NC State volleyball entered its home game against No. 10 SMU on a two-game winning streak and looked to keep it rolling against the Mustangs. The Wolfpack pushed SMU to the brink, but it was ultimately not enough, as it fell 3-2 to No. 10 SMU in a five-set match.
The Wolfpack (14-11, 9-8 ACC) proved it could compete in the first set, taking a 4-0 lead against the Mustangs (22-6, 14-3 ACC), eventually winning the first set 25-16. During that set, however, junior middle blocker Sophie Groom went down with an injury, and the Pack was now down a starter against a top-10 team.
Despite the loss, there is plenty to be proud of for the Wolfpack. It had its hands full of adversities with Groom going out with the injury, sophomore outside hitter Clara Vondran filling in and its opponent being ranked in the top 10. The resiliency to force SMU to five sets can serve as a great confidence booster.
“I knew this team could do great things.” said senior opposite hitter Amanda Rice. “We’ve barely had any five-set games all season, and this is definitely one of the games I would want to have it for. I’m really proud of the way that people pushed, and even Clara stepped in a position that she doesn’t play and she did phenomenal.”
After a dominant first set for the Pack, the next two sets swung in SMU’s favor. The Pack took a 5-0 lead, but SMU slowly came back and eventually took the second set 28-26. In the third set, the Mustangs cruised to a 25-15 victory.
The fourth set saw a prideful surge from the red-and-white. In a back-and-forth set that saw multiple lead changes, NC State pulled away 25-19 and forced a fifth set. Unfortunately for the Pack, SMU knew exactly how to respond, taking a 4-0 lead in the fifth, and holding on to win 15-9, clinching the match.
A positive moment from the loss was Rice recording her 13th kill of the evening, which put her at 1,000 total in her career.
“I never even got 1,000 kills in high school, which is so strange, so to think that I got it in college was something that I was really hoping for,” Rice said. “Obviously I knew it was coming up, and I knew that maybe it would happen this weekend, but I’m just really thankful for the rest of my team.”
Ever since her freshman year, Rice has been a key contributor to the growth of the volleyball program. She has consistently shown her commitment and passion for the game. She has demonstrated her personal growth as a player and as a team leader over her years wearing the red and white on and off the court.
“Never did I even think I’d be playing my freshman year here at NC State,” said Rice. “It’s super hard for freshmen to get playing time. So to watch myself and my team that I’m with just grow astronomically in skill and volleyball IQ, it’s just been really crazy over the years, and I’m really thankful for my setters that I’ve always had and the rest of my team just for motivating me and inspiring me to do great things.”
As the Pack moves forward after this match, it will need to do so with a positive attitude. It will need to be more resilient than ever as it hosts the No. 1 team in the country in its next game, the Pittsburgh Panthers. A win against the Panthers could serve as a huge resume booster for an NC State team on the verge of possibly making the NCAA Tournament.
This match, while not what the Wolfpack wanted as a result, can indicate to the rest of the ACC that it can compete and battle through hardship and adversity, even against a top-10 team like SMU. The program is trending toward finding its identity as a true blue-collar team.
“I know a lot of people share the same mindset that I have, that if I’m going to go in there and play against them, I’m going to give them hell,” Rice said. “We’re gonna show them that you can’t play sloppy and we’re gonna catch them off guard, and if you’re not doing the things you need to do, we’re gonna take you to five scores also.”
The Wolfpack will play its next game on Sunday, Nov. 24 when it hosts the No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers in Raleigh. The match is slated to start at 1 pm.
