TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — No. 11 Georgia Tech volleyball (5-0) won its fifth straight match to start the season with a sweep (25-15, 25-18, 25-23) of South Alabama (6-2) on Friday in the Al Lawson Center. The Yellow Jackets were dominant throughout, opening with a double-digit victory in the first set.
Senior outside hitter Tamara Otene led the way for the White and Gold with her third double double of the season by way of 15 kills and 14 digs. Joining Otene with double-digit kills was sophomore middle blocker Liv Mogridge, who tallied 11 kills at a scorching .500 clip on top of a team-leading four blocks (one solo, three assisted).
Senior setter Bella D’Amico ran the point and picked up her second double double of the season with 27 assists and 10 digs, and senior libero Paola Pimentel anchored the defense with her fourth straight 20+ dig match. Junior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino also contributed all-around with 16 digs, seven kills and five assists.
The Yellow Jackets outmatched the Jaguars across the board as a unit, owning significant advantages in kills (45-29), assists (42-26) and aces (10-3).
How it Happened
Georgia Tech took the first three points of set one, owning the lead from start to finish. Another three-point burst would increase the early advantage to 9-4, and the Yellow Jackets would steadily widen the gap until closing the set with four straight points, courtesy of kills by graduate middle blocker Afedo Manyang and back-to-back aces by Pimentel. The White and Gold finished with a double-digit advantage, winning 25-15.
Set two was tight early, but the Jackets began to separate with a three-point run for a 13-9 lead. Soon after, a four-point stretch would increase the margin to 19-12. Tech would cruise from there, rolling onto a 25-18 second-set win, capped by an Otene kill.
South Alabama responded in the opening stages of set three as the Yellow Jackets needed a four-point rally to knot the score at 10 all. Spurts of three and four straight points soon after would help the White and Gold move ahead with an 18-15 advantage, but the Jaguars would even things up late at 23 apiece. Georgia Tech would take the final two points, securing a 25-23 set three triumph and the second match sweep of the season.
Up Next
Georgia Tech will further competition in the Florida A&M Invitational against Stetson (4-2) on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Al Lawson Center.
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🆚 South Alabama
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