The Jackets went to Provo, UT, with a point to prove. After dropping the first game of the season to UCLA, Tech got their season back on track with wins over the Lipscomb Bison and No. 14 Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars. “I think with BYU, we don’t need to sweep them, we just need to win. Putting effort into every set, no matter how many we’ve won so far,” said junior middle blocker Anna Boezi on the importance of the BYU game.
Boezi, who originates from Ohio, was immediately drawn to Tech thanks to its well rounded nature as a school. “During my recruiting process, I was looking for an academic school. … So obviously, Tech was a really easy choice. Definitely the best combination of high quality volleyball and high quality academics.” Boezi said.
Volleyball has grown to be one of the most successful sports teams at Tech, and that can be drawn from the culture. “I think it’s a continuation of what the coaches preach throughout the players. When I first came in, Breland [Morrissette], Erin [Moss] and Julia [Bergmann] were seniors and had really high standards during practice. … And then obviously, [coach] Michelle [Collier] does a good job of maintaining that … . But, I think our standards are very clear for everybody, and we know when we’re doing something right or wrong.” Boezi said.
These high standards and supportive team environment lead the players to be ready at all times. Last season, due to an injury to junior middle blocker Liv Mogridge, Boezi stepped into the starting line up for the game against Wake Forest.
“I wasn’t expecting to start at all, but my teammates… texted me saying, ‘You are ready for this.’ and ‘We are ready to help you.’ And my coaches didn’t put a ton of pressure on me. They just said ‘Go play.’ … I did not have a lights-out game, but I helped the team win, so I was happy with that,” Boezi said. She started every game for the rest of the season and continued to develop.
Despite playing a crucial role last year, Boezi has not seen the court as much this year and has had to shift her mindset. “ It’s honestly really been difficult to go from a starting position to being on the bench for a full game because it’s such a fun experience to play, and it’s just very difficult. But I really love the game, and I want to be there even if I’m not starting.” Boezi said.
The crowd at O’Keefe Gymnasium is known to support the Jackets throughout the season, posting near sellouts consistently creating a raucous atmosphere for the players. “I mostly feel support [from the O’Keefe crowd] and seeing the full crowd, I personally started crying [walking out for the season opener] during our little entry video. … It’s an insane environment and it’s so loud, there’s so much energy, and you feel so much love. … It is definitely an advantage for us.” Boezi said. O’Keefe has become a fortress for the Jackets, compiling a 32-9 home record over the last three seasons.
Despite O’Keefe being the home of the volleyball program, the McCamish Pavilion hosted one game for each of the past two seasons. Those games resulted in two Tech losses to u[sic]ga and the University of Pittsburgh, but the building offers more fans the opportunity to watch the team. “[McCamish Pavilion] makes me more excited. So many more people are coming to that game. … it’s a great opportunity to showcase what Tech volleyball can be.” Boezi said. The Jackets emphatically denied the notion of any “McCamish curse” by sweeping No. 13 Florida 3-0.
The Jackets went to Provo, UT, for match ups against Lipscomb and BYU. Tech’s first match of the weekend was against the Bison. The Jackets pulled to an early 7-2 in the first set, before closing out the set 25-16. Senior outside hitter Tamara Otene powered the Tech offense with six kills to put Tech up one set. Lipscomb kept the second set closer, tying the game up at seven a piece before the Jackets pulled away. Tech went on an 8-0 run to take the second set 25-16. Senior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino accounted for a service ace, and Otene had five kills, leading the team in the set. The third set was a much more tense affair. The score was tied at 15-15 before Tech showed their resilience once more with a 10-1 run to sweep the Bison, 25-16, 25-16, 25-16. Otene and Bertolino dominated — the duo had more kills than the entire Lipscomb team with 27.
Heading into the matchup, the BYU game was seen as one that Tech needed to win in order to show their capability as a team. The Jackets needed to be resilient to come out on top in a five-set thriller.
The game started off as close as could be, the Jackets and Cougars exchanged points throughout the first set and the game was tied at 10. BYU would eventually pull away and win the set 25-20. The Jackets will categorize the lost set due to lost opportunities, incurring 10 hitting errors compared to the Cougars five. Tech cleaned up those mistakes in the second set to win 25-20. The Jackets committed just three hitting errors while posting a 0.357 hitting percentage. Sophomore right side hitter Larissa Mendes led the team with six kills.
BYU bounced back in the third set to win 25-19. Tech were unable to capitalize on their opportunities, only achieving a 0.139 hitting percentage compared to BYU’s 0.324. The Jackets responded once again, winning the fourth set 25-20.
After a hard-fought game, a decisive fifth set was needed. Tech got behind early before calling a timeout with the score at 6-3. The Jackets responded with a 6-4 run of their own before the Cougars called a timeout at 9-7 in favor of Tech. Despite BYU’s effort, Tech closed out the game 15-13. The 3-2 win for the Jackets propelled the team to No. 15 in the nation. Otene’s 41 kills over the two games earned her ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
The Jackets have had ups and downs throughout Boezi’s time at Jacket, but the team continues to fight for every win on their schedule. However, one win stands out as Boezi’s favorite as a Jacket..
“I gotta say, the Louisville game. That was my best performance, also one of the team’s best performances of that season, and it was our highest ranked win ever. Some games just have a certain feeling while you’re playing or when you’re thinking about it, and that feeling is something I want to capture.” Boezi said. The Jackets will hope to capture more of those games in the future.