After losing the season opener this past Wednesday, the NC State volleyball team dropped its second game to Duke 3-1 on Saturday night.
On Wednesday, NC State took the Blue Devils to five sets in the first game, ultimately falling 3-2, and was hoping to bounce back in the second game but once again came up short. The Pack has now lost three straight games to Duke, four out of the last five in the series and five straight games dating back to last season.
The first two sets of the game were won by Duke. The Blue Devils handily won the first set 25-16 despite having 22 attack attempts compared to NC State’s 34. The Pack was much less efficient than the Blue Devils in the first set with a hitting percentage of just 5.9 compared to Duke’s 40.9%.
The second set was much closer than the first, with Duke squeaking out a 25-22 win to go up 2-0. NC State was more efficient with an 18.2 hitting percentage, but not as efficient as the Blue Devils, who had a 20.8% hitting percentage.
NC State bounced back in the third set, winning 25-23 to make the score 2-1 in Duke’s favor. The Pack ramped up its defense in that set, holding the Blue Devils to a hitting percentage of just 8.5.
Duke won the fourth set 25-21 to clinch the match 3-1. NC State struggled hitting once again in the last set with just a 2.4 hitting percentage.
Poor hitting was the story of the night for the Wolfpack as it had an overall hitting percentage of just 9.9 compared to Duke’s 17.8% despite outpacing the Blue Devils in total attacks, 161 to 157. The Pack also committed 30 attack errors to Duke’s 21 and had eight total blocks compared to Duke’s 12.
Despite the loss, NC State had a few admirable individual performances. Senior opposite hitter Melissa Evans led all players in kills with 19 and in points with 22.5, sophomore setter Kristen McDaniel led all players in assists with 39, and redshirt junior defensive specialist/libero Kaylee Frazier led all players in digs with 23.
The Wolfpack will look to regroup this upcoming week as it returns to Raleigh to take on Virginia Tech in its first two home games of the season. The team will be looking for its first win of the season and first win for new head coach Luka Slabe.
