NC State volleyball won 3-2 against Wake Forest in its Alumni Weekend game on Friday night.
The Wolfpack (11-12, 5-8 ACC) may have started the first set by trailing the Deacons (8-17, 3-10 ACC) but the Pack came out on top 25-21. The second set saw the opposite effect where the Pack took an early lead but soon found itself trailing in the middle of the set. The Pack came back but ultimately fell 26-24. The Pack and the Deacons split the next two sets, leading the game into the fifth and final set. The Pack finished off the game in the fifth set 15-5.
“We had longer runs and when it was inconsistent, in that moment ‘okay, we need to get it back. It’s time to grind it out,’ even when we’re down,” freshman outside hitter Jade Parchment said. “And I think that’s where we struggled when we played Georgia Tech, it was just point after point after point and there wasn’t a moment where we really got together.”
The first set saw the Pack trailing the Deacons in the beginning, 7-5. Parchment closed the gap between the Pack and the Deacons to one point twice.
The Wolfpack was able to pull ahead 11-10 after the Deacons made two consecutive errors. Junior middle blocker Lauryn Terry helped the Pack keep the lead with a tip and a kill to lead 13-11.
Wake Forest was able to come back and took the lead at 18-14. The Wolfpack was determined to not let itself slip any further. Upon returning from a timeout, a kill from senior middle blocker Teni Sopitan and a block from graduate middle blocker Kiera Moore brought the Pack closer to the Deacons, 18-16.
To try and stop the Pack, the Deacons called for a timeout but it was futile as the Pack tied up the score and pulled away 22-21. From there, it was a smooth victory as the Pack easily reached 25 points.
A block from sophomore outside hitter Melissa Evans sealed the score at 25-21.
The Wolfpack had a quick start on the second set, taking an early 7-3 lead. The Pack held onto this lead until the Deacons tied up the set and pulled ahead 13-11.
NC State responded to the lead change by calling a timeout, but the Deacons increased their lead to 15-11.
Parchment stopped the bleeding with a kill followed by a service ace from Evans. A 3-0 run allowed the Pack to come back at 15-14.
The Wolfpack finally caught up to the Deacons and a kill from Parchment put the Pack back in the lead at 17-16. A well-positioned block from Sopitan put the Pack back in the lead 22-21. The set stayed close as both teams fought for the second set, 23-23.
Due to a service error from the Deacons, the score was tied at 24-24, effectively placing the set into overtime. The Deacons came out victorious at 26-24.
The third set was tight between the Wolfpack and the Deacons starting out 8-8. The Pack broke away 11-8, causing the Deacons to call a timeout in an effort to halt the 3-0 run from continuing.
The 6-0 run allowed the Pack to get ahead 17-9. A kill from Sopitan from the opposite side hit the front corner opposite her to pu the Pack up 10 points at 21-11.
The Wolfpack struggled to close the set quickly and allowed the Deacons to close the gap at 23-21. The Pack finished out the set by the skin of its teeth, winning 25-23.
Although the fourth set started close but in the Pack’s favor, Wake Forest soon went on a 4-0 run to lead 12-8.
The Pack called a timeout after the Deacons went on another 4-0 run, making it 16-9. This time the Pack came back with its own run, turning the tables on the Deacons to make it 16-12.
Wake Forest was able to take back its lead on a 5-0 run but the Pack tried to close the gap at the last minute, 24-20. The Deacons were able to pull through though and won the set 25-20.
With a tied 2-2 set score, the Pack came out with a 7-1 start in the final set. The Pack maintained an easy lead at 10-3 and quickly won the set 15-5.
“It was so nice to play at home,” head coach Linda Hampton-Keith said. “Obviously it was up and down like a roller coaster of a match. A huge great step forward was how we responded through riding the ups and downs.”
The Wolfpack will return to Reynolds Coliseum this Sunday to wrap up Alumni Weekend against Duke at 2 p.m.
