Oct. 20, 2006
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Callie Miller, Ulrike Stegemann and Talisa Kellogg recorded 10 kills apiece to lead Georgia Tech (11-8, 3-7 ACC) to a 3-0 (30-26, 30-20, 30-26) victory at Virginia Tech (11-9, 5-6 ACC) Friday night at Cassell Coliseum.
The victory was Georgia Tech’s first on the road this season, and the Yellow Jackets have recorded three wins in the last four Atlantic Coast Conference matches after beginning conference play 0-6.
Allie Niekamp ran the Georgia Tech offense, recording 35 assists, seven digs, five kills and a .556 hitting percentage while Miller hit .471 and posted two blocks on the night. Stegemann registered her third double-double of the season, with 10 kills and 10 digs to go along with a .381 hitting percentage.
“We got great play from everybody tonight, with a very balanced offensive attack,” said Georgia Tech head coach Bond Shymansky. “Our defensive play was even better, with Abby Showers showing that she has the range and the skill to be one of the best defensive players in our conference. It was great having Callie play so effectively for us, especially on the road, and Ulli gave a great all-around performance with her blocking, hitting and her defense.”
Showers recorded a match-high 18 digs in the match, while fellow defensive specialist Michelle Kandell added 11 for the Yellow Jackets. Junior Nikki Kaminskas led Tech’s defensive efforts at the net, recording five kills on the evening.
Georgia Tech earned a 30-26 victory in game one behind Kellogg’s six kills and .545 hitting percentage while Stegemann added four kills and a .571 hitting percentage. With the score tied at 25-25, Tech won five of the final six points, three of which came off kills by Kellogg, to win game one. The Jackets hit .432 in the game while Virginia Tech struggled offensively, hitting just .184.
Leading by just two points at 18-16 in game two, the Yellow Jackets went on a 8-0 run, which included kills by Stegemann, Miller and Chrissy DeMichelis, and a service ace by Niekamp. After Virginia Tech scored two points to pull within 26-18, the Jackets won five of the last seven points to take game two, 30-20.
Tech fell behind early in game three as Virginia Tech won the first five points, but the Jackets stormed back, winning eight of the next nine points to take an 8-6 lead. Fourteen ties and four lead changes later, the Hokies led 25-24, but the Jackets closed out the game by winning six of the final seven points to earn the 3-0 match victory.
The Yellow Jackets will continue on to Charlottesville to face the Virginia Cavaliers Saturday at 5 p.m. The match can be followed online at www.ramblinwreck.com.
