NC State volleyball lost 3-1 to Miami Sunday to end a four-game road trip. It was the Pack’s third loss of those four games on the road, only defeating Virginia Tech.
The Wolfpack (8-8, 2-4 ACC) got off to another slow start in the first set, losing 25-18. The Pack started to gain some momentum in the second set, but fell a few points short to the Hurricanes (9-4, 5-1 ACC) at 25-21. The third set was in the Pack’s control and reflected the level of play that the Pack can play at, as NC State won 25-15. The fourth set was close, but ultimately the Pack lost 25-21.
Due to errors, the Pack did not have a strong first set. NC State had six more attack errors than the Hurricanes. Throughout the entire match, errors were what set the Pack back. Notably, the team had 12 service errors and 30 attack errors. Sophomore outside hitter Melissa Evans had 10 of those attack errors, but she also had 16 kills.
In the second set, the Pack had 10 attack errors and a .000 hitting percentage, despite the score appearing close.
The Wolfpack was once again out-blocked 14-9 which put a dent in the Pack’s efforts to take the match.
The Hurricanes had three players reach double-digit points and kills compared to the Pack’s two players who reached double-digit points. Only Evans reached double digit kills for NC State.
The third set saw a completely different Wolfpack than the first two sets. The Pack had four more kills and four less attack errors than Miami, allowing the Pack to control the pace of play and have Miami react to the Pack’s offense.
The Wolfpack was able to out-kill Miami 44-43 and out-dig the Hurricanes 57-51 throughout the match.
Graduate middle blocker Kiera Moore had five kills and one service ace, while senior libero Makenzie Kuchmaner also managed one service ace on top of her 10 digs.
The fourth set was a very close set and could have been won by either team, but it was the little things that mattered. Miami hit two more kills because the Hurricanes were able to set up their offense for an attack eight more times than the Pack, which turned the match into Miami’s favor.
Freshman outside hitter Jade Parchment had 12 points, eight of them being kills. Another three points came from a service ace and two solo blocks. Senior setter Kylie Pickrell had a double-double of 32 assists and 17 digs.
The Wolfpack returns to Reynolds Coliseum to play Virginia Friday at 6 p.m.
