No. 15 Tech Drops Five-Set Match with Miami – Volleyball — Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

CORAL GABLES, FLA. – No. 15 Georgia Tech volleyball (20-7, 12-6 ACC) fell late on Sunday afternoon to the Hurricanes of Miami (20-9, 11-7 ACC). Tamara Otene led the charge on offense as 17 kills and 10 digs earned the senior her 10^th double-double of the season.

QUICK HITS

• Otene’s 17 kills bring her to 982 kills as a Yellow Jacket, bringing her closer to the 1,000-kill club while competing as a Yellow Jacket.
• Bianca Bertolino recorded 13 kills against the Hurricanes, bringing her to 22 double-digit kill games this season.
• With her 14 digs against Miami, Sofia Velez has now recorded 10 or more digs in 101 of her 106 collegiate matches.
• DeAndra Pierce tied her career-high for solo blocks (2), which she most recently set in the 2023 season against Syracuse.
• Liv Mogridge tied her season-high for services aces (3), which she previously set against Alabama St. (9/13/24).
• Luanna Emiliano led the team with 27 assists along with 17 from Heloise Soares as the Jackets returned to the 5-2 rotation for the second match since Soares returned from injury
• The few matches this season Emiliano wasn’t able to reach the 20+ mark were all against top-10 opponents (No. 1 Pitt, No. 4 Louisville, No. 6 Stanford).
• This was Tech’s eighth five-set match this season.

SET BY SET

Set 1 (GT 25- MIA 22)

With the Hurricanes scoring first, the Yellow Jackets began the match playing catch up and tied the score five times through set one. The competitive first set remained close but favored the hosts (21-17), until a five-point scoring run not only tied the match, but provided Tech with a one-point lead. An attack error by the Hurricanes and one kill respectively from Bertolino and Larissa Mendes put set one to bed. Bertolino and Otene led Tech’s offense with four kills each while Mendes and Wiley contributed two respectively. Along with her two kills, Wiley also garnered two service aces. Emiliano saw seven assists in set one while Velez’s defensive efforts earned her five digs.

Set 2 (GT 25 – MIA 19)

Tech jumped out front in set two, but Miami was able to take the lead, 4-3. The Yellow Jackets were quick to respond, outscoring the Hurricanes 7-1 in the plays that followed (10-5). Despite Miami tying the match 15-15 and 17-17, Tech was able to retain the lead through the remainder of the second set with some assistance from a late five-point scoring run (22-17). Mendes saw a team-high four kills in set two while Bertolino had another three. Emiliano contributed four assists to…