March 31, 2003
Playing against the University of Florida, a 2002 Final Four participant, the Georgia Tech volleyball team posted a 1-1 record in a spring tournament held March 29 in Gainesville, Fla.
In the first match, the Gators won two of three games against the Jackets, 30-23, 30-28, 24-30.
“We were intimated in the first match and it showed in our lack of performance,” said head coach Bond Shymansky. “I thought that our back court struggled at time’s with Florida’s aggressive jump serving, which caused us to struggle offensively.”
Tech faced Florida again in the afternoon and was able to win the match in five games, 30-27, 14-30, 30-25, 27-30, 15-13.
“I thought in the afternoon match our team did a much better job of focusing on our game and we showed the level at which we are capable of competing,” said Shymansky. “In particular, I thought Lynnette Moster did a great job of being the anchor of our ball control and Lauren Sauer was virtually unstoppable at the end of the match.”
“It’s tough for teams to find motivation in the spring and having the opportunity to play a Final Four team from last season was great,” said Shymansky. “Our team is known for our energy and passion and we certainly showed it more and more as the day went on.”
The Jackets will conclude this year’s spring season with a tournament April 5 in California against San Diego, Pepperdine and Loyola-Marymount.
