Sept. 6, 2008
ATLANTA – Callie Miller and Talisa Kellogg paced the Yellow Jackets with nine kills apiece and Michelle Kandell eclipsed 20 digs for the first time this season as Georgia Tech (5-0) swept Xavier (4-1), 3-0 (26-24, 25-19, 26-24), Saturday evening at O’Keefe Gym. The win was the Yellow Jackets’ second in the tournament, and Tech wraps up play in the Regency Suites Classic Sunday when they host 25th-ranked Michigan at 2 p.m.
Miller and Kellogg led a balanced attack as six different Yellow Jackets logged at least five kills in the match. Alison Campbell had eight kills and Asia Stawicka and Brittany Roderick added five apiece. Senior setter Allie Niekamp ran the offense and was stellar on defense, posting her first double-double of the season with 32 assists and 11 digs against Xavier.
Kandell posted 20 of the Yellow Jackets’ 55 digs on the night, while Xavier managed just 36 digs as a team against Georgia Tech. The difference in the match figured to be Tech’s defense at the net, as the Yellow Jackets notched eight blocks on the evening while Xavier had zero. Stawicka tallied three total blocks against the Musketeers, while five other Yellow Jackets posted at least one.
Kellogg powered the Yellow Jackets to a 26-24 victory in the first set by hitting .625 with six kills and no errors on eight attempts. The Yellow Jacket senior moved into ninth place in the Georgia Tech annals with her third kill in the frame and eclipsed 1,400 career kills on her fifth kill.
With the second set tied at eight points apiece, the Yellow Jackets went on a 5-1 run, which included four errors by the Musketeers, and never looked back, cruising to a 25-19 victory. Tech hit .387 with six different players notching at least two kills in the frame while Xavier just a .147 hitting clip.
The Musketeers attempted to rally in the third frame, but in the end came up short as Georgia Tech held on for a 26-24 win. Xavier scored six-straight points off the Yellow Jackets early in the frame, but Tech posted a comeback and eventually tied the score at 14-14. The Jackets eventually took a three-point lead at 22-19 but Xavier posted a comeback of its own, tying the set at 23-23 on a 4-0 run. An attacking error by the Jackets gave the Musketeers a 24-23 edge, but Tech received back-to-back kills from Kellogg and Roderick before a solo block by Kellogg gave the Jackets the match win.
Sunday’s match is slated to be aired tape-delayed on SportSouth Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. and Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. There will be no radio broadcast of the match, but live stats will be available at Ramblinwreck.com.
–GT–
