Nov. 5, 2009
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech Volleyball team (16-7, 10-3 ACC) is back on the road again this weekend for its longest trip in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Yellow Jackets will play at Boston College (11-13, 1-12) on Friday at 7 p.m. and then Maryland (11-15, 3-10) Sunday at 1 p.m.
“We have two more important matches this weekend as we travel up to Massachusetts and Maryland,” said head coach Tonya Johnson. “I was very proud of how our team created their own energy and played well last weekend on the road and we will need to do the same against BC and Maryland. There are no nights off in the ACC and this weekend will be no exception.”
With its sweep over North Carolina and NC State last weekend, the Yellow Jackets have created some breathing room in the tightly-contested ACC race. Tech is currently in third place, one match behind Duke and two matches behind No. 16 Florida State. Fourth-place Clemson is two matches behind Tech. The Jackets will still play FSU at home this season and Clemson on the road.
This marks the 10th straight season that the Yellow Jackets have recorded at least 10 wins in conference play. Earlier this season, the Jackets took down both BC and Maryland by identical 3-0 scores at O’Keefe Gym. Fans can follow both matches this weekend with live stats via the Gametracker link at www.RamblinWreck.com.
On Oct. 9, Georgia Tech hit .398 as it cruised to a 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-22) win over Maryland at I’Keefe. Sophomore Bailey Hunter led the Yellow Jackets with 15 kills on a .387 hitting percentage. Sophomore Asia Stawicka, who began the night hitting a perfect 6-for-6 in the first set, had 11 kills, three digs and three total blocks for Tech. She hit .625 on the night. Senior Chrissy DeMichelis rounded out Tech’s double-figure scorers with 10 kills on .368 hitting to go along with five digs. Junior Mary Ashley Tippins handed out 45 assists, while junior Jordan McCullers recorded a game-high 17 digs. Freshman Monique Mead also turned in a solid performance with eight kills, four digs and four total blocks.
The next night, freshman Monique Mead had 13 kills, eight digs and four total blocks as Tech swept Boston College (25-16, 25-20, 25-23). Tech hit .364 for the match, while Boston College hit .214. Mead had her 13 kills on a .524 hitting percentage. Sophomore Bailey Hunter added 12 kills for her 14th straight match of at least 10 kills. She hit .400 and also had four digs. Senior Chrissy DeMichelis added 10 kills on .304 hitting, while senior Brittany Roderick hit .467 en route to eight kills. Junior Mary Ashley Tippins had 44 assists in the three sets and junior Jordan McCullers led the way with 15 digs.
After this weekend, the Yellow Jackets will close out the regular season with four of their final five matches at home. Next weekend, please note the special starting times for both matches. On Friday, Nov. 13, Tech hosts Miami at 6 p.m. Then on Saturday, Nov. 14, No. 16 Florida State is in town for a 4 p.m. match.
