After getting its first win of the season Friday, NC State volleyball looked to make it two in a row against the Virginia Cavaliers. Virginia made NC State work for most of the evening, even taking a set and threatening for most of the match, but in the end, the Pack prevailed 3-1 in sets.
NC State started off hot, in what would be a prevailing theme for the night, and held the lead for most of the first set, including an 18-14 lead on the Cavaliers late. However, Virginia came back to tie the set at 24 and then stunned the Wolfpack by taking the set 26-24.
The second set began in a similar fashion, with the Pack taking a 15-9 advantage against Virginia after redshirt sophomore Savannah Bryant hit her second service ace. This time, the Cavaliers didn’t wait until late to mount their comeback, going on an 8-1 run before an NC State timeout stemmed the Cavalier tide and prevented them from extending a 19-18 lead. Whatever head coach Luka Slabe said to the team seemed to motivate them enough, however, as freshman middle blocker Riley Shaak tied the game at 19 with a kill, and the Pack stormed back to take the second set.
Even though the Wolfpack took the early lead in the fourth set, the Cavaliers hung around and were always within a point of taking control of the set. A kill from junior outside hitter Jade Parchment, her 10th of the game, was a good enough boost to give them a 20-18 lead, a sizable lead considering how close the set was played. But it gave NC State enough breathing room to pull away, and the Pack took the third set 25-21.
After playing three close sets that went down to the wire, the fourth set was almost anti-climactic. The Wolfpack got a 9-6 lead after a 3-0 run and then played most of the set with either a four- or a five-point lead. A block late in the fourth set extended the Wolfpack lead once again, this time to 18-12. An ace from Shaak stretched out the Wolfpack lead to 24-16, and by the time NC State got the match point, the team was practically sprinting towards victory.
Overall, NC State had a hit percentage of .179, with Shaak leading the way with .467. Senior opposite hitter Melissa Evans continues to add to her storied NC State career with 12 digs and 13 kills. Not far behind however was Parchment with nine digs and 15 kills. Also contributing with some crucial digs were redshirt junior libero Kaylee Frazier and sophomore setter Kristen McDaniel, with 16 and 14, respectively. Shaak and Parchment both contributed four blocks but it was junior middle blocker Pam Chukwujekwu, who outpaced them both with five of her own.
Fans of NC State Volleyball are in luck because the previously postponed games against Virginia Tech have been put back on the schedule. Pack Volleyball will be back at Reynolds Coliseum to take on the Hokies, first on October 29 at 7 p.m. and then on October 30 at 5 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
