NC State volleyball lost its second game in a row while playing against Duke in Durham, North Carolina. Unlike other ACC teams, the Pack will not face Duke again this season.
The Wolfpack (11-9, 5-4 ACC) only won one set against the Blue Devils (12-8, 3-6 ACC). The Pack lost the first set 25-23, won the second 25-22, but lost the next two 25-17 and 25-18.
The first set was close in score but not in offense. Duke had 20 kills from its 25 points, but the Pack only had eight kills for its 23 points. NC State also had zero service errors for the set. The second set was much better on offense, with 14 kills for the Pack, which helped the team win the set.
The third set was much harder on the Pack. It started with a 5-0 run against the Blue Devils, but was countered with a 7-1 run to put Duke up 15-11. One more 8-1 run allowed Duke to take the set 25-17.
The fourth set was close multiple times, with the Pack closing the gap 10-9 and then 15-14 as well. However, Duke went on a 7-1 run towards the end to win 25-18.
The Wolfpack did a lot correct. For one, it had only five service errors compared to Duke’s 11. This is an improvement from the Pack’s previous game against Boston College when it had nine. The Pack and the Blue Devils also had the same number of attack errors.
The difference in points came from the amount of kills. Duke dominated in kills as a team with 61 compared to the Pack’s 42. Leading the charge in kills for NC State was freshman outside hitter Ava Brizard. She recorded 15 kills in the match and recorded the most attacks on the team with 49.
The second player to have a double-digit kill amount is graduate opposite hitter Vanja Bukilic, who recorded 10 kills. She also had seven of the Pack’s ten blocks, scoring multiple ways for the Pack. She recorded most of her points in the second set, helping the Pack win the set.
Sophomore outside hitter Martyna Leoniak also had a good all around game. She had seven kills out of 24 attempts and was second on the team in digs with 11.
The Pack will return to Raleigh for a three-game homestand, facing UNC-Chapel Hill first on Friday, Oct. 21. This will be the only time the Pack and the Tar Heels meet in the regular season.
