NC State volleyball wrapped up the weekend on the road 1-1 with a 3-1 win against Boston College and a 3-1 loss against Syracuse.
The Wolfpack (10-10, 4-6 ACC) started the weekend off strong against Boston College (13-9, 3-7 ACC), winning the first two sets 25-21 and 25-16. The Pack slipped slightly in the third set when the Eagles were able to pull ahead 25-21. The Pack quickly turned it around in the fourth set to secure its victory 25-19.
The Pack was strong defensively, out-blocking BC 11-5 with sophomore outside hitter Melissa Evans having a season high of six blocks. The Pack also out-dug the Eagles by 11. Senior libero Makenzie Kuchmaner had 26 digs followed by senior setter Kylie Pickrell who had 14 digs.
Pickrell had 50 assists out of the Pack’s 55 assists throughout the match. It’s also only three assists less than her season high of 53 assists when the team played against Utah Valley.
Offensively, senior middle blocker Teni Sopitan had her own season high of 21 kills. Following in kills were Evans with 12 and freshman outside hitter Jade Parchment with 10.
The Wolfpack also kept it tight by keeping its errors to a minimum, committing 10 fewer errors than the Eagles by the end of four sets.
Overall, the Pack’s strongest set was the second by keeping the Eagles in check at 16 points. The Pack started to pull away 19-13 and kept the lead at 21-14. At the moment when these noticeably large deficits occurred, it was due to an error by the Eagles.
Finishing up the weekend, the Pack had a bad start against Syracuse (12-6, 8-2 ACC), losing the first set 25-9. The Pack managed to win the second set 25-22, but Syracuse was able to secure the third set 25-20 and the fourth set 25-23.
Defensively, Kuchmaner was able to pick up 19 digs followed by Parchment who had 11 digs. The Pack was out-blocked 14-9 despite junior middle blocker Lauryn Terry who had seven blocks, two of which were solo.
Offensively, the Pack faltered as it only had two players reach double digits in kills. Parchment had 20 kills and Sopitan collected 18 kills.
The largest factor in the Pack’s loss was the first set when it failed to reach double-digit points. The grave was dug early with Syracuse going on a 10-0 run right off the serve. And a 4-0 run at the end to finish the set.
Even though the Wolfpack returned in the second set and had a lead 22-18, Syracuse attempted to close the gap 23-21. The Pack barely won by three points, but Syracuse had the momentum and control of the game.
The Pack is back in action on Friday when it faces Clemson at Jervey Gym in South Carolina at 7 p.m.
