#11 GT Volleyball 6-0 with win over Stetson

#11 Georgia Tech volleyball remains undefeated in Tallahassee over the weekend with a 3-0 sweep over Stetson, 25-12, 25-15, 25-13. Tech now is 6-0 for the season and has swept two straight matches for the first time all season. Freshman Larissa Mendes lead Tech with 14 kills on an astounding .619 hit%. Senior Tamara Otene finished with a double double with 11 kills and digs apiece.

The live stream did not kick in until Tech was leading 20-10, but from the stats it looks like Tech was unstoppable offensively with 18 kills hitting .361. Mendes had three straight kills early on that put Tech up 4-3 and permantently in the lead for the rest of the set. Otene, Bianca Bertolino, and DeAndra Pierce all had kills as well. Tech won the set 25-12 on an Heloise Soares ace.

After largely playing the starters in the first set, Head Coach Michelle Collier rotated in her 2nd stringers at the highest amount she has all season. Anna Boezi, Smiley Manyang, Liz Patterson, Laura Fischer, Heloise Soares, and Deren Cukur all played multiple points. Boezi recorded two kills while Soares played setter for the majority of the set. Tech scored six straight to start the set before allowing four from Stetson. From that point on, it was a flurry of rotations and points for Tech in a set they would win 25-15

Stetson’s best part of the match came in the initial 16 points of the third set as they kept Tech close all the way to an 8-8 tie. Tech then scored six straight behind Bertolino’s power serve to go up 14-8. The cushion was enough to carry Tech through the rest of the set that featured the season debuts of Zoe Winford and Lauren Sanden at the very end. Tech finished off the Hatters 25-13 for the sweep.

Tech’s six wins have come all away from home. In 2022, Tech’s sixth win away from Atlanta didn’t occur until October 28 at North Carolina. With the win, Tech now leads the all-time series against Stetson 3-2, having won the three most recent matchups dating back to 1992.

Three Thoughts

1. Winning the game they should: Similar to yesterday’s game against South Alabama, this is a game Tech just needed to take care of, and they did. Nothing today put Tech off their groove.
2. Dipping into the bench: Collier historically has kept a really tight rotation, even in games that were blowouts. Today, that was not the case. All but four players on the current roster that were dressed took the court for at least one point. Most of the second and third sets were played with at least one bench player on the court. Anna Boezi easily was the most impressive of that crew hitting .750% with eight kills.
3. How long does Tech stay undefeated? This is a question I’m having legitimately ask myself. Before the season, we saw four potential non-conference losses between Penn State, Ohio State, and San Diego. Now, all but San Diego is left and the Toreros are no longer ranked. The chances Tech begins ACC play 10-0 are quite possible. On paper, Tech shouldn’t lose until they play Pitt on October 6, at which point they could be 14-0. Again, for you superstitious folks, that’s just on paper. Tech lost matches they should’ve won last year, so I wouldn’t rule it completely out of the team’s DNA yet, but everything has been going extremely well for Tech volleyball this year.

Tech next plays tomorrow, September 10 against Florida A&M at 2 p.m. on Rattlers+.

Jack Purdy is a non-revenue sports writer and co-host of Scions of the Southland for From the Rumble Seat. He previously served as The Technique’s assistant sports editor before graduating Georgia Tech in 2022. Follow Jack on Twitter @JackNicolaus

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