Members of the Georgia Tech volleyball team arrived at the KFC Yum! Center on Sunday hoping to retrieve some of their former swagger with a possible upset of the University of Louisville. They were staggering at the end, however, with UofL claiming a three-set sweep with scores of 25-19, 25-21 and 27-25 in front of a crowd of 6,873.
Kelyssa Blackshear, a budding star from Lomita, Calif., led the way for the Cardinals with a total of 21 kills for the match. She had nine in the second set. Her second time this season with more than 20 kills while connecting on .500 of her attempts, with one block to her credit.
All-American Chloe Chicone was her ever-reliable self. All over the court, in fact, with her 15 kills and three blocks. The senior has now recorded double-digit kills in 21 of 24 matches this season and hit at least .400 in eight matches. If consistency had a name, it would be Chloe Chicone.
Setter Nayelis Cabello orchestrated the Louisville attack with 43 assists, adding five digs and three blocks. Libero Payton Peterson lled Louisville’s defense with 12 digs while middle blocker Brooke Bultema stuffed five blocks to help lock down the Georgia Tech offense.
“It was a great team win,” said Coach Dan Meske. “[Nayelis Cabello] distributed really well – I thought our offense was really clicking – and Kalyssa [Blackshear] was on fire. It just felt like she couldn’t miss, and we needed every bit of it because Georgia Tech is a team that puts a lot of pressure on you. They’re very offensive, and they play really hard, so we had to match that. A big credit to everybody who came out. The official attendance was 6,873 and we talked before the match, but we want 6,873 people saying, ‘Man, I’ve got to make sure I’m back here [at the KFC Yum! Center] when we play against SMU.'”
