NC State Athletics dove head first into another week of competition as both cross country teams and women’s golf kicked off their seasons while the volleyball team was challenged by two tough SEC teams. Both women’s soccer and football picked up wins at home, but men’s soccer continued its winless streak as we progress into the thick of the fall sports season.
Women’s golf records solid performance at the Cougar Classic
NC State women’s golf traveled to compete against 18 other collegiate teams in the Cougar Classic this past week, a three round tournament hosted by the College of Charleston at the Yeamans Hall Club. This contest was the first of the Wolfpack’s 2022 season and the team put on a promising performance, tying Wisconsin for 10th place at 9-over par. Notably, in the second round of the tournament the red-and-white recorded the lowest cumulative score in program history coming in at 278, 6-under par.
Both freshman Vania Simont and junior Jaclyn Kenzel made their college debut at Yeamans Hall with Simont leading the Wolfpack, finishing 13th out of 96 competitors at 3-under par. Meanwhile, Kenzel rounded out NC State’s line up with a 78th-place finish at 12-over par.
The returning members of the team, senior Natalie Armbruester, sophomore Lauren Olivares Leon and junior Isabel Amezcua finished 39th, 52nd and 56th, respectively. Overall, the outlook for the Wolfpack’s season outlook is good as four of the five competitors posted a career low at the Cougar Classic.
Read more about the Pack’s season opener
Both cross country squads earn team victories at the Adidas XC Challenge
NC State cross country took care of business on Friday, Sept. 16 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC as the men’s and women’s teams each put five runners in the top six places.
On the women’s side, the Pack was led by senior Sam Bush, who captured first place and posted a 5k time of 16:14.5. She was quickly followed by junior Marlee Starliper, redshirt senior Mariah Howlett, graduate Savannah Shaw and junior Gionna Quarzo, who took second, third, fifth and sixth place, respectively. The Wolfpack women recorded an overall team score of 17 points, a whopping 69 points ahead of second-place Charleston Southern.
In the men’s 6k race, junior Brett Gardner clocked in at 17:30.9, finishing first for NC State and second overall. Junior Ian Harrison, junior J.J. Malach, graduate David Vorbach and junior Jake Toomey came in close behind, finishing in third through sixth place, respectively. The Pack totalled 20 points in the contest, 28 points ahead of second-place Charleston Southern.
Read more about NC State’s performance in the Adidas XC Challenge.
Men’s soccer drops two games, falls to 2-3-1 on the season
NC State returned to Dail Soccer Field for the first time in two weeks to face off against James Madison University on Tuesday, Sept. 13. The visiting Dukes dictated most of the contest, and while both teams struggled to score for the majority of the game, their aggressive play style finally allowed them to score with just 17 minutes remaining. The red-and-white came close to scoring on various occasions as pressure built up and time wound down, but ultimately failed to capitalize on its opportunities.
Hoping to rebound from its loss at home, the Pack traveled to Pittsburgh to test its skills against the No. 10 Panthers. However, NC State went on to lose 3-0, despite holding the Panthers scoreless in the first half. The Wolfpack has now fallen to 0-2 in ACC play.
Read more about the Pack’s battle against JMU
Read more about NC State’s loss to No. 10 Pittsburgh
Women’s volleyball loses two games on the road in the ACC-SEC challenge
NC State made the trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas to compete in the ACC-SEC challenge this past week to take on two very talented non-conference teams.
On Thursday, Sept. 15, the Wolfpack was swept by the Bulldogs, losing three straight sets by scores of 25-21, 25-22 and 25-21. Most notably, senior setter Kristen McDaniel led both teams with 20 individual assists, and NC State totalled 40 kills but couldn’t come close to the Bulldogs’ 50 kills.
Against the Razorbacks, NC State lost the first two sets then went on to win the third set before losing the fourth. The Pack posted an exceptionally low hitting percentage of .091, which pales in comparison to its season average of .186. Arkansas committed numerous errors that allowed the Wolfpack to hang around, but ultimately added another loss to its record, moving to 6-5 on the season.
Read more about the Pack’s match against the Bulldogs
Read more about NC State’s loss to No. 24 Arkansas
Women’s soccer improves to 6-1-3
On Thursday, Sept. 15 NC State took on High Point University at Dail Soccer Field, defeating the Panthers 3-1. The Wolfpack managed to get 25 shots off, which is an impressive accomplishment considering it was outshot 49-14 over the course of its previous three games.
NC State continued to rebuild its offensive momentum on Sunday, Sept. 18 when it returned to its home field to beat Wake Forest, 2-1, in its ACC opener. It was senior forwards Alexis Strickland and Jameese Joseph who put the ball in the net but the win was an all-around effort made possible by the Pack’s lockdown defense and impressive passing game.
Read more about the Pack’s senior night game against HPU
Read more about NC State’s comeback win over the Demon Deacons
Football overwhelms Texas Tech, extends win streak to three
The Pack continued its undefeated campaign against Texas Tech on Saturday, Sept. 17 as it captured a 27-14 victory over the visiting Red Raiders.
NC State’s defense factored heavily into the win, undoubtedly strengthened by the return of redshirt junior linebacker Payton Wilson, who missed last week’s game against Charleston Southern due to an injury sustained early on in week one. Wilson led the Wolfpack with 10 tackles and was followed by junior linebacker Drake Thomas who recorded eight tackles in addition to two QB hurries. The red-and-white’s strong defensive effort held Texas Tech scoreless until just 50 seconds remained in the first half.
However, the most exciting play of the game came late in the second half as sophomore cornerback Aydan White intercepted a pass from the Red Raiders and ran 84 yards into the endzone. Another week of Pack football has come and gone and the team is looking better than ever as they climb to No. 12 in the AP Poll.
