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Volleyball

Hokies sweep Georgia Tech in Atlanta

Box Score (PDF)


ATLANTA – Behind double-double performances by sophomores Kaity Smith and Ester Talamazzi, the Virginia Tech volleyball team defeated Georgia Tech 3-0 on Friday night at O'Keefe Gym.

Smith finished with two team highs (12 kills, 14 digs) and Talamazzi collected 11 kills and digs for the Hokies (12-5, 3-2 ACC). The Yellow Jackets (12-7, 1-5 ACC) were paced by Mikaila Dowd's near double-double effort of 11 kills and eight digs.

Freshman Sarah Jane Lynch earned the first-ever service ace of her career and a Yellow Jacket attack error put Virginia Tech up 12-7, forcing a Yellow Jackets' timeout. Out of the break, Georgia Tech would cut it to a one-point set at 17-16, but the Hokies would hold and win it, 25-23.

Knotted at 11-11 following a Marisa Cerchio and Rhegan Mitchell combination block, the two sides would go back and forth all the way up to 17-all. Georgia Tech would score three straight to take a 20-17 lead, but Virginia Tech would make a run of its own by scoring four consecutive points to take the lead and not look back, winning 25-22.

Getting out head 10-6 after another Cerchio and Mitchell block assist, the Yellow Jackets stormed back to tie it up at 12-12. The Hokies would gain an advantage and Dowd put down a kill to cut Georgia Tech's deficit to three, 18-15, but Virginia Tech got hot and scored seven unanswered to win it on another combo block by Cerchio and Mitchell for the final point, 25-15. The Hokies did not commit a single attacking error in the final stanza, hitting for a clip of .385.

NOTES

- Smith posted her sixth double-double of the season and her second-most digs of the season. The outside hitter has now led the Hokies in seven matches in the kills department and three times for digs. 

- Talamazzi tallied a hitting percentage of .333, a season-high mark and her highest ever in an ACC match. Her double-double was her first since Sept. 7 and her third of the season.

- Right-side hitter Jaila Tolbert registered nine kills, one dig and a block. Her streak of owning at least one block in a match continues, with now sitting at six consecutive contests.

- Mitchell dished out 34 assists and had six digs. Not only did she get it done on the offensive end, but the Georgia native, playing back in her home state, put together a career-high six blocks on the defensive end.

- Cerchio was a force at the net, too, stopping eight attacks and the putting down seven kills on a team-high .400 hitting percentage. The eight blocks are the third most of her career.

- Libero Carol Raffety scooped up 12 digs, marking her fourth straight match of 10 or more digs.

- Lynch, playing back in her home state as well, turned in a career-high two service aces on the night, as well as two digs. The two digs are her second most in a match.

- The last time the Hokies had more 10 or more aces was on Sept. 1 versus Robert Morris. The 10 aces against the Yellow Jackets were the most in conference play during the Jill Wilson era.

- With the 3-0 victory of Georgia Tech, it marked the first sweep in league play on the road for the Hokies since Nov. 18, 2016, versus Boston College. It also was the first win over the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta since 2010.

QUOTING HEAD COACH JILL WILSON

On turning in some big runs and earning the sweep:
"It was really exciting because we talked about how Georgia Tech can hit some really nice shots and make some runs," Tech coach Jill Wilson said. "We talked today about coming in and being a very mature team that doesn't get rattled and keeps a consistent mindset, and our team did a fantastic job of that tonight."

On hitting over .300 and the team having its A-game attacking:
"I think that was the biggest difference maker tonight," Wilson said. "We got a lot of kills in different times from different positions, but we really had all of our hitters being aggressive and hitting smart shots. We didn't have to rely on one or two positions, we all were doing a great job. I was specifically excited about how our outsides responded to a very athletic block, with doing a lot of high-hand shots and keeping Georgia Tech on its toes."

On racking up 10 service aces:
"Our serving and passing has definitely been a strength for us all year and I thought it was specifically good tonight," Wilson said. "We talked about really being aggressive and trying to get Georgia Tech out of system. And because they have some really nice athletes in their system, they're more dangerous. I thought our servers did a nice job with that."

STAT OF THE MATCH

- Virginia Tech hit north of .300 for the first time in league play since Oct. 20, 2017, against Wake Forest. The Hokies finished the match against Georgia Tech with a .301 clip, while holding the Yellow Jackets to a .210 mark.

TWEET OF THE MATCH


WHAT IS NEXT

- The Hokies will head east to South Carolina to take on Clemson (9-9, 0-5 ACC) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The match will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.