ATLANTA – After a disappointing defeat to Duke in the semifinals of the ACC tournament last week, the Georgia Tech volleyball team (24-7) looks to rebound in a match against arch-rival Georgia (15-14) at 7 p.m. on Friday night, November 24 in Athens.
The match marks the third consecutive year the two teams have met, and the 19th time overall, with Georgia holding the all-time series edge, 17-1. Last season, the Jackets defeated the Bulldogs in Atlanta in four games for the first time in school history.
“This is a very important match for a number of reasons,” said head coach Shelton Collier. “One is the Georgia-Georgia Tech rivalry and what a match like that means for that reason alone. Secondly, our team needs to take some momentum into the NCAA Tournament after a disappointing performance in the ACC Tournament. It is very important for us to go into the tournament on the upswing and a win over Georgia would certainly be one way to accomplish that task.”
The Jackets continue to be led this season by all-ACC selections Kyleen Bell (Rocklin, Calif.), Eida Mabry (Divjake, Albania), Maja Pachale (Schwerin, Germany), and Kele Eveland (Grand Rapids, Mich.). Bell, a first-team all-ACC selection, leads the team in several categories includuing kills (427), hitting percentage (.346), and total blocks (114). Pachale, who also garnered first-team all-ACC honors, leads the team with 319 digs and is third on the team in kills with 391. Mabry, a second-team all-ACC choice, has been a solid player on the rightside for the Jackets this season. She is second on the team in kills (425) and hitting percentage (.317) and leads the team with 44 service aces. The ACC Rookie of the Year, Eveland has led Tech all season at the setter position. She has tallied 1,371 assists, the fourth-best total in school history, and she is second in the conference with 12.81 assists per game.
“Georgia and Georgia Tech battle in a number of sports and certainly Georgia Tech volleyball wants to be one of the sports that beats Georgia and I think that’s important primarily just for bragging rights within the two schools.”
