Hurricanes Fall 3-1 to Georgia Tech
Oct. 7, 2007
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s volleyball team put up a strong defensive effort, forcing 31 Yellow Jacket attack errors, but could not overcome 28 of it’s own to fall 3-1 to ACC rival Georgia Tech Sunday afternoon at the Knight Sports Complex.
For the sixth-consecutive match, sophomore outside hitter Genny Mayhew led the Hurricanes (8-8, 2-5 ACC) in kills, tallying 11 against the Yellow Jackets (10-6, 4-2 ACC). Mayhew also added 12 digs on the afternoon while sophomore teammate Cassie Loessberg recorded a match-high 18.
Collectively, the Hurricanes held the Yellow Jackets to just a .167 hitting percentage and forced 12 Georgia Tech service errors, but were held to a .140 attack percentage en route to the 3-1 loss.
“The biggest thing we need to concentrate on, right now, is ourselves and the way we play,” said head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch. “We have to be able to play steady, confident volleyball. When we serve and pass well, good things happen. We just had too many break-downs today.”
In the opening game, which saw the score tied 11 separate times while featuring five lead changes, the Hurricanes, up 20-18, couldn’t sustain a late, seven-point Georgia Tech run to fall 30-24.
Trailing 7-4 early in the second game, UM put together a run of it’s own, outscoring Georgia Tech 8-2 to take a 12-9 lead. The two schools battled back and forth for the next several points until the Hurricanes, up 19-17, put together seven-consecutive points behind the service of freshman Katie Gallagher to pull ahead 26-17. Miami held off a late, 4-0 push by the Yellow Jackets to take the second game, 30-24, and even the match at one-game apiece.
Miami and Georgia Tech traded points for most of the third game and, with the score knotted at 23-all, UM took a one-point lead on a kill by junior Angelica Ellis. From that point on, neither team gained more than a one-point advantage until the Yellow Jackets rallied off a 4-1 run to close out the game 30-27.
Ahead 2-1 in the overall match score, Georgia Tech, jumping out to an early 11-3 lead, held off the Hurricane comeback in game four, eventually winning 30-19 to seal the victory.
Miami returns to action next weekend, traveling to Chestnut Hill, Mass. to take on ACC rival Boston College Friday before heading to College Park, Md. for Sunday match-up with Maryland.
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