Georgia Tech’s historic volleyball season added one more first Wednesday as outside hitter Julia Bergmann and right-side hitter Mariana Brambilla were named to the first team of the AVCA All-American team. They became Tech’s first players to earn first-team All-American honors since Kele Eveland in 2003. Eveland, in fact, had been the only ACC player to ever earn first-team All-American until Wednesday.
Setter Matti McKissock also was named honorable mention All-American. It’s the second largest Tech contingent to earn All-American recognition after the 2003 team had four players recognized (Eveland on the first team, Lynnette Moster on third team and Alexandra Preiss and Lauren Sauer honorable mention).
A year ago, Brambilla was a third-team All-American, and Bergmann was honorable mention. Bergmann was named ACC player of this year – the first from Tech to earn that honor since Moster in 2004 – and also region player of the year, the first Jackets player to earn that award.
The three led the Yellow Jackets to a 26-6 record and the team’s second-ever trip to the Elite Eight, where they fell in four sets to No. 1 seed Louisville.
Bergmann and Brambilla were two of five ACC players to make the 14-player first team – the most of any conference – in a landmark season for the league. Pitt and Louisville became the second and third ACC teams to make the national semifinals, which begin Thursday night in Columbus, Ohio. Four of Tech’s six losses were to Pitt and Louisville.
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