On Nov. 12 and 13, the Georgia Tech volleyball team hosted two conference foes from Virginia. Sitting at 9-6 in ACC play, this pivotal series could have moved the Jackets solely into third place in the conference or drop them into a tie for seventh. Instead, the Jackets split the games, losing to Virginia Tech 3-0 and beating Virginia 3-0, to move into a tie for third with four other teams.
The Jackets first hosted the Hokies of Virginia Tech on Friday, Nov. 12 at O’Keefe Gym.
The first set started well for the Jackets. After Virginia Tech jumped out to a 12-9 lead, the Jackets responded with a 6-1 run that put the score in their favor at 15-10. The set went back and forth and was eventually tied at 26 until the Hokies scored the winning two points to seal the set at 28-26.
The second set started much like the first as the Jackets started out down by a few points at 9-7, but eventually tied the match at 10. The Hokies would win the next point and would never relinquish their lead, winning the second set, 25-22. The front line was the problem for the Jackets in the second set, as they had zero blocks.
Like the first two, the third set started with the teams trading blows early in the set. The set was tied at nine, but neither team was able to pull away until the end of the game when the final horn sounded. Virginia Tech came away with a 25-22 set victory and a 3-0 match win.
Sophomore rightside hitter Monique Mead led the Jackets in the loss with a match-high 15 kills on .231 hitting.
Looking to avoid falling one game closer to a .500 record, the Jackets hosted Virginia on the following night. The Jackets continued their back-and-forth season, defeating the Cavaliers, 3-0.
The first set of the game started slowly for the Jackets as the Cavaliers raced out to an early 3-0 lead. Then the Jackets went on a 7-2 run to give them the lead at 7-5. The Jackets added to their lead and used another 7-2 run to wrap up the set with a win, 25-16.
Virginia held a narrow lead late in the second at 22-20, but the Jackets fought hard down the stretch to win the set by two points, 25-23.
Continuing their recent trend, Tech was involved in another close set in the third. When the teams were tied at 11, the Jackets broke off a 7-1 run to jump out to a large lead. However, the Cavaliers fought back to tie the set at 23, but the Jackets prevailed, 25-23.