Oct. 2, 2010
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BLACKSBURG, Va. – Junior Bailey Hunter had a career-high 24 kills as the Georgia Tech Volleyball team (9-7, 2-3 ACC) beat Virginia Tech (10-5, 1-4 ACC), 3-2 (21-25, 25-17, 24-26, 25-19, 15-9), Saturday night at Cassell Coliseum to sweep its road trip through the Commonwealth of Virginia. Hunter hit .333 on the night as the Yellow Jackets battled back from a 2-1 deficit to win the final two sets.
Hunter’s previous high was 20 in the 2009 regular season finale at Clemson. Sophomore Monique Mead added 14 kills while freshman Jennifer Percy contributed with 13 on .345 hitting. Junior Asia Stawicka had eight kills on .412 hitting and sophomore Alexis Woodson added six of her own to go along with four total blocks (two solo).
Senior Mary Ashley Tippins recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 51 assists and 11 digs while classmate Jordan McCullers tied her season-high of 24 digs.
Virginia Tech fought off a furious Georgia Tech rally to take the first set 25-21. The Hokies used an early 5-0 run to take a 6-1 lead and looked to be on cruise control. It was 22-14 Hokies when the Yellow Jackets went on a 7-1 run to get within two points at 23-21. Following its final timeout, the Hokies closed out the set by scoring the next two points to go up 1-0. Mead and Percy led the Yellow Jackets with four kills apiece as they hit .250. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, hit .389 for the first set.
The Yellow Jackets took that momentum into the second set as they used an early 8-1 run to take a 12-4 lead. Virginia Tech began to chip away and got within three points several times, but Georgia Tech never let the Hokies get any closer. It was 20-17 Jackets when they scored the final five points to win 25-17 and even the match at one set apiece. The Yellow Jackets hit .333 for the set and were led by five kills from both Mead and Hunter.
Virginia Tech came back to win a wild third set 26-24 after trailing by as many as five points. A 4-0 run by Georgia Tech gave it a 9-5 lead. The Yellow Jackets would not let the Hokies back in as they got the lead up to five points at 16-11 before the Hokies made their move. A 6-1 run tied the set up at 17 and set up a wild finish. Neither team led by more than two points as they traded the next several points. The Yellow Jackets held set point at 24-23, but Virginia Tech rallied for three straight points to win 26-24 and go up 2-1 in the match. Hunter led the squad with five kills as Tech hit just .082. Virginia Tech hit .205.
The Yellow Jackets closed out the fourth set on a 7-1 run to win the fourth set, 25-19, and send the match to a fifth set. Tech used a 4-0 run to go up 9-5 and held the lead until an 8-1 run by the Hokies gave Virginia Tech its first lead of the set at 16-15. Georgia Tech then broke an 18-18 dead-lock with the decisive run that sent the match to five. Hunter had seven kills for the Jackets as they hit .344.
A 6-1 run by the Yellow Jackets in the fifth set was too much for Virginia Tech too handle as Georgia Tech went on to win 15-9 and record its second straight league win. The Hokies could never get any closer than four points as Georgia Tech came back for the win.
The Yellow Jackets continue their four-match road trip next weekend with a visit to the Florida schools. Tech will play Miami at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 8 and then travel up to Tallahassee for a 1 p.m. match at Florida State on Sunday, Oct. 10. Live stats for both matches will be available at www.RamblinWreck.com, while the match against the Seminoles will be televised live on FS-Florida.
