After sweeping its last two opponents, NC State volleyball entered Reynolds Coliseum for Sunday’s matchup with confidence. However, the mood quickly changed as the Wolfpack fell in three straight sets to Boston College.
The Eagles (11-13, 4-8 ACC) have won the last three matchups in Raleigh as NC State (12-8, 7-5 ACC) continues to falter against them at home. The Pack obtained a lead late in every set but was unable to capitalize as it lost all three.
“I would say that you’re not supposed to lose to a specific team even applies anymore, just because teams of all kinds in the conference are beating teams that you would think are at the top,” said senior opposite hitter Amanda Rice. “We had a lot of opportunities to take it home, and then we just didn’t.”
One aspect that contributed to the loss for the Pack was its inability to finish sets. It had a late lead in all three sets with a chance to seal it but couldn’t get the job done. A 24-23 lead in the first set turned into a 26-24 loss for the Pack. It had a chance to redeem itself in the second set, up 24-20, but an attack error from Rice followed by two from junior outside hitter Courtney Bryant set up a big run for Boston College, which won the second set 26-24.
After NC State led for the majority of the third set, Boston College slowly came back to make it a 22-20 Wolfpack lead. The Eagles proceeded to go on a 5-1 run, winning the set 25-23 and clinching them the match. Failure to close late in sets continues to haunt the Wolfpack.
“They’re an amazing blocking team,” Rice said. “I didn’t have my best game. I was probably getting blocked every time and it’s frustrating, but great teams know how to battle with adversity. We really just need to focus back on the basics. I think in the second set, both teams after every point were missing their serves.”
As the red-and-white reflects on the loss, it will look to use the defeat as a learning opportunity and a source of motivation as it enters its final stretch of the regular season. Recovering from any loss is hard for a group of players, especially when it comes in front of a home crowd. The team still has a lot to play for in order to prove that it deserves a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
“Nobody’s taking this lightly,” Rice said. “I could already tell, based on some people’s faces, they’re not happy with this. Nobody is going to be happy with this. That is not a team that we want to lose to so it doesn’t reflect our program and we have a tough weekend coming up against Miami and FSU and I believe, just like the rest of our team, that we’re going to be able to battle with them and hopefully we’re going to have that chance to prove it.”
The Wolfpack will play its next game on Friday, Nov. 8, when it travels to Coral Gables to take on the Miami Hurricanes. The game is slated to start at 7:00 p.m.
