No. 20 Jackets Sweep Past Virginia – Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

THE FLATS – No. 20 Georgia Tech volleyball (11-4, 3-3 ACC) completed a perfect weekend in O’Keefe Gymnasium by sweeping Virginia (14-3, 4-2 ACC) in front of another sold-out crowd: 25-20, 25-16, 25-21. Senior Bianca Bertolino recorded her 1,000^th career kill in the second set as the Yellow Jackets secured their second sweep of the weekend.

QUICK HITS

• This was the 37th consecutive sold out match at O’Keefe Gymnasium, a streak dating back to the 2021 season.
• Bertolino reached 1,000 career kills in the second set. She becomes the 7^th Yellow Jacket in the modern scoring era to reach four-digits and just the sixth to reach 1,000 career kills and digs (1,007 kills and 1,149 digs).
• Bertolino added an ace in the third set to bring her career total to 144, the 7^th most in program history and just four behind Monique Mead (2009-12) for sixth.
• True to form, Bertolino made 12 kills and 11 digs for her sixth double-double of the season and 31^st of her career.
• As a team, the Jackets collected 62 digs, a new season-best for a three-set match. It’s the most digs Tech has had in a conference sweep since 2022 (63 at Notre Dame – Sept. 30, 2022).
• Senior setter Luanna Emiliano delivered her second-straight double-double, making 27 assists along with a team-best 15 digs. She has now made 71 double-doubles over her collegiate career.
• Sophomore opposite Larissa Mendes led the Jackets with 15 kills on .323 hitting, joining Bertolino and Tamara Otene as the only Jackets to record 15+ kills in a sweep this season.
• Mendes and Bertolino were remarkably efficient, combining for 27 kills .350 hitting
• Junior libero Sofia Velez made 13 digs. The Colombian transfer has now made 10 or more digs in 90 of her 94 career college matches.
• Georgia Tech extends its winning streak against Virginia to eight matches and lead the all-time series 43-22.

SET BY SET

Set 1 (GT 25 – UVA 20)

The Yellow Jackets controlled play for the opening set, jumping out to a 7-3 lead and never letting go. Mendes was instrumental in the fast start, going off for four kills and an ace in the opening 10 points played. The Cavaliers fought back within one point (10-9) only for Tech to reestablish its cushion with a 5-0 scoring run. Virginia tried for another comeback (21-19) but the Jackets showed they were equal to the task as Otene iced the set with her fourth kill. Otene had a strong opening set, finishing with four kills and four digs. Four Jackets registered multiple kills, headlined by five from Mendes,…