NC State volleyball fell to a losing record for the first time this season after a 3-1 loss against Clemson on the road Friday night.
The Wolfpack (10-11, 4-7 ACC) had a close start with the Tigers (12-12, 3-8 ACC) in the first set but ultimately lost 25-22. The Pack started slow in the second set, but it persevered to take the set 25-22. The third set saw the Pack fall behind early on and it was prevented from catching up, losing the set 25-16. The fourth set, which cemented the Pack’s loss as the Tigers, finished 25-17.
The first set was close from start to finish as neither team allowed more than a two-point gap except at the very end when Clemson pulled away 25-22.
The Tigers defense was solid as they managed 16 digs, 10 more than the Pack in the first set.
The Pack tried to stop the Tigers’ momentum towards the end of the set. It worked until NC State’s efforts were halted at 23-22. The Tigers then swiftly cleaned up the set.
The Tigers came out quickly in the second set, getting a jump start 6-1 lead. The Tigers carefully held this lead against the Pack and jumped ahead 13-8.
The Wolfpack tenaciously fought back, getting as close as 13-12 before slipping back again.
The Pack finally reaped the benefits of its efforts when the team tied the set a second time at 19-19. The Pack took the momentum and was undeterred by Clemson’s two timeouts.
The Pack went on a 3-0 run to lead 23-20. Two of the three points were from kills by junior middle blocker Lauryn Terry and freshman outside hitter Jade Parchment. Each finished the game with seven kills.
Both senior middle blocker Teni Sopitan and sophomore outside hitter Melissa Evans had 14 kills each. Evans had a .333 hitting percentage.
The Pack kept the third set close until it was left behind 15-8. After that, there wasn’t much NC State could do to recover as the Tigers easily swept the set 25-16.
Similar to the first set, the fourth set was closely contested. The Pack, determined to not have a repeat of the previous set, fought to close the gap 13-12, but it was futile when the Tigers moved ahead 18-13.
Clemson soon reached set point at 24-18. The Pack managed to go on a 4-0 run as a last-ditch effort, but after a kill from Clemson’s sophomore Brooke Bailey, the Pack lost 25-22.
The Pack will finish up the weekend on the road against Georgia Tech Sunday at 1 p.m.
