After falling to the No. 7 Pitt Panthers on Friday night, NC State volleyball looked to rebound quickly and get back into the win column. The ladies of the court did not have to wait long, swiftly defeating the Virginia Cavaliers 3-0 on Sunday.

NC State (16-5, 6-4 ACC) lost its first home game of the season against the Panthers, but Virginia (8-12, 1-9 ACC) came to town just in time to get the team back on track. The Pack defense was on fire throughout the matchup, racking up 12 block assists and two block solos at the net. 

It was all Wolfpack from the start of the first set, with the red-and-white getting out to a quick 12-3 lead. Redshirt junior outside hitter Madison Williams and sophomore outside hitter Ava Brizard put the team on their backs and carried the Pack offensively through the beginning of the set. Of the first 13 points of the set, six of them came from the outside hitting duo. 

By the end of the set, 14 of the Pack’s 25 points came from kills, and one point came from an ace courtesy of graduate setter Kristen McDaniel. 

The second set was much closer, with the Cavaliers pulling out to a small, short-lived lead. The two teams battled it out throughout the middle points, but a 4-0 run by the Pack pulled the team ahead for good. Attack errors plagued both sides of the net — Virginia racked up eight and NC State totaled four throughout the set. The Pack knocked down three service aces during the set, one from senior setter Naomi Cabello and two from sophomore outside hitter Courtney Bryant. 

Bryant was the Pack’s biggest star this game, leading the team with 12 kills by the end of play. She also tallied a block assist alongside her career-high two service aces. 

NC State’s defense was on fire throughout the matchup. Six different players for the Pack tallied a block assist, and junior middle blocker Jada Allen and senior middle blocker Riley Shaak each recorded a solo block. Allen and Shaak also led the team with block assists with three each. Bryant led the team in digs with nine, followed by senior defensive specialist Skye Stokes with eight.

The third and final set was the hardest for the Pack, with 15 ties and six lead changes between the two teams. Cabello notched another service ace for the red-and-white, with Stokes following close behind with an ace of her own. The set required extra points, but the Pack pulled ahead and won the final set 27-25. 

With the week off to prepare, the Pack will take on Duke on Friday, Oct. 27. The first set is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.