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Georgia Tech’s Bianca Bertolino was on a tear. With GT outside hitter Tamara Otene suffering an injury earlier in the second set, Bertolino, the third-leading hitter on the team, had to step up. In the set, she killed four of the previous five points to give the Yellow Jackets a 16-10 lead, forcing Syracuse to call a timeout.

SU head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam had to adjust. He said the Orange began the match in a read-block defense, where each blocker is assigned to an opposing hitter, but that they switched their strategy by positioning their right-side blocker closer to the net. Ganesharatnam said the change was to “minimize” Georgia Tech’s movement and thwart outside hitters like Bertolino.

Yet, the adjustment didn’t stop the Yellow Jackets. No. 11 Georgia Tech (19-3, 10-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) maintained its offensive dominance throughout a 3-0 victory over Syracuse (2-20, 0-12 ACC) Sunday afternoon. Ganesharatnam said GT changed pace on offense after the Orange switched strategy, allowing it to take control of the second set and win the final set 25-14.

Right after SU made its change, Bertolino was set again. Veronica Sierzant and Laila Smith skied high above the net early enough to block her attack. The increased defensive focus did help curb Bertolino’s production as she only had three kills for the remainder of the match. However, Georgia Tech made its own adjustments.

“Just because we make changes or force (Georgia Tech) to make changes doesn’t mean they can’t adjust,” Ganesharatnam said after the match.

With the Orange serving aggressively at Bertolino, GT setters Heloise Soares and Isabella D’Amico got others involved. TCU transfer Afedo Manyang and Leia Harper entered Sunday with just 67 combined kills on the season, but the two combined for 20 with just one error.

“They executed well in areas that they didn’t have to before,” Ganesharatnam said of Manyang and Harper.

The 6-foot-3 Manyang was placed opposite Syracuse’s 5-foot-6 outside hitter Greta Schlichter. Manyang took advantage of the height mismatch, elevating and driving the ball directly over Schlichter. Manyang’s ten kills helped Georgia Tech continue its offensive production after Syracuse’s adjustments.

“Her biggest disadvantage is her blocking, it’s natural that Georgia Tech would target her, and I’d do the same if I were running an offense against Greta (Schlichter),” Ganesharatnam said.

After an error by Bertolino brought Syracuse within just three points late in the second set, Harper killed three straight points. Then, Manyang killed a point assisted by Harper, extending the Yellow Jackets’ lead to seven.

“I wouldn’t necessarily call them role players,” Ganesharatnam said of the two. “It was just a shift in the offense (that put them at the forefront).”

In the third set, Syracuse kept on serving aggressively, but the Yellow Jackets utilized their depth to close the match. Harper and Manyang each had five kills in the final set while DeAndra Pierce and Kali Engeman each registered three kills.

Despite the Orange’s switch in defensive strategy, Georgia Tech had 18 kills with just two errors in the third set, winning by a wider margin (11) than in each of the first two sets.

“(Georgia Tech) has a very complete team,” Ganesharatnam said. “They do a lot of things at a high level, and they just focused on executing at a high level because they’re capable of doing that.”

Published on October 29, 2023 at 6:16 pm

Contact Sam: sefederm@syr.edu