BLACKSBURG – Wrapping up its first ACC home weekend, the Virginia Tech volleyball team was defeated 3-0 by Georgia Tech on Sunday afternoon at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum.
The Hokies (7-12, 0-6 ACC) and Yellow Jackets (10-7, 3-3) turned in 12 ties and five lead changes throughout the contest.
Virginia Tech got steady play from setter Talyn Jackson (25 assists, four digs), outside hitter Cera Powell (eight kills, three digs, one block) and middle blocker Marisa Cerchio (eight kills, two digs, two blocks and an ace). Georgia Tech was paced by outside hitter Mikaila Dowd and her match-high 13 kills.
THE MATCH
Falling in a hole to begin the match at 9-4, Virginia Tech called a timeout and regrouped by cutting it to a four-point deficit at 17-13 after a combo block by outside hitter Tessa Wyner and middle blocker Anabel Zier. But the Yellow Jackets finished on an 8-2 run to win it 25-15.
Similarly to the first set, the Hokies had to fight back out of a slow start, trailing 12-7 before a Hokie timeout. The five-point lead for Georgia Tech would grow, though, extending it to 18-7 to cause another pause in action by Virginia Tech. From there, it was fairly even with the Hokies scoring eight points and the Jackets with seven, as Georgia Tech won 25-15 again.
Following an ace by Cerchio to give Virginia Tech a one-point lead at 7-6, the Yellow Jackets scored nine of the next 13 points to take a four-point advantage at 15-11 into the media timeout. After the break, it was all Jackets as they went on a 10-5 run to claim it 25-16.
QUOTING VIRGINIA TECH COACH JILL WILSON
On what she saw from freshman Cera Powell's performance today:
"I was really proud of how Cera [Powell] responded after Friday's match," Virginia Tech coach Jill Wilson said. "She really had a more aggressive mindset offensively and followed the game plan that we had asked of our outside hitters. I think she is going to keep getting more and more confident."
On how sophomore Talyn Jackson has stepped up:
"The greatest part about Talyn [Jackson] is that she has really invested in becoming a great setter, with the strategy," Wilson said. "I can see that taking off every match. But she is also starting to demand a little bit more from her team, which we've asked her to do. So, I'm proud and I think she's going to keep getting better."
NOTES
- Powell put down eight kills and had a .250 hitting percentage, marking her highest in a match since Sept. 13 against Loyola Chicago. The .250 clip was her third highest of the season.
- Speaking of hitting percentages, Cerchio hit a blistering .500 with eight kills. Her even .500 clip was her highest this fall and tied the best by a Hokie (Powell, Loyola Chicago) this season.
- Jackson racked up 25 assists, averaging 8.3 assists per set today. The Nevada native's average for the season is now 9.36, ranking seventh in the ACC.
- Libero Logan Mosley cracked the 10-dig plateau and has done so in 17 of her 19 matches played. Over her last four matches, she is averaging 4.56 digs per set.
UP NEXT
The Hokies will be back inside Cassell this upcoming weekend, taking on [RV] Notre Dame (12-3, 5-0) on Friday and No. 25 Louisville (13-3, 6-0) on Sunday. Both matches will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.Gallery: (10/13/2019) 2019 VOLLEYBALL vs. GEORGIA TECH
