The NC State volleyball team lost a tough five-set match against the University of Miami Friday night and a four-set match against No. 18 Florida State Sunday afternoon.
On Friday, State (12-8, 1-7 ACC) traded sets with the Hurricanes (12-6, 5-3 ACC) but struggled to find the finish after winning back-to-back sets. The Hurricanes fought back and pulled out a narrow win in the fourth and decisive fifth set to take the match.
“Our defense needs to pick up,” head coach Bryan Bunn said.
In the first set, a kill by sophomore Julia Brown tied the first set score at 5-5. The Hurricanes then had a four-point run before NC State called a timeout. Miami continued to push the score to 14-6 and another Pack timeout followed. Kills by sophomores Kaitlyn Kearney, Perry Ramsey, Brown and senior Morgan Cormier were key in edging the Pack on the scoreboard, forcing a Miami timeout at 15-18. Miami won the following rallies and took the set 25-19.
The Wolfpack came out stronger in the second set tying the score with the Hurricanes multiple times early on, and Bunn received a yellow card after a dispute with a referee. Kills by Ramsey, freshman Blayke Hranicka, Brown and Kearney kept the Pack ahead when Miami took a timeout at 14-11. Junior libero Rachel Eppley had a service ace keeping the Pack in the lead by five, 18-13. Consecutive kills by Hranicka forced a Miami timeout at 21-16. NC State took the second set 25-18.
It was a long third set in Holliday Gym. Eppley had a second service ace putting the Pack ahead 5-3. Hranicka and Brown were fierce at the net, with two blocks and kills each, bringing the score to 9-7. Miami took a small lead after tying the score at 9-9. Kearney’s two kills and Brown’s one tied it at 13. NC State took a timeout at 17-18 and then rallied to tie it at 22. The score tied five more times before the end of the set. The Pack took the set 29-27 thanks to Hranicka’s block.
Three kills by Kearney in the first several points of the fourth set aided in the Pack’s early lead. Ramsey had a service ace at 5-2. Ramsey, Brown and Hranicka did good work at the net forcing a Miami timeout at 18-14 with the Pack still ahead. It was beginning to look like the Pack was going to clinch the match thanks to points made by junior setter Maggie Speaks and Brown, 23-20. Miami shortened the lead, came back to tie the score and then finished the set 25-23, forcing a fifth set.
Hranicka, Ramsey, Kearney and Speaks all put up points in the short fifth set. NC State tied the score several times, but it wasn’t enough against Miami. Miami took the set 15-12 and the game 3-2.
The Wolfpack was slow to find its rhythm against the Seminoles (15-4, 8-0 ACC) Sunday as Florida State took the first set 25-18. The second set was the longest of the match, reaching 33 points in a back and forth battle. The Pack didn’t have a lead until the score reached 26-25. Bunn received another yellow card at the match in between point 28 and 29. Ramsey and Kearney both had kills in the last few points but FSU took the set 33-31.
“We had our chance in the second set and didn’t take it,” Bunn said. “We played well in the third. We have to find a way to finish.”
NC State won the third set, but it wasn’t without a fight. The score tied several times early on as the Seminoles tried to shut out the Pack. Three kills by Hranicka and a service ace by Speaks tied the score at 10, and FSU took a timeout. Ramsey had two consecutive kills followed by a block and a kill by Kearney, bringing the Pack to a 19-14 lead. Hranicka had a kill and the Seminoles took another timeout as the NC State lead extended to 21-15. State took the set 25-22.
The fourth set was just as intense. The Pack took a timeout at 11-14 to try to stop the FSU run but it wasn’t enough. The Seminoles pulled ahead by nine points, 21-12. Kills by Kearney, Speaks, Hranicka and Brown helped ease the gap to 19-23, but FSU pulled away and took the set 25-20.
Freshman Makenzie Kuchmaner had key service points and played well defensively for NC State in these matches.
“I love playing with this team,” Kuchmaner said. “We’re just going to keep moving up from here. We’re going to focus mostly on defense [in preparation for Clemson].”
NC State will travel to Clemson Friday.
