COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 11 Georgia Tech volleyball earned its second straight top-15 triumph over a Big Ten foe with a 3-1 victory (20-25, 25-19, 25-15, 27-25) over No. 12 Ohio State (3-1) on Friday night in the Covelli Center. The Yellow Jackets (3-0) rallied after dropping the first set to run away with the final three en route to their 12th top-15 win and 30th ranked victory all-time.
The Jacket attack was spearheaded by the three-pronged front of Tamara Otene, Bianca Bertolino and Larissa Mendes. Otene and Bertolino both picked up their second double doubles of the year as Otene led the bunch with 16 kills and 14 digs while Bertolino added 14 kills and 10 digs. Mendes contributed 14 kills and five digs of her own, topping the squad with a .303 hitting percentage.
Sophomore middle blocker Liv Mogridge was a weapon from the service line as she racked up five aces, and senior setter Bella D’Amico orchestrated the attack with 34 assists.
Defensively, senior libero Paola Pimentel came one dig shy of her career high with 22 digs while junior middle blocker DeAndra Pierce added three blocks (one solo, two assisted).
In a tooth-and-nail match on paper, the White and Gold’s key advantage in the stat column was besting the Buckeyes in hitting percentage (.240-.199).
How it Happened
In a tightly contested first set, Georgia Tech created slight separation with six points in a seven-chance stretch to take an 11-8 lead. The Yellow Jackets charged on, using another three-point run to move further in front, 16-12. Ohio State bounced back soon after, rallying to take 11 of the final 14 points and turn the tables to steal set one, 25-20.
The second set was back-and-forth once again as the White and Gold used a four-point burst to take a 12-10 lead. Tech didn’t surrender the lead from that point on, maintaining distance with a pair of three-point runs to roll on to a 25-19 set-two win and tie the match.
The Jackets controlled the third set from start to finish, beginning with a six-point burst to move ahead, 7-1. Another six straight expanded the gap to 15-6 before Tech took set three by double digits, 25-15, for a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set mirrored the third in the beginning as the White and Gold once again jumped out to a 7-1 advantage. Potentially down to their final set, the Buckeyes retaliated by steadily climbing back until moving in front, 13-11. Ohio State built up its lead to five at a 21-16 score line, but the Yellow Jackets
ped back. Using a five-point rally soon after to knot the match at 23 all, Georgia Tech took four of the next six points to clinch set four in extra points, 27-25, and secure the match victory, 3-1. Up Next
Georgia Tech will line back up against Ohio State for a rematch with the Buckeyes on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Covelli Center. The match will be broadcast on B1G+.
