NC State volleyball remains on the road for its third straight game; the Pack will take on Clemson Friday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m.
For the past three years the Wolfpack has defeated Clemson 3-0. Last season the Pack out-blocked the Tigers 14-8, out-killed them by 10 and out-dug them by nine.
The only area where Clemson came out on top last year had been service aces, where the Tigers were able to score four free points. Despite that, the Pack defeated the Tigers in three sets and there was no overtime in any set.
Senior middle blocker Teni Sopitan had nine kills that game, but this season, Sopitan averages almost four points a set. With Sopitan’s strong performance in scoring, along with outside hitters sophomore Melissa Evans and freshman Jade Parchment, the Pack continues to have a strong offensive lineup along with senior setter Kylie Pickrell.
The Wolfpack has been doing better blocking, as seen against Boston College, when the Pack had six more blocks than the Eagles. Earlier in the season, the Pack suffered when it was out-blocked 15-7 against UNC-Chapel Hill and 11-2 against Florida State.
Junior middle blocker Lauryn Terry, a skilled blocker, was the only player to have two solo blocks against Clemson last season amongst the 11 blocks she had throughout the entire match.
In the defensive line, senior libero Makenzie Kuchmaner manages almost five digs per set and almost reached a season high this past weekend. Kuchmaner had 26 digs against Boston College, just three digs shy of topping her current season high of 28 digs, which she had in the first ACC match of the season against Louisville.
The Wolfpack is in a good position to gain its fifth ACC win when it plays at its potential. Comparing the Tigers’ season to the Pack’s, NC State appears to be in a better position. The Wolfpack defeated Boston College and Notre Dame, two teams that Clemson fell to. Miami is the only team that Clemson defeated that the Pack was not able to. Other than that, the Pack is in a better position to win.
