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Oct. 25, 2010
ATLANTA – After seeing its winning streak end at seven the other night against Maryland, the Georgia Tech Volleyball team (14-8, 7-4 ACC) concludes its season-long, five-match homestand against Middle Tennessee State (20-5, 11-1 Sunbelt) Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m.
The Yellow Jackets began the season 0-3 in ACC play before their seven-match winning streak put them in the heart of the race. Tech currently sits in a third-place tie two matches behind both North Carolina and Duke.
This weekend, the Yellow Jackets head back to North Carolina for the first of two trips in the next month. Georgia Tech will play at Wake Forest Friday night and then Duke Saturday. Both matches are set for 7 p.m.
Georgia Tech is 2-1 all-time against Middle Tennessee State after last year’s 3-1 loss on the road. Tech had won both prior matches in the series by 3-0 scores. Izabala Kozon had match-highs of 19 kills and 12 digs to lead the Blue Raiders to the win in Murfreesboro, Tenn. last season. Monique Mead led Tech with 13 kills, seven total blocks and four digs. Her older sister, Ashley, had 13 kills as well for the Blue Raiders.
In set four last year, the teams battled long past the 25-point mark but it was Middle Tennessee pulling out a 32-30 win and sending Tech to its first defeat of the young season. There were 11 ties in the fourth set alone which saw Tech hold set point, 24-22. Middle Tennessee came back to tie it up at 24 before a service error gave the Jackets set point again. The Blue Raiders tied it again and the two teams exchanged the next several points until Middle Tennessee broke a 30-30 tie with the final two points.
Mead continues to lead the ACC in kills per set (4.43) and points per set (5.24). As of last week, she ranked in the top 15 in the nation as well. Junior Asia Stawicka is fourth in the league in hitting percentage (.376) and blocks per set (1.14), while senior Mary Ashley Tippins’ 13.82 assists per set are good for third. Senior Jordan McCullers ranks ninth in digs at 3.93.
