Nov. 21, 2009
ATLANTA – Sophomore Asia Stawicka had nine kills and four total blocks to lead the Georgia Tech Volleyball team (20-9, 14-5 ACC) to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-19) win over Virginia Tech (18-12, 8-11) on senior night Saturday at O’Keefe Gym.
“I was proud of how we finished tonight,” said head coach Tonya Johnson. “It’s always nice when you can send the seniors out with a win and we did a nice job of executing the game plan. Now, we need to get ready for a Clemson team that is playing extremely well. It’s always a tough match, especially up at their place and we’ll need to be at our best on Friday.”
Tech hit .354 for the match led by freshman Monique Mead who had a .538 attack percentage on eight kills. She also added three service aces, five digs and four total blocks. Stawicka had her team-high nine kills on .462 hitting and added four total blocks as well. Sophomore Bailey Hunter chipped in with seven kills, while senior Brittany Roderick had six on a .462 hitting percentage. Juniors Mary Ashley Tippins and Jordan McCullers led the Jackets with 30 assists and 14 digs, respectively.
In the first set, the Yellow Jackets came out quick as they took a 7-2. After a timeout, the Hokies chipped away and got the score to 14-11, but three more quick Tech points made it 17-11 and forced Virginia Tech into another timeout. The Hokies were never able to climb back into the set and the Jackets went on to win 25-16. Stawicka led Tech with four kills in the set as hit .444.
The second set was a back and forth affair that saw the Hokies jump out to a three-point lead only to see the Jackets go on a 4-0 run and go up 8-7. Virginia Tech went back up three points again, but a run by the Jackets tied the score at 17 and forced the Hokies into a timeout. The Jackets were later down 22-20 but rallied to win the set 25-23 and go up 2-0 for the match. The final point was scored on an emphatic kill by Mead who led the Jackets with five kills in the set. Both teams hit well in the second set as Tech converted at a .400 clip and the Hokies at .353.
In the third set, Georgia Tech broke open a 9-9 score with six straight points to go up 15-9. The Hokies got within two points at 17-15, but that would be as close as they could get. Georgia Tech went on to win 25-19 and sent the seniors out with a win.
Georgia Tech closes out the regular season next Friday, Nov. 27, with a 5 p.m. match at Clemson. Earlier this season, Tech opened ACC play with a thrilling five-set victory over the Tigers at O’Keefe Gym. Fans can follow all of the action with live stats via Gametracker at www.RamblinWreck.com.
