After finishing the 2019 season with an overall record of 43-19, the Tech baseball team is primed to make yet another appearance in the NCAA tournament during the 2020 season. Head coach Danny Hall just received a contract extension through 2023 following the Jackets’ best season since 2011, during which they surpassed the 40-win mark for the first time in the program’s history. 

Aside from a stellar coaching staff, the talent that Hall has brought in year after year proves his ability to recruit — a trait which Tech has seen in action quite a bit lately with Coach Collins and the football team on the hunt. Hall’s recruiting ability is not limited to his players, but also extends to his new coaches. Last season, Hall brought hitting coach James Ramsey to the Flats after Ramsey, a former student-athlete at Florida State University, closed out a successful professional career.

To start off the new decade, the Tech team was ranked No. 19 by D1Baseball among Division I teams across the country. This ranking can be attributed to the depth of the team, especially with the addition of freshmen which comprised the No. 4 best recruiting class in the country this past year. This is the second consecutive year that the Jackets have pulled in such a prestigious recruiting class, which bodes well for the upcoming season in terms of progression and growth. Furthermore, the Jackets will see the return of redshirt senior pitcher Andy Archer following a season out due to injury. There is no doubt that Archer will be returning to the field with the fire that comes with being forced to sit out a year. 

Seemingly unrelated on a surface level, but still an essential portion of player performance, Russ Chandler Stadium was crowned with the “Field of the Year” award for its “playability, appearance and utilization of innovative solutions” according to ramblinwreck.com. While it is Tech’s third time receiving this award, it is only the second time for Russ Chandler Stadium, bolstering the idea that Tech’s program provides the best environment for its players — a sure sticking point for Hall when it comes to recruiting. As the only baseball facility to receive the award in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Russ Chandler Stadium holds bragging rights that are untouchable by competitors. 

Speaking of competitors, the Jackets will face off against some of the same highly ranked opponents that the team faced in the NCAA tournament last year, providing necessary learning experiences early in the season. It will be interesting to watch and see which freshmen snatch up the opportunity to compete on a higher level when given the chance. Seven of the ten incoming freshmen are from Georgia, and all of them come with their own sets of accolades that they will carry onto campus. Each player has some sort of All-America honor, but the young group will need to quickly step up to fill the shoes of the Jackets that were selected in the MLB Draft last year. Aside from the freshmen, expect returning standouts such as juniors Luke Waddell, Michael Guldberg and Baron Radcliff to execute well on the field. 

The Jackets kick off their spring season on Valentine’s Day against the Saint Peter’s Peacocks before swinging into their first multi-day match-up against Ohio State a week later. Tech’s team is on the young side this year, but Coach Hall has certainly proven himself as a coach.

As the month of January passes by, so does the determination and will that drove the resolutions made by many at the beginning of the year. Historically, a new year has always marked a chance to establish a beginning for a goal. The most tangible New Year’s resolution can be sought out as an occupant of the Campus Recreation Center here at Tech — get “fit,” lose weight, work out more, etc. While the idea of a resolution can spark a few days, maybe even a week or two of motivation, that short amount of time rarely makes a difference unless you can stick with it beyond the first month of the year. 

What if, rather than making resolutions that are often impacted by societal perceptions, we made resolutions purely for ourselves? Buckle up for this story of my holiday break failure, paired with the reasoning behind my resolution.

I always believed that, given a recipe with clear directions, I could cook just about anything. It makes sense, right? I go to Tech, so I must know how to measure things, I have proven myself to be decent at following instructions through various outlets. Surely I can understand the basics of cooking. 

Over this past winter holiday break, I found out that I actually lacked the first two skills, and was much more on the “basics” side of things than I thought when it came to the kitchen. 

When we hosted multiple guests while I was home, I was driven by the desire to not only create a charcuterie board, but also to cook multiple dishes that tasted good and were presented beautifully.

I chose some recipes and embarked on my cooking spree. While making a dish for just my family, I read some directions that said to gradually pour one-quarter cup of the solution I had made over some rice. 

Mind you, this recipe had produced about one and a half cups of the solution in total. I figured the recipe meant to pour one-quarter cup after another, gradually, until all of the solution was used — I ended up with some extremely soggy rice, which I had to throw out and redo. 

“No worries,” I thought. 

Later that day, I dealt with another “simple” recipe that called for three-quarters of a cup of cheese, which I filed away in my brain to mean that I would use these three-quarters of a cup. All. At. Once. 

Most of you can tell where this is going — in fact, I needed to use one-quarter cup of cheese at one point in the recipe, then use the rest later. Alas, I dumped my cheese into the pan, realizing my mistake too late. 

After having this realization, I started laughing, which turned into tears as I came to the quick conclusion that I do not know how to follow directions! 

It was the straw that broke the camel’s back after I had laughed off the first mishap. Thankfully, too much cheese never really hurt anyone (unless you are lactose-intolerant), so I soldiered on with my mom’s assurance that it would taste fine. 

In the end, both of these recipes turned out just fine, but not without me having a big awakening in terms of my own capabilities — something that I find to always be a nice knock back to reality. I had not thought much about a New Year’s resolution, but I assumed it would be related to fitness or thought processes. With a week left in 2019, I proudly declared to my parents that my resolution would be to cook a “real” meal for myself at least once a week, with “real” ingredients and proper preparation. 

This meant I would cook with fresh veggies, meat and spices — oh, and I would have to measure everything while following a recipe of choice.

I am going on my third week of this resolution and I am happy to report that I have not messed up a measurement yet. While I applaud those that make huge resolutions and stick with them, I believe that this may be my most successful year yet in terms of fulfilling my resolution, due to not only the necessity of feeding myself, but also my desire to truly better myself in this one respect. 

While fitness resolutions in particular can be hard to stick with, whether it is because one never feels like they accomplish being “fit” or because it can be such a drastic change from the past year’s routine, taking this crucial element of my daily life and turning it into a learning experience is something I feel will be a resolution of growth.

After a whirlwind of a winning season, the Tech volleyball team was sorely disappointed to be left out from a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The women ended the season with a 26-8 performance that broke numerous records, including surpassing a total of 700 Division I wins in the program’s history. The stellar season continued past regular play as the Jackets were given the opportunity to compete in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), which kicked off with a home-court advantage in O’Keefe. Unlike last year’s performance in the same tournament, the Jackets continued well past the second round to a winning title. These are some of the highlights from the NIVC action.

Control from the Start

The Jackets swept their first match over Alabama A&M with a season-high hitting percentage of .545 according to ramblinwreck.com. After being named ACC Freshman of the Year just days before, freshman outside hitter Julia Bergmann hit a season high of seven service aces alongside ten total kills. Joining her in the double-digit kills arena were sophomore outside hitters Mariana Brambilla and Mikaila Dowd, as well as sophomore middle blocker Kayla Kaiser. Brambilla earned first-team all-ACC honors, while Kaiser and Dowd were both named to the second team all-ACC selection. The match against the Bulldogs further emphasized the strength of the younger players that had been seen throughout the season, while simultaneously giving the Jackets yet another morale boost as they marched to another victory.

Bergmann’s Dominance

Although she is only in her first year with the Jackets, Julia Bermann had no hesitations when making a name for herself throughout the past season. In addition to receiving first team all-ACC honors and numerous freshman-specific accolades such as ACC Freshman of the Week and ACC Freshman of the Year, Bergmann led the Jackets with 427 total season kills. She is the first Tech volleyball player to be named Freshman of the Year in nearly a decade — the last time a Tech player received the honor was when Monique Mead was awarded it back in 2009. Along with the ACC awards, Bergmann was also named Region Freshman of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), yet another honor that was seemingly a thing of the past for the Jackets – the last player to receive this award was Kele Eveland in 2000. Bergmann closed the season during the NIVC title match with a total of 15 double-doubles, aiding the Jackets to seal their victory over South Dakota for the NIVC title. Looking forward, she will be an essential asset to the strength and leadership of the Tech team, especially with the five experienced seniors that will have graduated by next season. 

Youth Prevails

When viewing statistics from the past season, it is evident that the Jackets are young, yet extremely competent based on the high number of kills and percentages across the board for the underclassmen players — while a young team can sometimes be a tricky situation, it panned out well for Coach Collier and the Jackets this season, while boding well for the future team. Standout players who were named to all-ACC selections included underclassmen such as Bergmann, Brambilla, Kaiser, Dowd and sophomore setter Matti McKissock. The only upperclassman in that category was senior middle blocker Kodie Comby, who graduated in December. The AVCA awards were less-inclusive of the Jackets, but once again included Bergmann, McKissock, Brambilla and Comby. This steady and proven expertise of the up-and-coming Jackets not only shows that Collier and her coaching staff had a high level of success in terms of recruiting, but that the players and staff are able to work together to further the accomplishments of the team once all pieces are put into play. 

Planning Ahead

Following her various achievements throughout the season as the head coach of an advancing team, Collier continuously touched on the idea that while she acknowledges the accomplishments, she wishes to move forward towards bigger and better successes. The Jackets will undoubtedly chase an entry into the NCAA tournament next year, especially after missing out behind teams that the Jackets beat whole-heartedly previously in the season. While there is no crystal ball to predict the season of Tech volleyball, it seems inevitable that the current underclassmen will continue to impress. 

Tech volleyball has been on a roll as of late, and accolades for freshmen and seniors alike have followed. It seems like every headline for the squad has contained mention of new records or awards — rightfully so as the Jackets extended their wins to eight in a row thus far, with no signs of letting up. With their game against North Carolina State, the Jackets recorded their eighth-straight ACC win, topping their program-record of six-straight ACC wins — all of this while simultaneously helping head coach Michelle Collier to her 100th win with Tech, and then some. 

Collier has made her mark as the third coach in Tech history to achieve 100 wins alongside Shelton Collier and Bond Shymansky, but stresses that the credit is due to her players. After freshman outside hitter Julia Bergmann earned Invitational MVP honors earlier and the season, and senior middle block Kodie Comby was ranked No. 1 in the nation in hitting percentage, Collier has made it clear that her team has a vast range of talents to utilize. Essentially any news article about the team mentions both Bergmann’s and Comby’s achievements — the pair are emerging as stars for this Jackets squad.

The Jackets have been aided by a seemingly unstoppable group of sophomores — outside hitters Mariana Brambilla and Mikaila Dowd, setter Matti McKissock and middle blocker Kayla Kaiser. Bergmann, Comby and the group of sophomores lead the team in statistics such as kills, digs and overall points. Against NC State, Bergmann reached 11 double-doubles on the season, while teammates Dowd and Brambilla are not far behind. Brambilla set her own season-high in kills at 21 in total against the Wolfpack, while Kaiser matched her own career high in blocks with five.

The women have had success in hitting the ground running in each matchup, winning the first set of all of the past eight games except that against the University of North Carolina on November 1. For the first six games of their win streak, the Jackets swept each ACC opponent with 3-0 wins, but the last two matchups have been tighter, with Tech hanging on in both cases 3-2. This season, the team has an 11-1 record in three sets, a 3-5 record in four sets and a 2-1 record in 5 sets, making it clear that, more often than not, the Jackets get the job done in the shortest amount of time possible.

Tech continues its road conference competition against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Nov. 8 in what may be Tech’s biggest game of the season. Pitt is currently 12-0 in the conference, leading the ACC and ranking No. 2 in the nation, while Tech is seeking to top the ACC winning streak they maintained for ten games back in 2016 and are currently tied for No. 2 in the ACC with Florida State. 

Tech will then conclude their season with road games against Virginia and Miami, along with a home slate of N.C. State, Clemson, and Notre Dame. If the Jackets beat Pitt and finish the season strong against their remaining opponents — a strong possibility given their play — it would put the team in a solid position to be invited to the NCAA tournament at the end of the season, a fine finish for a talented and deserving Tech team.

The Tech women’s basketball team kicked off the season with their first official practice at the end of September, bringing together a squad of returners and new faces alike. The coaching drama that took place during the spring semester has not seemed to faze the existing team; the women put their heads down over the summer and into the past few months of fall to strive for better results this season. With Coach Nell Fortner at the helm, the team is primed to pursue an appearance in the NCAA tournament after finishing last season with a 17-9 record, going 7-9 in ACC play.

The season does not technically start until Nov. 5, but captains Kierra Fletcher, a junior point guard, and Francesca Pan, a senior forward, represented the team at the 2019 ACC Tipoff event at the beginning of October along with Fortner. The selected women serve as established leaders among the group of nine letter-winning returners from last season. Tech also added three players to their roster this year — sophomore transfer Sarah Bates, freshmen Nerea Hermosa Monreal and Ronni Nwora. Bates played her freshman season at UC Santa Barbara, then transferred to Tech from Kansas State and received NCAA approval for immediate eligibility in August. 

In an interview with ramblinwreck.com, Fletcher said she believes that the team will be “active on defense, but not as much full court press,” a change from the way the Jackets have played over the past few years. On average during the 2018-19 season, the team scored 67.5 points per game with a .388 field goal percentage. The team also had a .303 3-point field goal percentage. Tech’s first opponent, the University of Houston, had a comparative .399 field goal percentage and .298 3-point field goal percentage, with an average of 68.2 points per game. Their team had three seniors graduate but maintained many of the same players from last year. 

The Jackets play against Grambling State on Nov. 10 at McCamish Pavilion. Grambling State posted an average of 63.6 points per game with a field goal percentage of .391 and a 3 point percentage of .294. While the percentages are close to that of Tech and Houston, Grambling State’s points per game come up short in comparison to the Jackets. Additionally, Tech had 41.1 rebounds per game last season, while Grambling State had 37.2. 

Tech has the benefit of a home court advantage during these first two games before heading to Athens to play Georgia on Nov. 7. The women’s team over at the University of Georgia had a significantly higher field goal percentage at .434 last season, with an average of 68.3 points per game. The team had a .304 3 point percentage, which falls in line with that of the Jackets. Returners Pan, Fletcher and junior forward Lorela Cubaj can lead the team in tipping the scale against the Bulldogs, bolstered by their teammates and Fortner’s energy.

The Jackets compete in several non-conference games and at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas before wrapping up the early portion of their schedule in San Juan, Puerto Rico against Texas A&M and Rice at the Coqui Classic. The conference season gets underway on Dec. 29 against the University of Virginia at home. From there, the Jackets face ACC opponents until their last regular game at Clemson on March 1, before the ACC tournament. 

As usual, the team hopes to progress through the championship season and the NCAA tournament — their refreshed outlook could regular season success. For a Tech team with realistic WWdreams, that could go a long way.

It is not uncommon to see players sustain injuries during spring football practices, but they generally rebound in time for the fall season where the injuries are often pushed aside as athletes fight for playing time. However, Tech’s squad seems to be accumulating severe, sometimes season-ending injuries during the week at practice and on the field during games with no end in sight. 

Despite a bruising matchup against reigning national champions Clemson to begin the season, Tech started the season relatively unscathed. Redshirt sophomore left guard Mike Minihan and senior center Kenny Cooper were both injured during the first few weeks of the season, weakening the offensive line, but the players were not ruled out permanently.

The Jackets’ injury luck took a turn for the worse, however, as senior offensive tackle Jahaziel Lee went down in the third quarter of the game against the Citadel in mid-September, putting a damper on Cooper’s return to action in the game. Postgame, Tech announced that Lee suffered from a broken tibia, ending his season. Redshirt freshman quarterback James Graham was also in a boot on the sidelines for an undisclosed reason, but Graham was back in action for the Carolina game.

While Cooper returned to action quickly against the Citadel, he was just as quickly taken out of the game against Temple with an apparent hip injury that ended his season, according to ESPN. Missing two impact players in Cooper and Lee, the offensive line was left with two huge sets of shoes to fill. Players such as redshirt sophomores William Lay III and Zach Quinney, along with redshirt senior Jared Southers have stepped up in their place but Tech’s protection has still struggled. Tech ranks towards the bottom of the country among FBS teams in sacks allowed per game at 2.6. With Tech’s move towards a more pass-heavy offense, the combination of inexperience and additional pass-blocking responsibilities has left the Tech offensive line.

Along with Lee and Cooper, quarterback Lucas Johnson was out against Temple and North Carolina due to a shoulder issue, as reported by USA Today. Tech’s QB depth has been tested this year with injuries to Johnson and Graham, as well as the transition of Tobias Oliver to wide receiver. True freshman QB Jordan Yates has jumped up the depth charts with Oliver moving to a different role in Geoff Collins’ offense.

Oliver himself has seen time all over the field as a result of Tech’s injuries. While recruited as a QB, Oliver has played every offensive position except tight-end for Tech this year in addition to serving as its best kick-returner. Oliver has to date rushed for 279 yards, recieved 19 yards, passed for 177 yards, and returned for 253 yards — serving as Tech’s swiss army knife on offense. Again, Oliver’s expanded, do-it-all role has come about as a result of Tech’s depleted depth charts.

Senior wide receiver Jalen Camp is also recovering from a season-ending knee surgery, a big hit to a Tech offense that has struggled in the air. Camp is an experienced player with one of the highest per-catch averages on the team at 20.8 yards. He started in 11 of his 12 game appearances last year and was one of Tech’s most reliable playmakers in Paul Johnson’s run heavy triple option — last year, Camp finished no. 2 on the team among WR in recieving yards behind then-senior Brad Stewart. As Camp has not redshirted thus far in his collegiate career and only played in four games this season, he would be eligible for a fifth year if he takes a redshirt.

As the season steamrolls onward, the top tier Tech football players seem to be falling to the sidelines due to an array of injuries. Yet, where one player falls, there is another that steps up, ready to roll — a part of Collin’s “Above The Line” philosophy that ensures that Tech has multiple players ready to play at any time in any position in a game. Collins has created a culture and a roster scheme that allows all players to step up to the challenge, which seems to serve the team well in this time of transition and struggle.

Flying typically brings to mind thoughts of exotic destinations, thrilling new memories and everything else summed into one word — “vacation.” However, what happens when passengers remain plugged in even when they are supposed to be “getting away?” As many airlines make progress towards universalizing free in-flight Wi-Fi, I fear the day that my travels among the clouds are filled with the chattering of cell phone conversations, notification bells and disruptive messages from down below. When I fly, I use the time for a variety of activities, some of which are productive in the form of work or focused reading, and some of which are relaxing like napping or listening to music. But what happens when passengers cannot do any of those things without disruption in such a confined space?

My main argument against free, unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi stems from the aforementioned idea that flights should be a place of peace and limited disruption. Of course, there will always be the crying infant, kids watching a movie on a device without headphones or an adult who just cannot seem to find their “inside voice,” but why should I be subjected to the frenzy of media and alerts that I am inundated by when on the ground? Flying used to be a time to unplug, as there was not the option to connect using Wi-Fi provided specifically for this in-flight entertainment.

I agree that in-flight entertainment using a personal screen has its perks, especially when it comes to the amusement of young children who become restless after 15 minutes sitting in the middle of a three-seater row. I take part in the free messaging ability of Delta’s network, which while slow, is admittedly better than disconnecting from friends for hours on end when important things are taking place. Yet, I choose to connect silently in the form of messages rather than FaceTimes or phone calls. Once in-flight Wi-Fi is made unlimited and free for all passengers, it is inevitable that some will abuse the ability in the form of communication that disrupts other passengers. Already, there are reports of passenger arguments that can escalate to banishment from a flight — this will only be escalated with widespread availability of Wi-Fi. That person talking loudly on the phone in a quiet study space? Now they are next to you on a four hour flight and you cannot simply up and move.

Logistically, I find it hard to believe that these airlines would be able to provide free unlimited Wi-Fi at a speed that would allow passengers to be productive, regardless of if they are downloading work documents or streaming music. The messaging ability on Delta’s flights does the trick, but it is far from the speed which messages are sent on land. Some airlines offer free in-flight Wi-Fi, but only for limited amounts of time or data usage, which helps with the quantity of users and speed of the network. I am no computer-whiz, but I doubt that a flight of a couple hundred passengers would all be able to utilize a Wi-Fi network at an altitude so far away from any transmission or tower with any efficiency.

My thoughts most likely fall short of any argument that would convince airlines to reverse their progress, but I beg them to consider limitations and standards to what can be done on a flight. Just as on land, we never know what those around us are escaping from, nor do we know what they are trying to accomplish while we all speed from point A to point B.

Although the club sports organizations at Tech lack coverage in comparison to what takes place regarding Tech’s Division I athletics programs, the groups have racked up quite the list of accomplishments in the past year. Unlike intramural sports, club sports compete against other colleges in competitions. Whether a student is interested in archery, squash or lacrosse, Tech’s sport clubs have a multitude of options from which to choose. Here are some highlights from the past year for some of Tech’s most popular club sports.

Ice Hockey

The Ice Hockey club team recently acquired access to a new rink in Marietta, a mere 20 minutes from campus, which should afford them the opportunity to build their home crowd. Matthew Jones, the current president of the club, reminisced on last year’s win against the University of Georgia in front of 9,000 fans during the Savannah Hockey Classic in Jan., saying ”The celebration afterwards was awesome, and a lot of bad karaoke was sung that night.” The win was all the more improbable given that the team was missing several players due to injury, internships and graduation, and made all the more sweet by Tech’s storied rivalry against the Georgia Bulldogs. This season, the Ice Hockey team hopes to make it through regionals and onto nationals while expanding their fan base at Tech.

Men’s Rugby

The Men’s Rugby club at Tech joined a new division last year, the Georgia Rugby Union (GRU), which pit them against Valdosta State as the “team to beat,” says president Trent Davidson. Davidson watched from the sidelines during the game due to injury, but still saw the team “grow exponentially as new players took leadership roles” with “a true awe inspiring desire to win.” The match ended in a 33-12 upset for Tech, lending momentum to what ended up in an undefeated season. On the back of such successes, rugby has continued to expand — Davidson remembers that he was one of 15 team members his freshman year, but the roster is now a whopping 49 players. The team has opted to join the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference this season, a Division I conference, in order to take their competition to the next level.

Women’s Rugby

The Women’s Rugby club returned to the playoffs in the South Independent Rugby Conference for the first time in four years this past season, placing third out of eight teams at the competition in New Orleans. The team’s president Carolyn Majane says that the group hopes “to place even higher in the SIRC and continue onto the DII Nationals” this year. Both rugby teams — men’s and women’s — kicked off their seasons at the beginning of the semester and matches will continue through Nov.

Swim

The Swim club at Tech capped off last season with a win at the College Club Swimming National Championship, which took place at Ohio State University back in April. The team arrived as the defending champions, and could potentially make it a three-peat this year. As this year’s president, Jake Grant wants to see “a well run team, with happy and included swimmers.” Grant believes that enjoyment through athletics “goes hand in hand with growth and relationships”.

Tennis

Tennis club carries accolades such as Nationals Qualifier in the years between 2013 and 2015, as well as the title of Copper Bracket Champion back in 2014. The team won the Southern Sectional tournament in Auburn in 2017 before going on to place eighth nationally in Orlando. Club president Caroline Wakefield says that the team aspires to place in the top ten nationally, but first must “get a bid to nationals by doing well in the Southern tournament in February.” Her most memorable moment from the past year was at the Bulldog Classic in Athens, where the team picked up a win in Tech’s rivalry against UGA.

The deafening roar of O’Keefe Gymnasium, home to Tech volleyball, hit an all-time high in terms of morale as the Jackets secured win No. 700 in the program’s Division I history. The stretch of wins began back in 1983, when Coach Mary Ann Ingram led the Jackets against Mercer. This most recent win came against Lipscomb during the Hyatt Regency Invitational, following a loss earlier in the week to Kennesaw State.

The team kicked off the 2019 season with the annual Gold/White scrimmage, where Tech players face off against one another, giving four freshmen — Julia Bergmann, Paola Laborda, Erin Moss and Grace McIntosh — the opportunity to show off their skills. Bergmann posted her first official double-double with the team, which, along with 12 kills and 15 digs, sets her apart from the rest of her class.

Prior to the start of the official season, Tech traveled to Auburn for an exhibition match. Tech and Auburn were evenly matched via RPI at the end of last season, so it came as no surprise that the matches went back and forth. After Auburn took the first two sets, the Jackets fought back to win the third; however, the fourth went 25-16 in favor of Auburn, finishing off Tech with a loss.

The Jackets then hosted the Georgia Tech Invitational with match ups against Long Beach State, Southern University and UNC Asheville. The team won 3-1 over Long Beach State after getting the momentum started early with a win in the first set. The Jackets then proceeded to sweep the last two teams, winning 3-0 in both games. Bergmann continued to stand out, while teammates such as Moss and Mikaila Dowd also stood out.

Next was the Hyatt Regency Invitational, in which the Jackets played against IUPUI for the first time. Tech came away with a win against the Jaguars, 3-0, following a 3-1 win the night before against the Lipscomb Bisons.

Underclassmen like Bergmann and middle blocker Moss have lent significant time and scoring to the Jackets even though the season is still young. Bergmann earned Invitational MVP honors with 44 kills, 37 digs and eight service aces after putting up 17 kills against Kennesaw, and continued to roll against Lipscomb with her third double-double of the season, with 19 kills and 13 digs.

Bergmann has led the team in kills in every match this season, which serves her well as she moves up in individual rankings. However, she was not alone as sophomore outside hitters Mariana Brambilla and Dowd joined her with double-digit kills during the Invitational. Dowd marked her second double-double of the season thus far. Additionally, Matti McKissock recorded a career-high 53 assists to surpass the 1,000 assist mark as a member of the Tech team. She is one of only 13 players to have done so with the Jackets.

The lone upperclassman who has been making an appearance on a regular basis on the stats sheet has been senior middle blocker Kodie Comby, but seniors Emily Becker, Coral Kazaroff, Lexi Dorn and Simone Spencer serve not just as players, but leaders of this Tech volleyball team. Between the experience of these five women paired with the clear prowess of the underclassmen, it appears that head coach Michelle Collier has a great group to work with this season. The Jackets will take on the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns at the OU Nike Invitational on Friday, Sept.13 before facing Arizona State and Oklahoma during the same trip. ACC play opens during the weekend of Sept. 27.

After redshirt junior David Curry was granted a sixth year of eligibility under Coach Paul Johnson, redshirt sophomore Lucas Johnson was deemed eligible for a sixth year immediately prior to the beginning of the 2019 school year. Both players were gifted this opportunity after missing a season each due to injury following previous redshirt seasons with Tech. This waiver seems to be handed out more frequently these days as players find a way to squeeze in every last moment that they can take from college football — why, then, are other sports not seeing the same increase in athletes with six years of eligibility?

SBnation.com has a whole article on accessing upwards of seven years of eligibility and how it can be accomplished, exemplified by San Jose State running back Deontae Cooper, who was granted a full seven years by the NCAA back in 2016. It may be nice for a player to stay with his teammates for an extra few years, or get more playing time to prepare him for the NFL Draft that he will hypothetically be called up in, but at what cost? If a player has missed a season or more due to injury, that is a year sat out that his peers are progressing. Yes, a student-athlete has every right to his five years of eligibility that provide him an education and platform to build a more stable environment for himself. But what about incoming players that may be in need of that player’s scholarship spot?

When comparing football to other sports, the NCAA has a much more relaxed definition of competition as to determine if the player can take a redshirt season. As of 2018, Division I college football players can play in up to four games per season without using a season of eligibility. In other Division I sports, athletes lose a season as soon as they compete for one second. For example, if a baseball player appears in one inning of one game, he loses a season of eligibility unless he applies for a hardship waiver. A swimmer loses her eligibility the moment she dives off of the block at a meet, no matter how long the race is or how big the meet. Why does football get not just one, but four games excused?

Beyond the apparent skewness of the redshirt and eligibility rules created by the NCAA stands the thought of financial funding by each institution. One may assume that most players staying an extra one, two or three years are on partial or full scholarship. Theoretically, it is smart for the athletes to stretch out their scholarship-supported time at school for as long as possible, achieving as many degrees as they can fit in while competing. Yet most “regular” students can attest to the fact that the majority of student-athletes are too busy with their practices, games and recovery to fully reap the benefits of an education, especially at a highly regarded school such as Tech. At what point do these degrees become nothing more than a piece of paper with little knowledge to back up the supposed learning experience? Instead, these scholarships may be more productive when put towards an incoming undergraduate student-athlete with lesser knowledge and higher potential to learn.

It is doubtful that the NCAA will go back on their allowance of a sixth or even seventh year of eligibility for football, but it would be nice to see the committee expand this opportunity to other sports programs. Furthermore, the NCAA should make sure that the student-athletes who are granted this opportunity are taking full advantage from an academic standpoint and upholding a certain grade point average without taking shortcuts. The love of the game is a real thing, but all players must call it quits eventually. At the end of the day, the purpose of college is to get an education, especially with less than one percent of college football players progressing to the next level and even fewer in other sports.