The NC State volleyball team suffered its second 3-0 loss of the season to rival No. 8 UNC-Chapel Hill Thursday. The match marked the first time this season that the Wolfpack lost a match while holding its opponent’s kill percentage below .200.
Though State (14-11, 3-10 ACC) entered Thursday’s match fresh of a 3-0 win of its own, the Tar Heels (21-2, 12-1 ACC) were in the midst of an 11-game win streak heading into their matchup with the Pack.
The Carolina front line was absolutely dominant in the first set, totalling eight blocks and holding the Pack to a -.147 kill percentage in the opening period. The Heels finished the match with 16.5 team blocks.
“Our players have to see that block and the edges of it instead of hitting down,” Wolfpack head coach Bryan Bunn said. “Our coverage needs to improve. Some balls that came off the block needed to be picked up by our defense.”
The State team didn’t help itself either, as the squad committed 17 total errors in the first set alone. Carmichael was alive, as the Carolina faithful were out in droves to support their team. Despite the constant noise from the crowd, sophomore middle blocker Morgan Cormier said that it was not a factor for the team.
“We’ve played in a lot of loud gyms this season,” Cormier said. “It was more on us than the fans. We were able to block it out towards the end of the set.”
The second set was not much better for the Pack, as the team succumbed to an early 10-4 hole and never recovered. UNC-CH went onto take the set, 25-17, and entered the intermission with a 2-0 lead in the match.
State’s attack was much improved in the second set, recording 13 kills with a .136 hit percentage. Cormier lead the charge, recording five kills with no errors in the second set alone. Cormier finished the night with a team-high nine kills.
“She played with energy,” Bunn said. “She was locked in and played with no fear. It took us two sets to get the mindset to play with no fear and with confidence.”
State took a 7-6 lead early in the third set, but the Heels quickly responded with an 8-1 run to create some distance. Though the Pack fought to come back to tie the score at 22-22, Carolina edged State late in the set to complete the three-set sweep.
Sophomore setter Maggie Speaks had a strong third set, recording nine assists and three kills. Despite being benched for a brief time in the first set, Speaks finished the game just two digs short of a double-double with 26 assists and eight digs.
“Sometimes you have to bench someone for a minute,” Bunn said. “Then they get focused.”
Despite coming up short in the final set, Bunn said that he was proud of the way his team fought back.
“We played a good third set,” Bunn said. “We played hard and played with the energy we needed. It’s a learning experience. They’re the No. 8 team in the country, and we learned you have to play with that energy against everybody.”
The Pack will return to action on Sunday when the team travels to South Carolina to take on Clemson.
