ATLANTA (Sept. 15, 2006) ? The University of South Florida volleyball team couldn't build from its win earlier in the day against Stetson (3-1) and lost to host institution Georgia Tech, 3-0 (30-25, 30-21, 30-17), in the Regency Suites Classic on Friday night in Atlanta, Ga.
“I thought game one we played really well with Georgia Tech, then we got somewhat demoralized in games two and three and didn't follow the game plan,” coach Claire Lessinger said. “Our frustrations took over. Georgia Tech is a dominant team and they definitely went after our weaknesses very well and we just weren't able to rally against them. So credit them with a great win.”
The Bulls (4-6) had trouble getting their offense going form the start, and the struggle continued throughout the entire match, as the team compiled a hitting percentage of .101. Georgia Tech's offense was potent from the beginning and got stronger as the match went on, hitting .458.
Marcela Gurgel had the best outing of any player for USF, leading the Bulls in kills with 10 on the night. For Georgia Tech (6-2), Lindsey Gray paced the way, netting a team-high 11 kills.
In game one, both teams played each other even from the start, as there were 12 ties and four lead changes to open up. Neither team took more than a three point advantage before the other answered back to tie it up. It wasn't until the score was tied at 18-18 that the motion shifted to one team, as Georgia Tech used a 12-7 run to cap the game with the 30-25 win. The Yellow Jackets offense proved to be too strong in the end for USF, as they out-hit the Bulls .345 to .152.
After the second stanza opened up with four ties, Georgia Tech eventually put together consecutive scoring opportunities, going on a 7-1 run to take a 12-6 advantage. The Yellow Jackets' offense continued to build throughout the remainder of the game, jumping out to a 10-point lead, 20-10. The deficit proved to be too much for the Bulls to overcome, as GT went on to win, 30-21. USF's couldn't get its offense going from the start and only netted 10 kills while committing seven errors.
The Yellow Jackets opened up game three taking a 12-7 lead and never looked back en route to the 30-17 game win and the match victory. The Bulls could not overcome the early deficit in the game and the Yellow Jackets continued to build their lead as the game got out of reach for USF. The Bulls offense continued to struggle in the game while Tech's surged, as the Yellow Jackets hit a match-high .636 compared to USF's low of .042.
The Bulls will conclude tournament action on Saturday when they face Sam Houston State at 10 a.m. in the final day of the Regency Suites Classic.
