Georgia Tech Women's Volleyball
A Fan's Guide


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2008 Season
Record: 20-10 (12-8 ACC)
Next Match
Fri 28 Aug 7:00pm vs. Georgia
Radio: WREK
How You Can Help
Thanks to all who helped make 2008 a great year for volleyball on WREK! Here's how you can help support Georgia Tech volleyball on radio and the Internet.
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Tonya Johnson, formerly the associate head coach at Texas, is now Georgia Tech's head volleyball coach.
2008 ACC Standings

ACC Overall

W L Pct. W L Pct. Streak
North Carolina 15 5 .750 22 11 .667 L 1
Duke 15 5 .750 25 9 .735 L 1
Clemson 14 6 .700 23 10 .697 L 1
Miami 14 6 .700 26 6 .813 W 2
Florida State 13 7 .650 21 9 .700 L 1
Georgia Tech 12 8 .600 20 10 .667 L 1
Virginia Tech 11 9 .550 20 11 .645 L 3
Wake Forest 10 10 .500 19 13 .594 L 1
Virginia 9 11 .450 17 15 .531 W 1
North Carolina State 3 17 .150 9 26 .257 L 14
Boston College 2 18 .100 8 24 .250 W 1
Maryland 2 18 .100 6 26 .188 L 9
2010 Recruits
Quinn Evans - 6'3" Middle - San Antonio, TX (Alamo Heights/Alamo) - Dynamic middle... Member of Alamo 17 Kaepa team which has earned a 17 Open bid to the USAV Nationals in Miami... Named to High Honorable Mention list on PrepVolleyball.com's 2008 Soph 79 list... Named All-District in 2007 and 2008... Also plays basketball at Alamo Heights.

Jennifer Percy - 6'2" Outside Hitter - Mobile, AL (St. Paul's/Club Bomba) - Head coach Tonya Johnson's first verbal commitment to Tech... Wants to major in something involving math and art... Member of the 2009 Alabama South All-Star team... High school team is three-time 5A state champions in Alabama... Had 5 kills, 12 digs and 4 blocks in state finals... Made 2008 USA Volleyball Junior A1 camp... 2008 5A state All-Tournament team, first team All-State, first team All-County, area "Super 12" first team... 2007 5A state All-Tournament team, second team All-state, area "Super 12" first team... 2006 5A state All-Tournament team, honorable mention All-State, All-County, area "Super 12" honorable mention... Also a decorated swimmer.
2009 Signees
Susan Carlson - 6'1" Outside Hitter - Pasadena, CA (Mayfield/SCVC) - Plays a very good beach game... Has big jump serve... Great passer with a variety of shots at the net... 2007 Pasadena Star-News All-Area team... Member of 2007 USA Volleyball 15 Open champion SCVC team... Member of USA Beach junior volleyball under 19 training squad... 2008 CIF Area IV Player of the Year... Ranked at #82 on the 2008 PrepVolleyball.com "Senior Aces" list.

Anne Czarnecki - 6'3" Middle - Bettendorf, IA (Pleasant Valley/Platform Elite) - Played only one year at Pleasant Valley... A two-year letter winner at Greenbriar High School in Evans, GA, and played for the CSRA Heat volleyball club... Alternate to the 2007 Youth National A2 Training Team... Led Pleasant Valley in kills (289), hitting percentage (.351), blocks (50), and aces (48)... Originally signed in the fall with Marquette University.

Jordan Kissman - 5'10" Setter - Aurora, CO (Eaglecrest/Front Range) - Setter/outside hitter for two-time Colorado 5A state champion Eaglecrest in 2006 and 2007... Member of 2007 Colorado 5A All-Tournament Team... Member of 2007 Centennial All-League Team... Member of 2006 and 2007 Colorado 5A All-State Team... Finalist in 2006 for PrepVolleyball.com's Sophomore of the Year award... Member of the 2006 PrepVolleyball.com "Soph 79" list.

Monique Mead - 5'9" Right Side - Fairburn, GA (Landmark Christian/A5) - A converted left-handed setter who jumps out of the gym, can pound it from the right side or the left, and has a big block. Member of the 2007 PrepVolleyball.com "Top 50 Recruits" list for the class of 2009... Outside hitter for the A5 Mizuno 18 Bob team that won the 18 National division at the 2008 Junior Olympic Championships... Right side for the A5 Mizuno 16 Erica team that won the 16 American division at the 2007 Junior Olympic Championships... Named MVP of the 2007 16 American division of the 2007 Junior Olympic Championships... Member of Georgia's 2007 and 2008 All-State teams... 2008 Georgia Senior All-Star... The only junior volleyball player in Georgia history to play on two national championship club teams... Ranked #38 on the 2008 PrepVolleyball.com "Senior Aces" list.

Nikki Meyer - 5'6" Libero - Gainesville, FL (Buchholz/Gainesville Juniors) - Only returning senior from Buchholz' 2007 class 6A state championship team... Played for Gainesville Juniors' 17 Black team... Daughter of University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer.

Hannah Tucci - 5'5" Libero - Austin TX, (Regents School/Austin Juniors) -  Member of the 17 Open championship Austin Juniors 17 Mizuno team at the 2008 Junior Olympic Championships... All-State libero... Member of the PrepVolleyball.com 2008 "The 150" Senior Aces list... Regents School won 2006 Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools championships... Member of 16 Open All-Tournament team at the 2007 Junior Olympic Championships.
From JOs in Miami:
TCA 18 Black (Susan Carlson) went 3-3 in their first round pool, falling out of contention (TCA was 18 Open champs last year). They lost in the Bronze Bracket finals to finish 14th.
Austin Juniors 18 Mizuno (Hannah Tucci) went 4-2 in their first round pool, finishing third. They won a challenge match to land in the Gold Bracket. They then lost in the first round to Laguna in three to finish tied for 5th.
Front Range 18 Black (Jordan Kissman) went 2-4 in their first round pool, finishng fifth and out of contention.
Austin beat Front Range in three (25-19, 25-15, 25-18) Thursday (2 July). They lost to Colorado Juniors in three in the first round of Flight 1 to finish tied for 19th.
Gainesville Juniors 18 Black (Nikki Meyer) went 4-1 in their first round 18 American pool, finishing second. They went 1-1 in their second round pool, finishing second. They then lost their challenge match to fall to the 18 American Silver Bracket. They lost in the Silver Bracket finals to finish 10th.
Alamo 17 Kaepa (Quinn Evans) finished 15th in 17 Open. They went 3-3 in their first round pool, finishing fourth out of seven teams. They got wins over Cal Juniors 17M, Minnesota Select 17-1, and ECJ 17s. They lost to MAVA 17 Elite, Sunshine 17, and MAVS 17-1. They then lost in the first round of the Bronze Bracket to Team St. Louis 17-1.

I've been twittering for the past several months. You can "follow kurtinatlanta" to stay up-to-date with whatever volleyball news I want to share. The primary focus has been A5 Volleyball during the club season. For just A5 news, follow a5volleyball.

CharlestonFormer Georgia Tech star Lindsey Gray joins the college coaching ranks as she is now an assistant coach at the College of Charleston. Lindsey had been coaching at both St. Pius X High School and with the Tsunami volleyball club while working for Russell Athletic. Her Tsunami 17 Black team recently finished tied for fifth in the 17 Club division at the AAU Nationals in Orlando, the best finish this season in 17 Club by a team from Atlanta. Congratulations, Lindsey and the best of luck to you! See story.

Some future Jackets have been in action at the AAU Nationals in Orlando this past week. Nikki Meyer's Gainesville Juniors 18 Black squad finished in 10th place in 18 Open, losing in the finals of the Classic Bracket. Jordan Kissman's Front Range 18 Black team finished tied for 5th, losing in the first round of the 18 Open Championshp Bracket.

These players will be in action at the USA Volleyball Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships at the end of June in Miami: Hannah Tucci (Austin Juniors 18 Mizuno), Jordan Kissman (Front Range 18 Black) and Susan Carlson (TCA 18 Black) will play in the 18 Open division. Nikki Meyer (Gainesville Juniors 18 Black) will play in the 18 American division.

At the JVDA Championship in Louisville, KY, Anne Czarnecki's Platform Elite 18 finished 25th in the 18 Club division. They went 0-2 in their first round pool, losing to Illini Elite and KIVA 18 White. They went 2-1 on the second day, beating Dunes 18 Teal and The Victors 18 while losing to 1st Alliance 18 Red. They won their bracket with wins over Club Fusion 18 Orange, Wisconsin Juniors 18 Blue and 1st Alliance 18 Red.

AztecsFormer Georgia Tech star Kele Eveland has an new home: San Diego, CA! She's now an assistant coach at San Diego State University. She joins a new staff working to turn around the Aztecs, who finished 9-17 in 2008. Congratulations, Kele! See story.

The 2009 schedule is out! The season starts at home on Friday, 28 Aug, against Georgia and finishes at Clemson the day after Thanksgiving. Non-conference opponents include 2008 NCAA Tournament participants Middle Tennessee State, Minnesota and Ohio. Click the ICal, RSS or Google Calendar links on the 2009 schedule page to import the schedule into your favorite calendar program. See story.

Grace
's search is over! Many thanks to all who supported us through this time. Grace will join Kennesaw State and their new head coach Karen Weatherington this fall. Grace will play hard and have fun helping the Owls move up in the Atlantic Sun conference.

Now that the 2009 class is done, the 2010 class is off to a great start. Word is that Jennifer Percy, a 6'2" outside hitter from Mobile, AL, has verbally committed to Georgia Tech. Also, Quinn Evans, a 6'3" middle from San Antonio, TX, has verbally committed to the 2010 recruiting class. Welcome to the Yellow Jacket family!

The Georgia Tech volleyball team is among the top ten percent nationally in academic progress according to the NCAA's annual Academic Progress Report. Not only are they great volleyball players, but they are all great students as well. Congratulations! See story.

Head coach Tonya Johnson has announced her camp dates for 2009. The individual skills camps will be 10-12 July and 18-20 July. Position camp will be 13-14 July. Elite camp is scheduled for 15-17 July. Team camp will be 21-23 July. And, youth skills camp will be 27-28. You can register online. See story.

The spring signing period has begun and new head coach Tonya Johnson has brought in a couple additional players for 2009. We welcome middle Anne Czarnecki of Bettendorf, Iowa and All-Texas libero Hannah Tucci of Austin, Texas. Congratulations on becoming Yellow Jackets! See story.

The Jackets have hired their second assistant, Ed Tolentino, director of the M-Juniors volleyball club in Ann Arbor, MI. He was a coach at the Premier volleyball club in Toledo, OH, before becoming director of M-Juniors three years ago. He has been an assistant coach at Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan and Oakland University, as well a  head coach at Oakland. My guess is he'll have a great recruiting pipeline to Michigan and Ohio. He'll start at Tech at the beginning of March.

Tech has their first assistant coach of the Tonya Johnson era: former Louisville and LSU assistant Craig Bere. Known as a good recruiter, Bere spent three years at LSU and then the last two at Louisville. Prior to LSU, he was the head coach at DIvision II Southern Indiana and had a six-year stint at Mississippi State as an assistant. He was seen at the Central Zones tournament in Indianapolis in his new Yellow Jacket gear.

North Carolina State women's basketball head coach Kay Yow passed away Saturday morning after a 20-year fight with cancer. She was the head coach for the Wolfpack Women for 34 years and was one of the most beloved coaches in the game. She was an inspiration to everyone in the game - player, coach and media - and will be greatly missed. My condolences and prayers to Kay's many friends and family on this sad day.

According to internet reports, former Tech verbal commit Ashley Beyer will be joining Bond Shymansky at Marquette University. Former Tech verbal commit Jordanne Scott is now committed to Cincinnati.

Former Georgia Tech assistant Jennifer Carey has taken a position as the director of volleyball operations at the University of California. Word on the internet is that Ben Bodipo-Memba is headed to Cal-Irvine as an assistant coach. Both coaches are going home to California and I wish them both the best.

Georgia Tech has named Texas associate head coach Tonya Johnson their next head coach. Johnson was promoted to associate head coach just prior to the 2008 season. She joined the Texas staff in April 2003 after five years as an assistant at LSU, where she was also a player, making it to the FInal Four in 1990. Her 1990 team was the last time a team other than Florida won the SEC volleyball championship. As the recruiting coordinator at Texas, she was part of a staff that landed the nation's second best recruiting class each of the past three seasons.  The Longhorns have made the  Elite Eight or the Final Four in each of the past three seasons. See story.

After seven seasons that included six 20+ win seasons and three NCAA tournament appearances, Bond Shymansky is out as Georgia Tech's head volleyball coach. Shymansky resigned Saturday (6 Dec) afternoon, leaving with a 172-64 record, the second highest win total and the best winning percentage (.729) in Tech volleyball history. Georgia Tech had not been back to the NCAA Tournament since 2004 and the current senior class (the 2005 recruiting class) was the first since the 1990 recruiting class to never play in the NCAA tournament. The Jackets had an opportunity to win the ACC this season as no team took control of the conference. A three-match losing streak to Duke, Miami and Florida State on Tech's last road swing of the season ended their post-season hopes. The Jackets started the Shymansky era with an ACC title, a 33-6 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The season ended with a loss to #10 Minnesota in the second round. In 2003, they started with a 23-match winning streak and finished with a 34-4 record. Tech lost to Maryland in the ACC Tournament in Orlando, then made it all the way to Hawaii and the Elite Eight before falling to then-#2 Hawaii in four. The 2004 season was Tech's last trip to the NCAA Tournment. After sweeping the ACC with a 16-0 record, the Jackets lost to Clemson in the first round of the last ACC Tournament. They made it to the round of 16 at then-#4 Minnesota, where they lost in one of the most memorable NCAA Tournament matches to finish 27-7. Tech was 16-15 in 2005 as the young team struggled on the road (5-10). The team rebounded to a 20-12 mark in 2006 that included both six-match losing streak to start ACC play that year and a nine-match winning streak as part of a 9-2 finish to build momentum for 2007. The Jackets played a strong schedule in 2007 that included non-conference matches against Pepperdine, Arizona, Kentucky and Michigan. Tech's impressive 11-2 finish, including a huge home win over then-#14 Duke, finished that year at 22-10, just missing the postseason as the schedule ended with a road loss at Maryland. The WREK radio broadcasts began in 2002. Bond and his staff were very supportive of the broadcasts. He had a great run at Tech - I wish him, Ben Bodipo-Memba, Jennifer Carey and Kele Eveland the best as they all move to the next phase of their coaching careers! See story.

Clemson, Duke and North Carolina all advanced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and then all lost in the second round, ending the 2008 season for the ACC.

Talisa Kellogg
and Callie Miller made the 2008 All-ACC team. It's the second such honor for Kellogg and the first for Miller. See story.

The ACC got three teams into the NCAA tournament: North Carolina, Duke and Clemson. Clemson was sent to the Seattle region, but gets to host first and second round matches with #12 seed Utah the top team in the group. North Carolina and Duke are part of the Austin region with the Blue Devils going west to Los Angeles, where #14 UCLA hosts, while the Tar Hells go north to American University in Washington, DC, where #11 Oregon comes east as the seeded team. Miami, which lead the conference with 26 overall wins, just missed the field. The Jackets last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2004.

Chrissy DeMichelis tied her career-high with 22 kills and senior Stephanie Robbins had a career-high 10 digs, but it wasn't enough as Tech fell to Clemson 25-18, 27-25, 21-25, 11-25, 6-15 Friday (28 Nov) night in Atlanta. Tech won the first two, but Clemson won the last three, committing only three hitting errors in the last two, compared to 17 for the Jackets. Tech ends their season at 20-10, 12-8 in the ACC. My thanks to the five seniors and their families for four great years of volleyball! See story.

Grace had a kill and a block in State's final match of the season - a three-set loss at Alabama. It was an up-and-down year for the Bulldogs. The young team now has a year of experience and will work hard this spring to improve.

The NCAA Volleyball Tournament selection show will air on ESPNU Sunday 30 Nov at 10:00pm ET.

With a win over NC State, North Carolina earned their first ACC championship since 2005 and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Carolina and Duke split their season series, but Carolina owns a 4-3 set advantage over Duke.

Susan Carlson's Mayfield team advanced to the quarterfinals of the California CIF Division III tournament Tuesday (26 Nov) with a 25-11, 25-11, 25-14 win over Tehachapi. Carlson had 15 kills, four aces and two blocks. See story.

Nikki Meyer is in the news twice. First is her signing day story from the Gainesville Sun. Next, she got a mention from local "sports columnist" Mark Bradley in his guide to the Georgia-Georgia Tech football game: "Tech fans will welcome Urban Meyer's volleyball-playing daughter to their campus. Georgia fans figure she'll fit right in."

Chrissy DeMichels led the way with 13 kills and senior Talisa Kellogg had 10 as the Jackets breezed by Maryland 25-12, 25-19, 25-13 Saturday (22 Nov) night in Atlanta. Tech celebrated Senior Night as the five seniors all started and contributed to Tech's 20th win of the season. Callie Miller had four kills and three blocks. Allie Niekamp had a double-double with 33 assists and 10 digs. Michelle Kandell led the back row with 17 digs. And Stephanie Robbins had six digs. She ended the match with her first career kill! See story.

Callie Miller had 15 kills, hitting a career-high .789, and Chrissy DeMichelis added 11, hitting .526, as Tech trounced Boston College 25-10, 25-11, 25-21 in 1 hour, 6 minutes Friday (21 Nov) night in Atlanta. Both Stephanie Robbins and Jordan McCullers got to play front row as the Jackets had all kinds of fun with the Eagles. See story.

Grace had 4 kills, hitting a team-leading .333, and 2 blocks in MSU's loss at Florida Friday night. State played very well and kept things tight as they look to finish strong.

The Jackets announced the signing of four players this week for the 2009 recruiting class. Susan Carlson, Monique Mead, Jordan Kissman and Nikki Meyer have all turned in their letters of intent. Welcome, ladies! See story.

Chrissy DeMichelis had 19 kills, hitting .311, and Talisa Kellogg added 10, but an 11-0 run at the end of the second set sent Tech to a 25-22, 18-25, 24-26, 19-25 loss to Florida State in Tallahassee Sunday afternoon. The loss drops Tech to 10-7 in the conference with three matches left, all but ending Tech's ACC title hopes for 2008. See story.

Grace had 4 kills, hitting .300, with 3 assists, 4 digs, and 2 blocks in a three-set loss to Ole Miss Sunday afternoon. Grace has picked up her game over the past couple matches. Head coach Tina Seals said this today: "Our freshmen continue to show improvement at different times. Grace had a good week of practice and played well today...." Grace had 3 kills, 5 assists, 6 digs and a block in MSU's five-set loss to Arkansas Friday.

Once again, the "big three" of Chrissy DeMichelis, Callie Miller, and Talisa Kellogg hit for big numbers, but it wasn't enough as Tech fell to Miami 15-25, 25-20, 29-27, 21-25, 12-15 in Coral Gables Friday (14 Nov) night. DeMichelis finished with 18 kills, Miller with 16 kills, hitting .433 with 6 blocks, and Kellogg had 17 kills and 12 digs. Michelle Kandell had 32 digs to lead the back row. See story.

Chrissy DeMichelis had 18 kills, Talisa Kellogg 17, and Callie Miller 14, but Tech's comeback bid at Duke fell short in five Saturday (8 Nov) night in Durham. Michelle Kandell led the back row with 25 digs, while Mash Tippins played in four games, picking up a double-double with 47 assists and 12 digs. See story.

Chrissy DeMichelis had 19 kills as four Jackets reached double-digits in a hard-fought 24-26, 21-25, 25-23, 25-19, 15-12 win over Wake Forest Friday (7 Nov) night in Winston-Salem. Callie Miller and Talisa Kellogg each had 16 kills and Brittany Roderick added 11 to round out the offense. Michelle Kandell had 20 digs, while Jordan McCullers added 15, Alison Campbell 14, and Allie Niekamp 10. Niekamp earned another double-double with her 62 assists. After tonight's action, Tech is now in a 4-way tie atop the conference - with Saturday's opponent, Duke, one of those teams. See story.

Chrissy DeMichelis had 10 kills to lead Tech to a 25-19, 25-22, 25-16 sweep of Virginia Saturday (1 Nov) night in Atlanta. Callie Miller hit .533 in a strong outing in the middle. Michelle Kandell led the back row with 11 digs. Tech remains in the second-place log jam behind Clemson. See story.

Talisa Kellogg had 15 kills and Callie Miller added 13 kills, hitting .524, with 7 blocks to lead the Jackets to a big 26-24, 26-24, 25-19 win over Viriginia Tech Friday (31 Oct) night in Atlanta. Chrissy DeMichelis had 8 key kills, Michelle Kandell led the team with 17 digs and Allie Niekamp picked up her 5th double-double with 38 assists and 12 digs. See story.

Grace had 3 kills, hitting .333, with 6 assists, 2 digs and 3 blocks in MSU's loss at Auburn Friday (31 Oct) night. State ran a 6-2 for the first two sets, but the team is feeling the losses of Faith Steinwedell and Christina Jucan to injury. They'll continue to regroup and play hard next Friday (7 Nov) at UGA.

Talisa Kellogg had 16 kills and Callie Miller and Chrissy DeMichelis added 14 each, but it wasn't enough as the Jackets fell 21-25, 25-17, 23-25, 19-25 to North Carolina in Chapel Hill Sunday (26 Oct). Michelle Kandell led the back row with 23 digs while Jordan McCullers added 16. Allie Niekamp finished with a double-double of 48 assists and 15 digs. See story.

Grace picked up a kill in two digs in one game of MSU's three-set loss to Alabama Wednesday (29 Oct). The team lost key outside hitter Faith Steinwedell due to an ACL tear in Friday's Kentucky match, so they are trying to figure out their lineup for the rest of the season.

Grace had 3 kills and 4 digs in MSU's 3-set loss to Tennessee Sunday afternoon. She played three rotations on the rightside at the end of the first set and through the second. In the third, she played all six rotations and was the setter at the end of the match (she had a handful of assists that didn't make the boxscore). State's losing streak is now eight as they prepare for Alabama on Wednesday.

Virginia Tech beat Miami to start the breakup of the logjam on top of the ACC. If Tech wins Sunday, it will be a 4-way tie for first at the halfway point of the conference season.

NC State couldn't stop Talisa Kellogg as she pounded out 16 kills, hit .412, and tallied 9 digs in Tech's 25-12, 25-17, 25-18 sweep of the Wolfpack in Raleigh Friday (24 Oct) night. Callie Miller owned the middle with 11 kills, hitting .611 and picking up 4 blocks. Tech was one of only two teams in the ACC's top five to win tonight, creating a five-way tie for first place. See story.

Grace didn't play Friday (24 Oct) night in State's three-game loss to Kentucky in Starkville, but I did get to catch up with Lauren Sauer, who is enjoying her job on the Wildcats' staff.

Talisa Kellogg had 10 kills and Allie Niekamp had another double-double (35 assists, 11 digs), plus a career-high 6 service aces, to lead Tech's 25-22, 25-16, 27-25 sweep of Boston College in Chestnut Hill Sunday (19 Oct) afternoon. Callie Miller had 8 blocks and 8 kills. The win streak for the Jackets is now three - all sweeps. See story.

Grace did not play today as State lost to Georgia in four in Starkville. Sophomore middle Ashley Newsome had a terriffic match for MSU, hitting .500 with 5 blocks.

Brittany Roderick had 11 kills while Allie Niekamp added 40 assists, 6 blocks and a career-high 18 digs as Tech swept Maryland 25-22, 25-22, 25-22 Friday (17 Oct) night in College Park, MD. Talisa Kellogg had 10 kills, Chrissy DeMichelis 9, and Callie Miller finished with 8, hitting .636, tallying 6 blocks. See story.

Grace played briefly in the third set as MSU lost to LSU in four at home. State had LSU at 24-22 in the third before the Tigers rallied to win 26-24. An early surge gave the Tigers a lead they held to the end.

MSU lost a heartbreaker to Arkansas on the road in three Sunday. Grace played in two games with an assists and a block.

Talisa Kellogg collected 15 kills, hitting .279, and Chrissy DeMichelis added 12 kills, hitting .308, as Tech swept Wake Forest 25-19, 26-24, 25-20 Saturday night (11 Oct) in Atlanta. Tech was down 18-23 in the second set and came roaring back behind the serving of Stephanie Robbins to win 26-24. See story.

Talisa Kellogg had 19 kills, hitting .217, while Callie Miller added 16 kills and a career-high 9 blocks, but it wasn't enough as Duke outscored Tech 11-4 down the stretch in the fifth set to beat the Jackets 25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 20-25, 18-16 Friday night (10 Oct) in Atlanta. Michelle Kandell notched a career-high with 36 digs and Jordan McCullers set a career-best with 18 digs. See story.

Grace had a kill and a couple blocks Friday night as Ole Miss swept MSU. A tough night for the Bulldogs who will bounce back Sunday.

Talisa Kellogg had 18 kills on 67 swings and Brittany Roderick added 14 ills, hitting .370, but it wasn't enough as Miami beat Tech 25-23, 21-25 25-19, 27-25 Saturday (4 Oct) night in Atlanta. The Jackets led late in both games one (21-17) and four (20-17) before Miami's late surges turned victories into defeats. See story.

Talisa Kellogg pounded out 11 kills, hitting .179, with 4 digs and 5 blocks to lead the Jackets past Florida State 25-21, 25-16, 25-17 Friday (3 Oct) night. Callie Miller and Brittany Roderick collected 7 kills each while Michelle Kandell led the defense with 14 digs. The team tallied 45 total digs on "Dig for the Cure" night. See story.

Grace picked up an impressive cross-court kill, two assists, and a dig in the one game she played the right side in State's three-set loss to South Carolina Friday night in Starkville.

Mississippi State beat Auburn in five Sunday. Grace played rightside briefly.

Talisa Kellogg had 18 kills, hitting .400, and the team hit .308, but it wasn't enough as Virginia Tech beat Georgia Tech 25-23, 25-22, 26-24 Saturday (27 Sep) night in Blacksburg. The Jackets end their three-week road trip with a 5-2 record, while the Hokies extend their conference-best winning streak to nine matches. See story.

Chrissy DeMichelis shook off the rust with 19 kills, hitting .267, to lead Tech to a 25-20, 25-27, 25-23, 25-21 win over Virginia in Charlottesville Friday (26 Sep) night. Callie Miller added 12 kills, hitting .400, and picked up 9 blocks, while Brittany Roderick and Talisa Kellogg had 11 kills each. Kellogg also had 15 digs for her first double-double since last season's loss at Michigan. Michelle Kandell led the defense with 28 digs and setter Mash Tippins collected yet another double-double with 60 assists and 14 digs. See story.

MSU lost to Kentucky in three today. Grace played the third set and, among other things, picked up her first SEC service ace.

Brittany Roderick and Asia Stawicka led the block party, combining for 17 block assists, to led Tech past Florida A&M 25-15, 25-20, 25-21 in Clemson Friday (19 Sep) afternoon. Talisa Kellogg led the team with 14 kills, hitting .414, and Bailey Hunter had 9 kills, hitting .615. Mash Tippins ran the offense again, dishing out 34 assists and leading the team with 9 digs. See story.

Grace got her first SEC assists Friday (19 Sep) night as she played about half of MSU's road loss to Tennessee. She even played right side a bit as State experimented with a 6-2 in the third set. The team is getting better and she's focusing on improving every day.

Talisa Kellogg had 28 kills and Callie Miller tied a career-high with 20 kills to lead Tech to a thrilling 25-22, 25-20, 22-25, 17-25, 15-13 win at Clemson Thursday night. Mary Ashley Tippins ran the offense, tying a career-high with 65 assists and leading the team with 17 digs for her third career double-double. See story.

Asia Stawicka is a Georgia Tech Student Athlete of the Week, joining football quarterback Josh Nesbitt for the honor. Asia hit .465 at the Magnolia Invitational, earning all-tournament honors. See story.

Grace's Bulldogs struggled over the weekend, finishing 1-2. Grace set all three matches and is so glad she's back on the court (yet another foot x-ray today). MSU played with five freshmen at times this weekend - they all had moments of promise and freshmanness. She looks to continue shaking off the rust and working with her team as SEC play starts at Tennessee Friday (19 Sep) in Knoxville.

Middles Asia Stawicka and Callie Miller combined for 20 kills and Mary Ashley Tippins got to run the offense as the Jackets finished the Magnolia Invitational with a 25-18, 25-13, 25-16 win over Easten Illinois Saturday (13 Sep) morning. Tech finished the weekend at 2-1. See story.

Alison Campbell notched her first career double-double (18 kills, 17 digs), and Talisa Kellogg added 14 kills, as Tech beat host Ole Miss 20-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 15-11 in Oxford, MS Friday (12 Sep) night. It was a big comeback after the loss earlier in the day. Michelle Kandell led the defense with 23 digs and Jordan McCullers chipped in 14 digs of her own. See story.

Tech came back from being down 2-0 to SMU Friday (12 Sep) morning, but the Mustangs took the fifth set to earn a 25-21, 27-25, 15-25, 20-25 15-12 win. Talisa Kellogg led the Jackets with 16 kills. Three other Jackets had double digit kills - Alison Campbell with 11, while Callie Miller and Brittany Roderick had 10 each. Michelle Kandell led the back row with 21 digs. Chrissy DeMichelis saw her first action of the season, recovering from off-season knee surgery. See story.

Mississippi State swept Jackson State Tuesday night in Jackson, MS. Grace played the second and third sets.

Talisa Kellogg had 14 kills and three other players added 11, but it wasn't enough as #25 Michigan came away with the five-set win in Atlanta Sunday afternoon. It was the first loss of the season for the Jackets, who will travel to Ole Miss for three matches next weekend. See story.

Talisa Kellogg got her first start of the season, picking up 9 kills, while Callie Miller also had 9 kills, to lead Tech past Xavier 26-24, 25-19, 26-24 Saturday afternoon in Atlanta. Setter Allie Niekamp had a double-double with 32 assists and 11 digs. See story.

Grace got her first college start Saturday morning and her team got a three-set sweep of Grambling at the tournament they are playing at McNeese State this weekend. Grace has all 29 of State's assists in the match. She then played part of State's five-set loss to Nicholls State, picking up 18 assists. She's recovering from an injury to her right foot, so she's coming back slowly so she's ready for SEC play in a couple weeks.

Seniors Callie Miller had 10 kills, hitting .500, and Michelle Kandell had 18 digs to lead Georgia Tech past Arkansas 26-24, 25-22, 25-14 Friday night in Atlanta. Junior Brittany Roderick added 9 kills. See story.

Georgia Tech will Dig for the Cure on 3 Oct against Florida State. The staff is taking pledges at the matches now, so sign up! See story.

Grace got her first extended action Friday night, playing four of Mississippi State's five sets against McNeese State. The very young Bulldogs lost in five. Grace picked up 29 assists, her first four kills, and her first three block assists. She got her first four college assists and her first college dig earlier in the day at the end of MSU's loss to Southern Mississippi. They'll play two more matches Saturday.

PrepVolleyball.com has started listing their 100 Senior Aces for the class of 2009. Monique Mead is listed at #38, Jordanne Scott has come in at #61 and Susan Carlson was ranked #82.

Freshman outside hitter Alison Campbell is the ACC's first player of the week for 2008. She averaged 4.36 kills per game for the weekend up in Athens, earning all-tournament honors. See story.

Junior right side Brittany Roderick had a career-high 15 kills, hitting .440, to lead Tech to a 3-1 win over Furman Sunday afternoon. Tech won the weekend tournament with a 3-0 record. Alison Campbell had 15 kills as well and Bailey Hunter added 11. Asia Stawicka led at the net with 9 blocks, while Michelle Kandell anchored the defense with 14 digs. Kandell also took weekend MVP honors. Mash Tippins set this match as well, tallying 37 assists. See story.

Freshmen outsides Alison Campbell and Bailey Hunter both had 13 kills each as Tech sailed past Georgia State Sunday morning in Athens. Michelle Kendell led the defense with 13 digs. Sophomore setter Mash Tippins ran the offense, dishing out 33 assists to go with 3 kills and 5 digs. Freshman defensive specialist Lisa Carlson made her college debut with three digs. See story.

Freshman outside hitter Alison Campbell had a huge debut with 20 kills, hitting .350, while freshman middle Asia Stawicka added 10 kills, hitting .833, with four blocks as Tech beat Georgia 33-31, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22 Friday night in Athens. The seniors also came up big with middle Callie Miller pounding out 14 kills and libero Michelle Kandell reaching down for 21 digs. See story.

Grace has a web page now! Mississippi State has their "Maroon and White Scrimmage" Saturday (23 Aug) and will start next weekend (29 Aug).

Kele Eveland has retired from professional volleyball in Spain and is now a volunteer assistant with the Jackets. Welcome home, Kele!

Lindsey Gray can be seen around town as an assistant coach at St. Pius X high school.

The Georgia Tech volleyball team will scrimmage publically Saturday (16 Aug) from 2-4pm at the O'Keefe Gym. Fans can also get autographs and take pictures with players and coaches. See
story.

The coaches have voted and here's how they think the conference will finish this year, along with the preseason all-ACC team:
# Team Pts 2007 Finish
1 Clemson (11) 143 29-4 1st
2 Georgia Tech (1) 130 22-10 3rd
3 Duke 119 25-7 2nd
4 North Carolina
102 15-16 6th
5 Florida State 84 16-14 5th
  Virginia
84 18-13 4th
7 Maryland 68 18-13 7th
8 Virginia Tech
66 14-18 10th
9 Miami 53 14-17 8th
10 Wake Forest 46 8-23 11th
11 Boston College 28 14-18 9th
12 NC State 13 3-29 12th

Preseason All-ACC
Player Team
Jeannette Abbott Clemson
Briana Berry Florida State
Mary Beth Brown Maryland
Shannon Davis Virginia
Lauren Dickson Virginia
Mira Djuric Florida State
Didem Ege Clemson
Briana Eskola North Carolina
Danielle Hepburn Clemson
Talisa Kellogg Georgia Tech
Genny Mayhew Miami
Callie Miller Georgia Tech
Rachael Moss Duke
Natalie Mullikin Wake Forest
Kelly Murphy Clemson
Jourdan Norman Duke
Christine Vaughen North Carolina
Felicia Willoughby Virginia Tech

The team is in the gym and preparing for their season opener at Georgia. Watching practice Sunday has me ready for the season to get started as the Jackets are focused on both winning the ACC and getting back to the NCAA Tournament. Go to the BuzzCast page for an interview with seniors Callie Miller and Allie Niekamp.

The 2008 schedule is out! The season starts with Georgia on 29 Aug and finishes with Clemson the day after Thanksgiving. The home non-conference schedule includes Arkansas, Xavier and Michigan. We'll travel to Ole Miss and Georgia for multi-match events. The conference schedule was trimmed by two matches to open up a third weekend of non-conference play, so North Carolina and NC State will not visit Atlanta this year. In total, there are 12 home matches. Volleyball is home during these football weekends: Duke, Gardner-Webb, Florida State, and Miami.

A5 18 Bob won the championship in the 18 National Division at the USAV Junior Olympic National Volleyball Championships Sunday (29 Jun) in Dallas. Lisa Carlson was named to the All-Tournament team. She averaged 2.81 digs per game for the tournament, including an 11-dig performance in the semifinal match against Laguna Beach 18 Kyle. Monique Mead averaged 4.56 kills per game for the tournament, including a 19-kill night against Goldenwest in that challenge match secured the team's spot in the Gold Bracket. Seven of the 11 matches the team played were against teams that finished in the top 18. Four were against teams in the top five. It's the first time a club team from Georgia has won a championship in the National division at any age level.

It's not often you see one of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's sports columnists mention volleyball, but Terrance Moore did call Tech volleyball "perennially successful" in his column on Florida head football coach Urban Meyer's visit to a Braves game Wednesday (25 Jun). Meyer's daughter Nicole Meyer, who plays volleyball for the Gainesville Juniors, was visiting Tech, where she may end up playing volleyball in the fall of 2009. See story.

Florida State has a new head coach in Chris Pool, formerly the head coach at Arkansas. As a result, Laura Kuhn moved south to the University of Miami as an assistant coach. Bird has changed wardrobes three times so far this year, but such is the life in college coaching. See story.

Talisa Kellogg and her USA A2 Blue team won the bronze medal at the USA Volleyball Adult Open Championships in Atlanta. The tournament was won by the USA A2 Red team, which had Ben Bodipo-Memba on its coaching staff. See story.

Tech head coach Bond Shymansky signed a contract extension in April that will keep him on The Flats through the 2011 season. Tech has averaged over 25 wins per season during his six year tenure. Congratulations, Coach! See story.

The Jackets won the Sports Performance Collegiate Spring Tournament 19 April in Aurora, IL. Tech beat Marshall and Michigan State in pool play before knocking off Louisville, Kansas State and St. Louis in the championship bracket. A great end to the spring season! See story.

Bailey Hunter has signed her letter of intent to play for the Jackets this fall. I had the "pleasure" of watching her Piedmont Triangle team beat Grace's A5 18 Bob team in the 18 Open Gold Bracket back at the Big South. Bailey's a good one. See story.

I missed a coach: Jennifer Randall has been on the job at the University of Pennsylvania for nearly a year now. The Quakers were 17-9 (10-4 Ivy) in her first season on the staff. Abby Showers is now an assistant coach at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. The Gamecocks were 18-10 last season, 15-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference, losing to Tennessee State in the semi-finals of the OVC tournament. Showers makes for five recent Tech alumnae now coaching at the college level. She joins Jayme Gergen (Virginia Tech), Laura Kuhn (Florida State), Lauren Sauer (Kentucky) and Lynnette Moster (Georgetown) on the collegiate sideline. You can find Marisa Aston (A5), Nikki Kaminskas (A5), Jacqui Beebe (A5), Lindsey Gray (Tsunami) and Talisa Kellogg (Atlanta Boom) coaching around Atlanta in the club ranks.

Talisa Kellogg made the USA Volleyball Senior A2 National Team! She joins Tech associate head coach Ben Bodipo-Memba, who was named as one of two assistant coaches for the A2 teams. The 22 players who made the A2 program will be split into two 11-member teams who will then play at the USA Volleyball Adult Open Championships 24-31 May here in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center. Kellogg is the only player from the Atlantic Coast Conference on the A2 teams. See story.

Lynnette Moster has moved from Albany to Georgetown, having been hired by the Hoyas as their new assistant coach. See story.

Laura Kuhn appears to be out of a job. The AP is reporting that Florida State head coach Todd Kress was fired 8 Apr. Further word on the Internet is that the entire staff was released. There are no coaches listed at the FSU website anymore.

Erin Birmingham is transferring to New Mexico State, where she will play for the Aggies this fall. Birmingham played in 44 games last fall for the Yellow Jackets, tallying 45 kills and 34 blocks. The loss of Birmingham leaves Tech with only one middle on the roster, rising senior Callie Miller. Rising junior Brittany Roderick played middle in high school and in club, but has played primarily on the right side for Tech. See story.

The spring schedule has been announced! The Jackets will play at Alabama on 29 Mar. On 5 Apr, they will host Florida. On 12 Apr, they will have their annual Spring Tournament with guests Winthrop, Georgia State and Jacksonville State. And then they'll finish the spring 19 Apr with a trip back to the Great Lakes Center in Aurora, IL (the Chicago area) for their spring college tournament. The Jackets will have five seniors this fall: Michelle Kandell, Talisa Kellogg, Callie Miller, Allie Niekamp, and Stephanie Robbins.

The rules they are a-changin' next season. The three biggest changes are that "games" are now known as "sets", sets 1 through 4 will be played to 25 instead of 30, and the number of substitutions are reduced to 12 from 15. Just like the change to rally scoring, this will wreak havoc with the record books as college volleyball now has three "eras": sideout scoring, rally scoring to 30 and rally scoring to 25.


Other sites:
Georgia Tech Baseball: A Fan's Guide
Georgia Tech Women's Basketball: A Fan's Guide
Georgia Tech Hockey
The Hive

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