Nov. 19, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. – Sophomore Monique Mead had 19 kills and junior Bailey Hunter added 12 but the Georgia Tech Volleyball team (17-13, 10-8 ACC) lost to NC State (14-16, 4-14), 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 15-25, 21-25), Friday night at Reynold’s Coliseum.
Senior Mary Ashley Tippins dished out 44 assists in the match and senior Jordan McCullers had a match-high 25 digs but the Yellow Jackets hit just .209. NC State, meanwhile hit .285.
Freshman Jennifer Percy added eight kills while sophomore Alexis Woodson had seven and junior Asia Stawicka recorded six for the Yellow Jackets who have two matches left in the regular season. Woodson was the only one of the high scorers to hit over .273, however, as she converted at a .462 clip.
Tippins had eight digs to go along with her 44 assists while sophomore Nicki Meyer added a career-high eight digs as well for Tech. Sophomore Susan Carlson also contributed with seven digs. The Yellow Jackets had just four blocks on the night while NC State had seven.
NC State opened up the first set by scoring six of the first seven points and had the Yellow Jackets playing catch-up throughout. Tech trailed by as many as eight points before beginning to chip away. Tech used a quick 5-0 run to get within three points at 16-13 but that would be as close as it could get until late. On six different occasions when the Jackets got within three, NC State would go back up five or six points. Tech finally pulled within two points, 24-22, but the Wolfpack used a block to close out the set and win 25-22. Percy led the Jackets with four kills as they hit .278. NC State, meanwhile, hit .317.
A 6-0 NC State run early in the second half gave it a 14-9 lead but this time the Yellow Jackets came back. Tech answered with a 6-1 run to tie the set at 15 and went on to win 25-23 as neither team led by more than a point until the Jackets went up 24-22. The score went back and forth until Tech scored three of the final four points to even the match. Mead led the Jackets with four kills in the set while Hunter added three. Tech hit .216 but held NC State to .059.
The two teams traded points for the first part of the third set, but with the score tied at 11 NC State ran away to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Wolfpack went on an 11-2 run and cruised to a 25-15 win putting the Yellow Jackets in a hole. Mead had six kills for Tech in the set but the Yellow Jackets hit just .146 while NC State hit a blistering .455.
Georgia Tech used a 6-1 run in the fourth set and looked like it was going to pull away and even the match up, but NC State came right back. A 7-1 Wolfpack run gave them the lead back at 16-15 and set the stage for a wild finish to the fourth set. The teams went back and forth until NC State broke open a 21-21 tie by scoring the final four points en route to a 25-21 win.
The Yellow Jackets will play their final road match of the regular season on Sunday at Noon against North Carolina. Live stats will be available at www.RamblinWreck.com.
