No. 15 Tech Sweeps Past South Alabama – Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

THE FLATS – No. 15 Georgia Tech volleyball (6-1) won its sixth match in a row on Thursday night, taking down South Alabama (1-5) in straight sets: 25-21, 25-19, 25-12. The Yellow Jackets seemed to get better as the match went on, posting a .458 team hitting percentage in the third to send another sold-out O’Keefe crowd home happy.

QUICK HITS

• This was the 32^nd consecutive sold out match at O’Keefe Gymnasium, a streak dating back to the 2021 season.
• Senior outside hitter Tamara Otene recorded a career-best four aces in the sweep.
• Otene also led the team in kills, finishing with 11 for an even 100 kills after seven matches this season. It is the quickest she has ever reached the 100-kill mark in her five collegiate seasons.
• Senior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino finished with 10 kills but her biggest impact was in serve-receive, where she successfully passed all 25 serves sent her way.
• The Argentinian also finished with three aces, bringing her career total to 135, the eighth most in program history.
• Junior middle blocker Liv Mogridge enjoyed a great night at the net, making four total blocks (one solo and three assisted).
• Senior setter Luanna Emiliano was the only setter used all night, finishing with 31 assists and 7 digs.
• Tech dominated from the service line, making a season-high 10 aces as a team. It’s the most aces Tech has had in a sweep since making 11 against Virginia Tech last season (Sept. 29, 2023).
• Senior right side Laura Fischer secured the first service ace of her career, along with recording three kills on 1.000 hitting.

SET BY SET

Set 1 (GT 25 – USA 21)

Tech took a quick lead in the match, up 7-3 over the Jaguars. South got some momentum and answered with some points of their own, cutting the lead to 14-13. South then tied the match at 17-17, and the teams exchanged points deep into set one, before Tech took a 23-21 lead and forced a Jaguar timeout. The Yellow Jackets rattled off two quick points and took the set 25-21. Tamara Otene and Bianca Bertolino both had three kills in set one. Defensively, Sofia Velez had five digs.

Set 2 (GT 25 – USA 19)

Set two opened with the teams trading points, before Tech used a 6-1 run to take a 10-4 run and forcing a South Alabama timeout. South Alabama used three-straight points to cut into the Tech lead, but the Yellow Jackets kept the lead (15-12). South Alabama did not go away easily, using a 4-0 scoring run to cut the tie the match at 17-17. The Yellow Jackets closed the set with a 8-2 run and an ace…