Nov. 23, 2016
CORALGABLES, Fla. – For the first time since Oct. 16, 2011, the Georgia Tech volleyball team (24-7, 15-4 ACC) leaves Miami (14-17, 8-11) victorious with a 3-2 come-from-behind win on Wednesday night. The Hurricanes had set-point 14-11 in game five, but the Yellow Jackets showed their resilient spirit and fought back to win the set, 21-19.
Georgia Tech’s road record improved to 9-4 and the last time the Jackets tallied at least nine road wins in a season was in 2004 when they recorded 12 road victories. The win against the Hurricanes snapped an eight-match losing streak against Miami.
How It Happened
The Jackets led early in the first set, but Miami didn’t quit and tied it 10-10. From there, the score was tied nine times. At 19-19, the Hurricanes scored three in a row to give Miami the push it needed and the Canes followed through to win the set 25-21.
The Yellow Jackets regrouped and jumped out to a 10-3 lead in game two. Tech didn’t look back swinging at a .250 clip and holding the Canes to a .026 percentage on its way to a 25-17 set-two victory.
At 10-10 in game three, the Jackets scored four in a row highlighted by a Teegan Van Gunst kill and back-to-back aces from Rebecca Martin. That momentum fueled the Jackets to a 21-17 lead. Tech scored the final four points of the set to capture game three, 25-17.
Miami broke a 12-12 tie and expanded that lead to 17-13. The Jackets rallied late with three points in a row to pull within two, 22-20, but Miami rattled off the final three points to force a fifth game, 25-20.
The Hurricanes led 8-6 at the switch in a tightly contested fifth game. Miami had match point 14-11, but it was the Jackets that were poised with the ninth-match point of the game, 20-19. A kill by Gabriela Stavnetchei put the match away for Georgia Tech, 21-19.
Quote
“The players came together and said we’re going to do this,” head coach Michelle Collier said. “They played with so much confidence on the court. I don’t think there was one second in their mind where they thought they couldn’t win that match. I’m so proud of their demeanor on the court. They were really resilient and kept going after it. It was a very deserving win for this group.”
Quick Hits
– The Jackets held Miami’s Olga Strantzali – the ACC leader in kills/set – to a .138 hitting percentage.
– Annika Van Gunst tallied her 1,000th career kill to become only the ninth Yellow Jacket to achieve both 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs. She recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 19 digs.
– Teegan Van Gunst led all players on the court with 23 kills, marking her 24th-straight match with double-figure kills. She added 21 digs for her 19th double-double this season.
– Gabriela Stavnetchei added 14 kills and 12 digs for her eighth double-double of the season.
– Sydney Wilson put down seven kills on .353 hitting with five block assists.
– Lauren Pitz tallied six kills with a pair of solo stuffs and six block assists.
– Rebecca Martin had two aces to go along with 51 assists and was one dig away from a double-double.
– London Ackermann put up 28 digs, marking her 12th match this season with 20-plus digs.
Up Next
The Jackets end their regular season at No. 16 Florida State on Friday at 1 p.m.
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