NC State volleyball took on Syracuse on the road for its final match of the 2022 season, crushing the Orange 3-1 in a competitive road match.
After splitting the first two sets, the Wolfpack took hold of the match, winning a tight third set 28-26 before finishing off Syracuse (11-17, 7-11 ACC) comfortably in the fourth. After handling the Orange on the road, NC State concludes the 2022 season with a solid 16-13 record, all while boasting a winning 10-8 conference record.
Sophomore outside hitter Martyna Leoniak led the NC State attack in the season finale, tallying a team-high 16 kills. Meanwhile, junior setter Naomi Cabello and senior setter Kristen McDaniel combined for nearly 90% of the Pack’s assists, recording 20 and 18, respectively.
With the two veteran setters performing their jobs to a tee, the Pack started the match off strong, winning the first set 25-18. After exchanging points at the start of the set, NC State steadily widened its lead and never looked back, staying several points ahead of the Orange for nearly the entire period.
Despite the strong start, Syracuse battled back by taking the second set 25-20. Sustained back and forth play led to five lead changes and established a 16-16 tie towards the middle of the set. However, the Orange put on an impressive run, outscoring NC State 9-4 at the back end of the set to tie the match at 1-1.
The third set was equally as tense as the second, but this time neither team could pull away until the very end. With neither team able to establish a lead of more than a few points, the pivotal third set was easily the most exciting. After the heated back-and-forth play led to extra points, back-to-back kills by redshirt sophomore outside hitter Madison Williams finally ended things in NC State’s favor, winning the third 28-26.
The big third set win gifted NC State all the momentum, allowing the red-and-white to cruise through an impressive fourth set win. Three straight service aces at the end of the set from Leoniak awarded the red-and-white a comfortable 25-15 win. But even before Leoniak’s impressive service streak, the set and match were all but over. The Wolfpack was once again able to engineer a large lead over the Orange and ride it to victory.
In addition to Leoniak’s stellar day, Williams and sophomore opposite hitter Amanda Rice played big parts in establishing those crucial leads in the first and fourth sets. They recorded 10 and 12 kills, respectively, helping the Wolfpack capture the road win over the Orange.
In what was the final match of the season for NC State volleyball, a positive performance against Syracuse capped off an overall successful year for the squad. While there won’t be any more action in 2022, head coach Luka Slabe will be sure to once again lead NC State to another solid season in 2023.
