The NC State volleyball team defeated Wake Forest, 3-0 in its second to last home game of the season Wednesday in Reynolds Coliseum.
The Wolfpack (19-12, 12-7 ACC) cruised through the match against the Demon Deacons (9-21, 5-14 ACC) as it didn’t lose one set. Junior outside hitter Julia Brown and junior middle blocker Kaitlyn Kearney tallied double-digits points in the match.
“[I’m] really proud of our team,” head coach Linda Hampton-Keith said. “The way we responded to come in and get a sweep at this point in the season [is] where it gets tough.”
The Wolfpack began the match firing hot from its outstanding services. Senior libero Rachel Eppley led the way with two service aces that allowed the Pack to start off on a 5-1 run.
The Demon Deacons fought back to knot up the score at 10 a piece, but was unable to gain the lead as the Pack took the first set, 25-18. The opening dominance was led by junior outside hitter Julia Brown, as she tallied five kills on eight attempts with two block assists.
The Deacs opened up the second set going on a small 3-0 run, but the Pack fought hard to tie up the score at 8. It was a tightly contested set until the teams tied at 12, then the Deacs could not find their groove and allowed the Pack to score six consecutive points.
The Pack ended the set on a 13-3 run to win the set, 25-15. The Pack tallied 13 kills in the set and Brown contributed seven of the kills.
“We talk to [Julia] a little bit before the match,” Hampton-Keith said. “We asked, ‘Hey, let’s go and drive in,’ and I thought she did that exceptionally well tonight.”
The third set saw four ties and three lead changes before the first timeout was called, as the Pack led 13-10. The Pack finished strong and win the set 25-19.
Brown played an outstanding match, tallying 16 kills with only one error, giving her a total of 17 points on the night.
“Maggie [Speaks’] sets were great tonight,” Brown said. “We were connecting pretty well, which was helping out a lot.”
The Deacs could not handle what the Pack threw at them, as they tallied 19 errors and only four team blocks. The Deacs hitting percentage dropped after every set, going from 58 in the first to 43 in the second and down to 41 in the third.
The Pack played a fantastic match, tallying 44 kills with only 11 errors and 10 team blocks. The Pack nearly doubled the Deacs point total, 60-37. Kearney tallied the second highest point total for the Wolfpack on the night with 11.
As the season comes to an end the seniors are feeling bittersweet about their careers.
“It is definitely bittersweet,” senior setter Maggie Speaks said. “Lots of emotions, trying not to think about the fact that it’s the last game too much.”
Brown described how she believes the last game is going to be a lot of fun for the seniors and hopefully can pull out a win as well.
“It’s very sad,” Eppley said. “I’m just enjoying every moment and my last time with the team.”
The final game of the season takes place on Sunday, Nov. 26 against Duke Blue Devils in Reynolds Coliseum.