NC State volleyball took on the Syracuse Orange in a Sunday matinee matchup in Reynolds Coliseum. The Pack took the visiting team down in three straight sets.
After last Friday’s tough loss to Boston College, the Wolfpack (18-7, 8-6 ACC) rebounded quickly to capture an ACC victory while Syracuse (2-22, 0-14) remains winless in conference play. Three NC State players hit the double-digit kill mark and the team recorded over 10 kills per set.
The Pack made some changes to its starters heading into the matchup against the Orange, with sophomore outside hitter Courtney Bryant and sophomore middle blocker Lily Cropper earning spots on the starting lineup. Both played an important role in the win — Bryant finished with 10 kills while Cropper had two blocks.
In the first set, the red-and-white got plenty of good touches on the ball early on, with junior middle blocker Jada Allen taking charge. Offensively, NC State tried different shots around the court in order to get around the Syracuse block. On defense, Bryant dove left and right to keep the ball off the floor and helped the Pack go on a 9-0 scoring run. 13 of the first 15 points scored by the red-and-white were off of kills, a result of keeping the offense moving and maintaining high energy on the court.
“I think our back row and our libero Skye [Stokes] was great,” Allen said. “I think all the defensive specialists that went in were great. I think communication on the net was great from all our pins and I just feel like everyone knew what they were doing. Everyone took care of their personal role really well.”
Graduate setter Kristen McDaniel made her mark in the first set by scoring back-to-back service aces to further cement the Pack’s lead. While Syracuse only hit six kills in the first set, NC State totalled 18 and won 25-15.
McDaniel got the second set going with another service ace, but the Pack was moving slower compared to the first set. The Orange hung with NC State throughout the second set, which saw five scoring ties and two lead changes. Finishing with 14 kills and three aces, the Pack pulled ahead at the last minute to finish the set 25-20 and take a 2-0 game lead.
The Wolfpack got out to an 8-3 lead at the start of the third set, making it clear that the team had gotten its momentum back from the two-set lead. While the Wolfpack’s blocking efforts weren’t intense, NC State had a strong backcourt presence that prevented the Orange from getting many kills.
Fueled by a 5-0 scoring run halfway through the set, NC State got a lead and hung onto it. Sophomore outside hitter Ava Brizard helped lead the team to a 25-14 set win and totalled 13 kills by the end of the matchup.
Syracuse is known for trying to get its opponents out of system, meaning that it forces the setter to take the first pass instead of the second. Throughout the matchup, McDaniel and senior setter Naomi Cabello were forced to play the first round of defense. The two setters led NC State in digs against the Orange, with Cabello tallying nine digs and McDaniel hitting eight. Although Syracuse made the team play out of its comfort zone, the red-and-white handled the challenge with ease.
“It’s like, are we disciplined enough not to get over excited and go somewhere where we know balls are not gonna go?” said head coach Luka Slabe. “Stop, read and wait. We executed that.”
Up next, NC State will hit the road to take on the Boston College Eagles on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.
