Jermaine Hudson
Sophomore middle blocker Jada Allen and freshman outside hitter block the ball during the game against Miami on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022 at Reynolds Coliseum. The Wolfpack beat the Hurricanes 3-1.
NC State volleyball lit up Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday afternoon in an intense match against the Miami Hurricanes. The win comes off a clean sweep of the Florida State Seminoles in three sets on Friday, Sept. 30.
The Hurricanes (9-6, 2-2) took the momentum early on, but the Wolfpack (9-6, 3-1) was able to rally behind a service ace from freshman outside hitter Ava Brizard to cut the Miami lead to two at 7-5. This set was filled with long rallies on both sides of the net, but NC State out-hit Miami 13 kills to nine. A double block from sophomore middle blocker Jada Allen and Brizard tied the score 11-11 and allowed for State to take its first lead of the game soon after at 12-11. The set ended 25-20 with graduate opposite hitter Vanja Bukilic leading the team with four kills.
“It was just a great team win,” Brizard said. “We knew coming in that Miami was going to play tough, and we knew it was gonna be a big game for [graduate libero Priscilla Hernandez]. Coming off a great win against Florida State, we just wanted to keep that momentum going.”
The second set was much like the first with a slow start from the Wolfpack, but two service aces by senior defensive specialist Hannah Wander brought the momentum back to NC State. Allen would get her second of three block assists of the match, along with a kill. State won the set again by 25-20, only to fall to the Hurricanes 25-20 in the third set.
“We have to be absolutely happy and proud of our team and the way they pushed through,” said head coach Luka Slabe. “Not killing the ball, it’s so frustrating, and that creeps in your mind and everyone’s mind, and I think we’re slowly overcoming that hump.”
The third set didn’t see as much Wolfpack momentum as the previous two sets did, as Miami took the lead quickly and would not let go. The Wolfpack did defend well, as the team tallied 20 digs off of Miami hits in the set, and Hernandez led the Wolfpack with 20 digs herself by the end of the match. This defensive dominance followed the Pack into the fourth set, where it paired defense with kills to win the set and match. Senior setter Kristen McDaniel totalled 23 assists, the most for the team, and junior setter Naomi Cabello followed close behind with 19.
“We just want to play our game,” Brizard said. “No matter what opponent we’re playing, we’re gonna play the best that we can. We just take it one day at a time, working on stuff we need to clean up, and the results will come.”
The Wolfpack hits the road for its next two games, traveling to Blacksburg, Virginia to take on Virginia Tech on Friday, Oct. 7th at 6 p.m.