NC State volleyball returns from being on the road for the past four games to play against Virginia this Friday at Reynolds Coliseum.
The road was rough on the Wolfpack (8-8, 2-4 ACC) as it only managed one win against Virginia Tech and lost to UNC-Chapel Hill 1-3, Florida State 0-3 and Miami 1-3.
The Pack is looking to resume its strong performance on its home court after having won its last home match 3-1 against Notre Dame.
Last season, the Pack defeated Virginia 3-0 for its seventh ACC win during its undefeated run. Senior middle blocker Teni Sopitan had nine kills of her 10 points. Senior setter Kylie Pickrell had an ace, two blocks and three kills.
The Pack played better each set against Virginia, holding the Cavaliers to fewer and fewer points. In the first set, Virginia had hit its peak with 20 points but was then held to 25-19 and finally 25-17 in the third and final set.
The Pack managed to keep Virginia’s top scorer to 11 points. Notably, the Pack out-blocked Virginia 10-5 but both had 42 kills throughout the entire match. Blocking has been a weaker part of the Pack’s game this season, and if the game is anything like last season, Virginia could give the Pack a hard time as both teams focus on offensive play.
It could be a similar game if the Pack plays to its potential. Last season, the Pack had been 7-0 while the Cavaliers were 0-7. This season, the Pack has been struggling in the early part of the ACC season with a 2-4 record. The Cavaliers are having even more troubles with a 1-5 current ACC record.
The Cavaliers have lost to Florida State 0-3, Miami 1-3 and Virginia Tech 0-3.
The Wolfpack should watch out for Virginia’s sophomore Sarah Billiard and junior Jelena Novakovic who are the Cavaliers’ top hitters. Billiard’s season high was against Mason with 25 kills out of her 27 points. Novakovic’s best game was against Boston College with 17 points, 15 of her points being kills.
The Wolfpack has a few more days of rest and time to prepare for its upcoming match with the first serve at 6 p.m.
