Georgia Tech completed a near-perfect weekend, beating Loyola Chicago 3-1 (25-11, 21-25, 25-18, 25-14) to finish the Cyclone Invite 3-0 with wins over Northern Illinois, Iowa State, and the Ramblers.
Tech hit a fantastic .380 over the course of the match with a career high 17 kills by Alida Bennour (.448 hit%) and 15 from Laura Bieleski (.522 hit%). Bieleski’s 15 kills matched her career high set the day before against Iowa. Both Bennour and Bianca Garibaldi added five blocks to the tally.
Over the
entire weekend, Bieleski hit 42 kills and hitting above .450% in the final two matches. Bennour finishes the weekend with 33 kills as she begins her rookie campaign.
The win marks Tech’s second consecutive 3-0 start to a season.
The Jackets host Southern Indiana, Campbell, and Xavier over Labor Day weekend before Oklahoma comes to town for the ACC/SEC Challenge on September 8.
Set 1
After a Rambler ace to start, Tech went on a 7-1 run with three points from Laura Bieleski to prompt Loyola’s first timeout down 7-2. Tech slowly grew the lead to eight with an ace from Alida Bennour, a kill and block from Magda Kobaidze, a rare Heloise Soares kill, and a block from Bennour on the right to go up 15-7 at the media timeout. Tech extended their scoring run to six points from a successful challenge and ace by Soares to force Loyola’s second timeout down 18-7.
Both teams went on a run of multiple service errors at the end of the set, but kills by Bieleski and Bianca Garibaldi gave Tech a relaxing 25-11 set win.
Set 2 (1-0 GT)
Loyola got their first consistent offensive stretch jumping to a 4-2 lead. Tied tied it on a long rally at 6-6 on a Rambler net violation, with ties following at each interval to 11-11. After a successful double block on Garibaldi, Loyola struck with two kills to go up 15-12.
Down 16-12, Collier made her first sub of the game inserting Gabi Robinska, then Sasha Godey on the next point at setter. Kobaidze broke a four point Loyola run but gave two points right back on a Avery DeBlieck kill and center line violation, prompting Tech’s first timeout down 19-13.
Tech got back in the set scoring six of the next eight to make it 22-19 after a Kaneko ace, forcing Loyola’s first timeout of the set. Tech though couldn’t the points needed in quick succession, losing 25-21, getting outhit .382 to .312.
Set 3 (1-1)
Multiple three point runs gave Tech the first jump in set three going up 5-2 then 9-5 during which both teams lost challenges. A third three point run with a Soares ace and Bennour block forced the Ramblers’ first timeout down 12-6. Tech held their six point lead to 15-9 with a Zoë Humphrey kill and multiple Rambler errors. Two kills by Garibaldi and Bennour kept Tech ahead 21-15. Tech called timeout up 21-17 after Humphrey mistimed an attack. Tech easily took the set 25-18 from there with aces from Magda Kobaidze and Kaneko.
Set 4 (2-1 GT)
Tech quickly went on a five point run with multiple Bennour kills and Kaneko’s third ace to force Loyola’s first timeout down 5-1. Bennour struck with two more kills after the timeout before a three point run put Tech up 12-5. Humphrey added a couple kills to her tally en route to a 15-9 lead. That started a four point run with multiple Garibaldi points, forcing Loyola’s last timeout of the set down 18-9.
Soares sent her third kill of the match into an empty campfire before Bieleski hit her lone ace of the match to go up 21-11. Collier subbed in Anna Fiedorowicz and Mia Hood in what was effectively garbage time as Tech finished the match win at 25-14.
Game Leaders and Takeaways
Kills: Alida Bennour (GT): 17
Assists: Heloise Soares (GT): 40
Digs: Laura Bieleski (GT)/Mana Kaneko (GT): 9
Blocks: Avary DeBlieck (LUC): 7
Points: Alida Bennour (GT): 20.5
Hit% (min. 10 attempts): Laura Bieleski (GT): .522
Takeaways
The main thing is that for a team that historically struggled against taller teams, Tech has themselves become TALL. Bennour, Kobaidze, and Humphrey all add fantastic size at the net and made a real difference in how this team was able to defend. Last year, Tech’s net play largely fell on Bianca Garibaldi’s shoulders, but now she’s getting help and we look much stronger at the net.
On the attacking front, Laura Bieleski has clearly made a leap in the offseason. She hit double-digit kills in all three games this weekend looking incredibly steady in every set. As the primary outside hitter, she looked more than capable to be the primary target for the season.
