Nov. 14, 2006
ATLANTA – Lindsey Gray posted 18 kills and Ulrike Stegemann and Chrissy DeMichelis added 17 apiece to lead Georgia Tech (18-10, 10-8 ACC) to a 3-2 (28-30, 30-26, 24-30, 31-29, 15-6) victory over Clemson (17-9, 12-6 ACC) Tuesday night at O’Keefe Gymnasium.
The victory is Tech’s second five-set victory in as many matches, and extends the Jackets’ winning streak to seven, dating back to a 3-2 victory over 25th-ranked Duke Oct. 27. The Jackets have also won 10 of their last 12 matches after beginning conference play 0-6.
“This was a huge win for us tonight because every win is a must-win,” said Georgia Tech head coach Bond Shymansky. “We still have a lot to work on and continue to play up-and-down through the course of a match, but we are finding a way to persevere. Clemson played very well and really pressed us with a strong offense and an aggressive defense. Lindsey Gray and Ulli were a key to our success with a lot of big kills at key times. Chrissy DeMichelis stepped in and provided a big boost while our back row was inspiring tonight.”
After falling behind 2-1 following the third game, the Yellow Jackets responded with an exciting 31-29 win in the fourth game before cruising to a 15-6 win in the fifth and final game to even the season series with the Tigers, 1-1.
DeMichelis entered the match in the second game and posted a new season-high in kills while also recording three total blocks against the Tigers. Gray recorded her 13th double-double of the season with a team-high 18 kills and a career-high 27 digs, while Stegemann posted her fourth double-double of 2006 with 17 kills and 18 digs.
Joining Gray and Stegemann’s defensive efforts were senior libero Abby Showers, who posted 18 digs, and sophomore Michelle Kandell, who added 10 digs.
Anchoring the Georgia Tech blocking defense was sophomore Callie Miller, who had six blocks to go along with nine kills, while sophomore setter Allie Niekamp recorded a career-high 64 assists to go along with eight digs, six kills and four digs on the night.
Talisa Kellogg added 10 kills for the Yellow Jackets.
Tech posted 89 digs as a team and a total of nine blocks against the Tigers, while hitting .258 on the night.
Trailing 20-15 in game four after falling behind 2-1 in the match, the Yellow Jackets dug in, rattling off four-straight points to pull within one at 20-19 on an attack error by Danielle Hepburn. The Tigers extended their lead to 24-22 on a kill by Meghan Steiner, but Tech benefited from a ball handling error by Anna Vallinch and a kill by Gray to tie the game at 24-24. The two teams then exchanged the next 10 points before the Jackets pulled out the win on an attack error by Leslie Mansfield and a block by Miller and Niekamp.
Tech jumped on the Tigers early in the final game, winning four of the first five points before going on a 4-1 run to make the score 11-5 after Clemson pulled within two points on an attack error by DeMichelis. Following a kill by Hepburn to pull the Tigers to within five points, the Jackets finished off the match with a kill by DeMichelis, block by Niekamp and Miller, and a pair of attack errors by the Tigers.
Clemson was led by Hepburn, who had 18 kills, and Jeannette Abbott, who added 16.
The Jackets will return to action this weekend when they host Boston College and Maryland Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. Both matches can be seen on ACC Select (gatech.playonsports.tv) and can be heard on WREK-Radio, 91.1 FM in Atlanta. Livestats can be found at www.ramblinwreck.com.
