SB Nation • 14 min read

#23 GT Volleyball upset 3-2 by uga

In front of a program record crowd of 5,478 fans, #23 Georgia Tech fell in a nailbiter match 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 29-27, 19-25, 10-15) to Georgia. Tech was coming off a loss to #6 Wisconsin and needing a rebound in the final match before conference play.

The fact this match went to five sets was not because both teams pushed each other to the brink. This was a match of who could make fewer mistakes.

On hitting, Tech was significantly outhit by Georgia, Tech hitting .157 for the match and Georgia .295.

While Tech did out kill Georgia 64-61, Tech hit 36 attack errors to Georgia’s 15. Georgia nearly could win a set purely from the attack error difference.

But it went both ways. Georgia was putrid at the service line, recording 22 errors to Tech’s six. Despite all the errors, Georgia still had a better sideout percentage at 70.2% to Tech’s 63.2%.

On the individual side, Annika Groom recorded a career high 15 kills on 49 swings (.149). Lameen Mambu was Tech’s leading attacker with 17 kills on 51 swings (.039), but had 15 of Tech’s 36 attack errors. The volume is good to see, but is much more due to the length of the match than any efficient productivity.

As a unit, Tech is still not cohesive enough to threaten their ACC slate. Georgia had height at the net, but there were ways to get around it (which Tech did for time early in the match with effective quick setting to the middles). Georgia wasn’t dominant in any phase of their game that would’ve prevented your normal Georgia Tech Volleyball team from finding a way to win.

Tonight, communication was still off in key moments and the attack wasn’t ever truly consistent. The base mode of this team has come into form with Velez, Soares, Mendes, Garibaldi, Groom, Mambu, and Pierce with Lopuyo and Toth coming in on the 6-2 rotation. The problem we’re seeing is reactive substiutions from there. We aren’t adapting who plays or doesn’t play based on ways we can see to attack teams, we’re changing because we’re exposed. When we go that route, it’s much harder to lock in the team identity, something we’ve been waiting to see develop this season.

Set 1

The action got going on a very long point that Annika Groom eventually landed a kill for to put Tech up 1-0. Neither team broke away, even with a three point run by Tech with two straight Ital Lopuyou kills to make it 7-5. After both teams traded service errors to make it 10-10, Tech went on a four point run to force uga’s first timeout up 14-10, largely getting kills via quick sets to get around uga’s block. Georgia countered quickly with a three point run of their own forcing Collier to take a timeout up 16-14.

Tech stopped the run up two, holding that lead until a Garibaldi block put Tech up three at 20-17 and forced uga’s second timeout. Up 22-19, Mambu had a kill reversed by replay, then georgia capitalized on the momentum with an Estelle Haugen kill to make it 22-21 and force Tech’s second timeout.

Two straight uga errors gave Tech set points, giving up two before Annika Groom hit the clincher to win 25-23.

Set 2 (GT 1-0)

Georgia struck the first blow during Tech’s first 6-2 rotation with Lopuyo and Toth, not generating good passing off serve (regardless who was receiving) and it affecting Toth’s setting rhythm. Georgia’s three point run put them up 8-4 before growing the lead to six on a Soares service error and Mendes attack error down 12-6 before calling timeout. Tech’s net presence was much better after, but still had digging issues in the back to where Collier subbed in Danielle Tansey down 15-10. Tech immediately went on a three point run with the offense back in system, forcing uga’s first timeout at 15-13.

Georgia was right back in their rhythm out of the timeout, putting our backline all out of sorts targeting Sofia Velez and Lameen Mambu. Tansey at one point was letting a serve go long but still let it hit her en route to a uga three point run and Tech timeout down 20-14.

Tech found one more three point run to make it a three point game at 20-17, but after a Groom service error, Georgia had all the momentum they needed to close out the set 25-20.

Set 3 (1-1)

The first wave of set for was a litany of passing and serve receive mistakes that somehow didn’t have them down a bunch of points going into the 15-14 tv timeout. Mambu hit three kills. Tech got away with a point they should’ve lost because of a georgia net violation. Collier didn’t opt to use the 6-2 and instead would sub out Mambu on her back row rotations with Bieleski to keep the defense up in the back. Tech also was very fortunate with repeated service errors by uga.

After ties at 15-15, 16-16, 17-17, Groom hit her 4th service error of the match then Mambu had an attack error, forcing Tech’s first timeout down 19-17. Tech came out firing with a kill by Mambu and two by Mendes to go up 20-19 and force uga’s first timeout.

Up 22-20, Collier subbed Lopuyo in for Soares to prevent a sideout, but Georgia found a hole in our defense then force Mambu to hit long to tie it at 22-22, forcing Tech’s second timeout. Georgia’s run got them to set point at 24-23, but an attack error put the set at deuce.

Tech then had set point at 25-24, but an attack error tied it at 25 all. Uga lost another set point on what was their 15th service error of the match. Down another set point at 27-26, Groom hit two great kills in a row then Mendes laid down a block to take the set 29-27.

Set 4 (2-1 GT)

Georgia took all the fourth set momentum, winning the opening point after a successful challenge and parlaying that into a 5-0 lead and easily held on, growing it to a 12-6 by the time Tech called their first timeout.

Tech settled back in and slowly trimmed the margin using kills from Mendes, Mambu, and Groom. Down 16-12, Collier went back to the 6-2 rotation, which on kills by Pierce and Groom pulled within two, forcing uga’s first timeout.

Georgia countered with a three point run to go up 21-16 and force Tech’s second timeout. Nothing got sorted for Tech in time before uga pulled away with the 25-19 set win.

Set 5 (2-2)

Teh fifth stayed perfectly tight with four ties up to the 8-7 uga mark with Mambu, Groom, and Garibaldi leading the offensive charge. The dwags won the next two points after blocking Garibaldi and a kill by Muoneke for a 10-7 lead, forcing Tech’s first timeout of the set.

After uga’s 21st service error to make it 10-8, Collier put Anna Fiederowicz to spot serve, and on the return ball she missed a gettable dig and was promptly subbed out. Mambu then went long in attack before the whole team completely botched communication around the net, giving georgia a 13-8 lead. Tech battled to make it 13-10 after two uga errors, but wasn’t enough as uga walked out of McCamish with the 15-10 fifth set win.

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