NC State volleyball took the court against Missouri in Omaha, Nebraska, losing the match in a 3-0 sweep.
This match served as the Wolfpack’s final game in the Bluejay Invitational where it played two other teams. The Wolfpack lost the first game against Creighton and won the second against Drake.
The red-and-white led the game in attacks and blocks, but it lost the kill ratio 48-31, which was NC State’s biggest weakness in this game.
The Pack got off to a good start in the first set, taking a 3-0 lead, but the Tigers rebounded. The set was full of back-and-forth action from that point onward until there was a 15-15 tie. Missouri went on a 9-0 run to go up 24-15, and the Pack couldn’t recover as the Tigers claimed the first set 25-20.
The second set started even for the two teams, but soon into it, Missouri started scoring in bunches. Senior opposite hitter Amanda Rice had four kills in the period, but that wasn’t enough. Every time NC State tried to recover, Missouri took two steps ahead. 13-8 went go to 17-10, to 20-11, until eventually the Tigers won the set 25-15.
The third set was the most even start in the entire match as it was tied 7-7 early on. Missouri then went on 14-8 run to take a 21-15 lead. NC State found a groove late in the set and tied it 23-23. After a service error that gave Missouri a one-point lead, the Tigers capitalized with a kill, winning the set 25-23 and securing the match win 3-0.
Throughout the entire game, both Rice and junior outside hitter Courtney Bryant had 10 kills and three errors. Junior middle blocker Sophie Groom had the next most kills with four.
A big takeaway for the Wolfpack in this game was the leadership that the upperclassmen showed. Rice and Bryant having the most kills is to be expected on this team, but still, the younger Wolfpack members can find inspiration in their performances and it will make it easier to rally behind them.
While the Pack did not come out of Omaha with a winning record, it still had exposure to playing high-talent teams in an unfamiliar environment. This could give NC State a boost in helping prepare for ACC play, where it is in a more comfortable setting.
The Wolfpack’s next game will be its home opener on Sept. 11, against the Liberty Flames. The game is slated to start at 4 p.m.
