Tech’s season thus has been a story of dominance. They continue to dominate each of their opponents and have begun to garner more national attention for their success. After the latest release of the rankings, Tech sits at No. 14 in the national rankings and seventh in the NCAA RPI. This past week saw Tech travel up north to take on conference foes, Syracuse and Boston College.
Against Syracuse, not only were the Jackets looking to keep their winning streak alive, but they were also looking to make history by beating Syracuse on the road for the first time in program history. After a first set which was tightly contested, the Jackets lost the first set 23-25 and found themselves in a 1-0 hole.
Looking to come back and even the match, the Jackets got off to a hot start and jumped out to an early 11-6 lead and never looked back as they continued to widen their lead to 22-13 before eventually winning the set 25-17. This tied it at one set apiece.
The Jackets began the third set with full intentions of taking the set as they got off to an early 5-1 lead. Both teams went back and forth resulting in a couple of lead changes. Later in the set, both teams found themselves in a 20-20 tie before Tech would finish out the frame 25-21 and lead the match 2-1.
Syracuse opened the fourth set with a greater sense of urgency as they jumped out to a quick 6-4 lead. However, the Jackets got right back on track to take the lead and pulled away as they took the fourth set 25-19 and finished out the match winning 3-1. The Jackets secured the milestone, winning at Syracuse for the first time in program history.
Senior Matti McKissock continues to climb up the record books as her 56 assists moved her into fifth place on the all-time program career assist list. The trio of Bianca Bertolino, Mariana Brambilla and Julia Bergmann continued to shine bright as they each finished with double digit kills, accounting for 17, 20 and 23 respectively. Brambilla’s totals helped her surpass 1,000 career kills. With momentum on their side, the Jackets looked to further extend their winning streak as they headed to take on Boston College.
The opening saw both teams going back-and-forth, but Tech closed out the set 25-21. The Jackets got off to just the start they were looking for and took a 1-0 lead.
Building off the momentum from the first set, the Jackets took an early 9-3 lead and set the tone for the rest of the frame. The Jackets finished out the set in dominant fashion winning 25-13 and increasing their match lead to 2-0, pushing Boston College to the brink of a sweep.
Boston College looked to crawl their way back in the game as they jumped out to an early lead, eventually extending it to 18-12. However, the Jackets were unfazed by the deficit and climbed their way back, making it a 20-20 set. The Jackets finished out the set strong to win the set 26-24 and complete the sweep.
The win notched Tech their 17th win on the season; the win was their tenth sweep of the year. It also improved their road record to a perfect 9-0. McKissock’s performance helped her move up the record book yet again as she now sits at fourth place in all-time program career assists. Brambilla’s strong performance in both games earned her ACC Player of the Week honors for the second time this season.
The Jackets continue to make their presence felt in the volleyball landscape and have been garnering more national attention each week. Every game has excited Tech fans, causing some to look ahead to the postseason.