Sept. 27, 2015
THE FLATS – Down 2-0 in the match, the Georgia Tech volleyball team (11-3, 2-0 ACC) rallied to win the final three sets and defeat Boston College (8-6, 0-2) in a five-set thriller Sunday afternoon at O’Keefe Gym. Junior London Ackermann tallied her 1,000th career dig, becoming the first Yellow Jacket to reach the milestone since Jordan McCullers did it in 2010.
How it Happened
It was truly a back and forth match with 41 tied scores and 20 lead changes throughout. The Yellow Jackets were behind early in the opening set and put on a late rally to pull within one at the end, 24-23, but Boston College squeaked by 25-23.
The Jackets improved their hitting percentage from game one to game two, but with the score tied 23-23 Boston College scored the final two points to escape with the win.
With the Eagles up 27-26 in set three and poised to win the match, the Jackets dug deep to tie it and take a 28-27 lead on a pair of kills by Anna Kavalchuk. The Jackets put the set away on a kill by Teegan Van Gunst.
Georgia Tech had to work back from a deficit in set four, but at 18-18 the Jackets took the lead for good and won 25-23. The fifth set was all Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets jumped out to an 8-4 lead at the switch and captured the victory, 15-9.
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“It was an amazing team effort,” head coach Michelle Collier said. “We knew we were so close to winning those first two sets, and we had to stay together and keep our mind in the game. I’m proud of the players that came off the bench and helped us change things up. I’m proud of how we fought.”
Quick Hits
– Sophomore Anna Kavalchuk entered the match in the third set and was the spark Tech needed. She tallied a career-best 12 kills on 19 swings with three errors for a .474 hitting percentage.
– Teegan Van Gunst tallied her eighth double-double of the season and second on the weekend with a team-best 22 kills and 12 digs.
– Sydney Wilson was just one block away from a double-double with nine blocks and 10 kills. Annika Van Gunst added nine kills and Lauren Pitz had eight.
– London Ackermann held down the back row with 22 digs, she only needed 15 coming into the match to reach the 1,000 dig milestone. Gabby Benda added 11 digs and a Tech career-best 36 assists.
What’s Next
Georgia Tech travels to the Sunshine State for a pair of matches. Tech takes on Miami on Friday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. on ESPN3, before traveling to No. 17 Florida State for a 1 p.m. match on Sunday, Oct. 4.
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