In its first-round match at the NCAA Tournament, Georgia Tech’s volleyball team moved through Wright State handily, winning 25-13, 25-14, 25-17 on Thursday in Milwaukee.
The fifth-seeded Yellow Jackets will play at 7 p.m. Friday against fourth-seeded Marquette (ESPN-Plus), which swept Ball State following the Tech match.
In its third consecutive NCAA appearance, Tech (21-7) now has won at least one NCAA match in each of those tournaments, an accomplishment last achieved 2002-04. The Raiders’ 44 points were the fourth fewest allowed by Tech in a game this season. The Jackets also ended Wright State’s 23-game win streak, completing their season at 28-4.
“I think that we really executed the game plan, were able to kind of slow down their offense a little bit, put some pressure on them in serve receive,” coach Michelle Collier said. “So just excited. First matches are always tough.”
Middle blocker Erin Moss led the Jackets with 12 kills and a highly efficient .733 hitting percentage. It appears that no player from an ACC school has had a higher rate in a match this season when taking between 15 to 19 attempts (Moss had 15).
“I think just being up fast and being really quick,” said Moss, explaining her performance. “(Setter Isabella D’Amico) is a great setter to work with because she loves working the middle, so that makes my job really easy. But just working really quick and swinging high overhands and finding the floor.”
Marquette (28-3) won the Big East regular-season title and has reached 11 of the past 12 tournaments, making it past the second round once. Last season, the Jackets reached the Elite 8 for the second time in school history.
Friday’s winner will move to the round of 16 at one of four non-predetermined campus sites.
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