Georgia Tech volleyball drops match to North Carolina

By E. Marcel Pourtout, Editor

The Georgia Tech volleyball team were within one set of earning the biggest win of the season over ninth-ranked North Carolina in a home contest Sunday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets held a 2-0 lead in the match but the Tar Heels earned the comeback win 3-2 (19-25, 19-25, 25-20, 25-11, 15-9).

“I thought it was a good match,” Georgia Tech coach Michelle Collier said. “We came out executing and serving and passing well. Defensively, we got a lot of touches and swung around their big block. It was about us adjusting because they were going to try some different things. They made great adjustments and we couldn’t raise our level.”

Teegan Van Gunst had a team-high 15 kills along with 11 digs for a double-double. Annika Van Gunst had 12 kills and 12 assists for a double-double as well. London Ackermann’s 22 digs were a game-high while Annika Olsen had 10 digs.

Georgia Tech (10-13, 3-7 ACC) had a strong start to the match, winning the first set with a hitting percentage of .414. Teegan Van Gunst had five kills in the set and it was the first set that North Carolina (17-2, 8-1 ACC) had dropped in four matches.

“We diversified our offense,” Collier said about the first set. “Our back row attack and middle were working well. We passed the ball and served to zones on the court that would be difficult for them to set. We were executing our game plan.”

The Yellow Jackets took the second set 25-19, holding the Tar Heels to a team-low .045 hitting percentage. The set ended with kills from Annika Van Gunst, Tegan Van Gunst and Sydney Wilson, who has eight kills in the match.

Georgia Tech held a 12-10 lead in set three but North Carolina scored six consecutive points to take control of the contest. The Tar Heels won the third set 25-20.

The fourth set saw North Carolina win 25-11 before securing the victory with a fifth set win of 15-9.

“They switched Chaniel Martin to the outside and put Hayley McCorkle, who was able to get some big blocks, on the right side,” Collier said. “They started serving us short which made it tough on our setter to make decisions. Being a young team and adjusting was tough. I liked that we kept fighting and going after it. We dominated that first two games and it was great to see that. The future is bright.”