Aug. 31, 2008
ATHENS, Ga. – Bailey Hunter powered Georgia Tech’s offense by hitting .370 with 13 kills, and Michelle Kandell anchored the back row defense with 19 digs as the Yellow Jackets swept Georgia State, 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-18), Sunday morning at Ramsey Center on the University of Georgia’s campus. With the win, Tech improved to 2-0 on the season while the Panthers dropped to 0-2.
Tech will close out play in the Georgia Bulldog Invitational this afternoon when it faces Furman at 4:30 p.m. The undefeated Paladins face host Georgia at 12:30 p.m. before squaring off with the Yellow Jackets.
Hunter and fellow freshman Alison Campbell each tallied 13 kills, while middle hitter Callie Miller added 10 kills and a team-best three total blocks in the morning match.
“Once again our freshmen did a great job of being steady players this morning,” Tech head coach Bond Shymansky said. “But it was our returning players that really provided the spark for our team today.”
Kandell led a back row that tallied 43 digs while Mary Ashley Tippins ran the offense with 33 assists on the morning.
The Jackets took their first lead of the match during a 6-0 run in the first set. A service error by the Panthers’ Rachel Boryc tied the set at 15-15 before Hunter notched three-straight kills and Tippins added a service ace to put Georgia State away.
Tech hit .522 in the second set and posted 14 kills to Georgia State’s nine before breezing to a 25-16 set win to take a 2-0 match lead. After the Panthers pulled within one point at 10-9, Tech used a 10-3 run to put the set out of reach.
The Jackets closed out the match on a 9-2 run after Georgia State tied the score at 16-16 in the third set.
Tech hit .320 as a team while holding the Panthers to just a .207 hitting percentage. Torrie Brown led Georgia State with eight kills while Liz Schaub added seven in the match.
“Now it’s just important for us to stay fresh and focus on playing two matches in one day,” Shymansky added.
