The NC State volleyball team swept Campbell, Hampton and previously unbeaten Tennessee this weekend in the thrilling NC State DoubleTree Cary Classic in Carmichael Gym.
The Wolfpack (11-1) won all three matches in straight sets and broke records along the way. Sophomore Kaitlyn Kearney’s .889 attacking percentage stands as the best in program history of percentages with a minimum of 10 attempts.
“We really played hard,” sophomore Perry Ramsey said. “I think we’ve got great momentum going into ACC play. We learned how to fight to the end [this weekend].”
Friday night’s match against Campbell was fast paced from the start. The Wolfpack won the first two sets easily, 25-12 and 25-13, but made several errors to allow Campbell to lessen the lead in the third set. However, NC State quickly regrouped to win 25-21.
“We did a nice job of taking care of the ball,” head coach Bryan Bunn said. “We only had six errors on 84 attempts, so we did a good job of covering our hitters when they did get blocked. We need to get a little more mindful of our serving, but we did a good job offensively.”
Kearney’s record-setting .889 attacking percentage came on a night where the sophomore racked up 16 kills on 18 attempts with zero errors. Kearney’s new record ranks second in the ACC and in the top 20 for NCAA all time.
“I was very relaxed tonight,” Kearney said. “With all of the fans here it really made me feel at home and comfortable, and we just all worked together tonight and have done so all season. I see a big difference from last season.”
Kearney also praised junior setter Maggie Speaks for her work during the match. Speaks tallied 37 assists, four kills, three blocks and three digs on the night.
“Maggie does very well with going back and forth,” Kearney said. “Maggie is a key player on our team.”
Freshman Teni Sopitan debuted on the court during the Hampton match Saturday afternoon. Sopitan made seven kills and led the team with a .778 attacking percentage.
“It was very exciting,” Sopitan said. “When I got the kill, I wanted to cry I was so happy. Mackenzie and Maggie were crying on the bench; everyone was cheering for me.”
The freshman’s debut was particularly pleasing to Bunn, who praised her effort on the afternoon.
“Teni did awesome,” Bunn said. “She had great energy on the floor. I was glad she got in and played well.”
NC State kept Hampton under 15 points throughout the game (25-14, 25-10, 25-13).
There were five service aces made, two by freshman Blayke Hranicka and two by senior Tanna Aljoe. Ramsey had 12 kills and junior Rachel Eppley posted 12 digs.
The final matchup of the weekend was against the Tennessee Volunteers. Carmichael Gym was standing room only for the game Saturday night as the Wolfpack prepared to battle the strong non-conference opponent.
It was a back and forth battle, but the Wolfpack defeated the previously undefeated Volunteers (25-22, 27-25, 25-22). The MVP for the tournament was setter Maggie Speaks.
“It’s a good win,” Bunn said. “Our two outside hitters, Julia [Brown] and Perry [Ramsey], played fantastic. They were killing the ball at a very high percentage.”
The Pack never trailed in the first set although the score did tie at 20 before the Pack rallied to 25. Julia Brown’s kill and an attack error by Tennessee won the second set for the Wolfpack. The third set was tough, as the lead changed three times, and the score tied 13 times.
“It’s going to be tougher now,” Bunn said. “We’re going to have to battle with Pittsburgh next weekend.”
The Wolfpack goes on the road next weekend to Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech for the start of ACC play.
