#5 GT Volleyball Sweeps #10 BYU

Y’all. My ears are shot. O’Keefe was electric. The #10 BYU Cougars thought they could stroll on in and play a volleyball game against good ol’ Georgia Tech. I guess technically that did happen, but holy crap did Tech slam the door on them on their way out.

#5 Georgia Tech swept the Cougars 25-20, 25-21, 25-14 in a match that never felt close, even with BYU getting leads in the first two sets.

Akshay Easwaran

BYU did get early leads in the first two sets that came from a couple good scoring runs to make them competitive. Tech though got things rolling in the 15-18 point range in those sets and never looked back. Once the third set came along, Tech was miles past BYU. Bianca Bertolino started that third set with a six point serving run that effectively ended the match. Tech at one point was up 19-6 in the third set.

Three thoughts on the win:

1. Points were quick across the board

As you can see in the race plot, the shorter line length to the next step up, the shorter the points were. The sold out match only lasted 1:43 and the stats back it up. Both Julia Bergmann and Tamara Otene hit .400%, while Erin Moss got to .500%. The main attackers were incredibly efficient. Those three accounted for 74% of the team’s offensive points scored.

2. The O’Keefe home court advantage is real

If you were one of the 1,200+ in attendance, you for sure felt just how electric the building was. Props to the squad at GTAA that put together the hype reel that played before the match. It got the place going. As soon as Bergmann got her first kill to kick off the match, the tone was set. On so many of Otene and Bergmann’s kills, you could see that BYU had no chance at stopping them, and the gymnasium exploded every time. I implore everyone reading this to try and make it to a game just to see them make opponents look helpless stopping them.

3. For as good as this was, a bigger test is immediately ahead

The Georgia Tech Classic this weekend just consists of Tech, Ohio State, and BYU all playing each other. Tech won’t have to play until Sunday (no games Saturday due to football home opener), but Ohio State is still good. This is possibly the most anticipated rematch Tech has on their schedule after they beat the Buckeyes in the Sweet Sixteen last season. The performance we saw tonight could beat anyone, but they still are going to have to actually do it again and again to get through Ohio State and the brutal ACC schedule.

Make no mistake y’all, this is Tech’s best overall team on campus. They may even be the best team in any sport inside the perimeter (Braves are OTP, y’all). Three thoughts will be back after the Ohio State game. Meanwhile, I’m going to go help my family’s wheaton terrier puppy get to sleep.

GO JACKETS!