Comcast Center Pavilion. With the win, the Yellow Jackets improved to 13-5 on the season and 5-3 in ACC play.
“It was great for our team to get a road win at Maryland,” said Georgia Tech head coach Bond Shymansky. “We have always struggled in this gym, so I am pleased with tonight’s win.”
In addition to her double-double, Niekamp posted a match-best six block assists in the match sweep. Brittany Roderick led the Yellow Jackets with 11 kills while Talisa Kellogg added 10 kills against the Terrapins.
“Allie played aggressive defense and set a very smart game,” Shymansky continued. “We also received strong contributions from Brittany and Callie (Miller), which allowed for better balance of attack with our outside hitters.
Miller finished the night hitting .636 with eight kills while adding two service aces and six total blocks against the Terps.
“We need to continue to rely on our seniors as we continue our chase of the ACC title in Boston Sunday,” Shymansky added.
A late 6-1 run gave the Terps a 20-19 lead in the first set, but Georgia Tech rallied for three straight points, two off kills by Roderick, to regain the edge at 22-20. The two teams traded the next three points before Tech finished off the set with a kill from Callie Miller and an attacking error by the Terps. Miller led the Yellow Jacket offense with four kills on five swings (.800) while Roderick added three kills in the frame.
After being held without a kill through the first set, Kellogg found her rhythm in the second frame, posting eight kills on 15 attempts (.467) to lead Tech to a three-point win and 2-0 lead in the match. The Jackets took a five-point lead at 18-13, but the Terrapins climbed back into the set with four consecutive points before Roderick ended the run with a kill from the right side. Kellogg followed with another kill to give Tech a three-point edge, and the Jackets held on for the 25-22 win.
With Maryland holding a slim one point lead midway through the third set, Georgia Tech used a 7-1 run to take a 23-16 lead and looked to be on its way to running away with the match until the Terps answered with a 5-0 run of its own. A kill by Chrissy DeMichelis ended the Maryland comeback and Tech capped its 3-0 sweep of the Terrapins with a kill from Roderick.
The Yellow Jackets now continue on to Chestnut Hill, Mass., where they will face Boston College Sunday at 1 p.m. The Eagles were swept by Clemson Friday afternoon, and enter Sunday’s match seeking their first conference win of the season. Live stats for the match will be available at Ramblinwreck.com.
–GT–
