FLATZ – Georgia Tech Volleyball (8-2, 0-1 ACC) suffered a setback Friday night, falling to No. 23 SMU (9-3, 1-0 ACC) in three sets: 22-25, 20-25, 21-25. The Yellow Jackets’ winning streak ended at eight games, and their home winning streak ended at 13 sets.
quick hit
This is the 34th consecutive packed game at O’Keefe Gymnasium, a streak that dates back to the 2021 season. Sophomore right-side hitter Larissa Mendez batted .450 with 11 hits and led the team in kills. Mendez is currently batting .361. This season, he was the best among Power 4 players at his position and the fourth best among Power 4 pin hitters. Mendez has hit over .300 this year in all four games with 10 or more kills. The Brazilian also hit two aces to tie the score. Senior setter Ashlyn Goolsby came off the bench in the first and third sets and had seven assists, setting a new career high. Senior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino had 10 kills. She currently has eight consecutive games with 10 or more kills, the longest streak of her career. Bertolino added three more goals, bringing her career total to 1,102, passing Julia Bergman (1,100) for seventh-most by a Yellow Jacket in scoring in the modern era. era.
per set
Set 1 (GT 22 – SMU 25)
The first set was an aggressive shootout with both teams executing their systems effectively. As a result, it was difficult to score, with both teams leading by at least two points until SMU took a 21-18 lead late in the set. Tech’s offense was balanced and strong, with four Jackets scoring multi-kills and posting a team batting average of .364, but the Mustangs’ offense was just too good, thanks to the .417 they hit on the other side of the net. He was the first to reach 25 points.
Set 2 (GT 20 – SMU 25)
SMU took a 10-4 lead in the second thanks to three blocks. The Jackets went on a 6-0 run to get within one point at 21-20, but SMU responded with a 4-0 run to take a two-set lead in the match. Junior middle blocker Liv Moggridge was key to the run late in the set, recording two kills and two blocks on the run, but it wasn’t enough.
Set 3 (GT 21 – SMU 25)
The Jackets came out strong in the third, overcoming an early 2-5 score to take an 8-6 lead. However, SMU’s offense continued to find the open court and eventually took control of the set 17-13. Tech continued to fight until the end, making it a two-point set at 21-19 in the second half, but SMU held on and handed GT its first loss. conference season.
to the next
Georgia Tech will host Pitt (11-0), ranked No. 1 in the AVCA, at O’Keefe on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The game will be sold out and will be broadcast live on the ACC Network.
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