The NC State volleyball team placed second overall against opponents Ole Miss, Jacksonville, and Delaware in the Hilton Garden Inn Cary Classic in Raleigh.
All three games were played in Carmichael Gymnasium while the renovation of the historic Reynolds Coliseum is ongoing.
“Overall, it was a good learning experience and I’m pleased with the way we played this weekend,” head coach Bryan Bunn said.
The Wolfpack (5-1, 0-0 ACC) battled it out against Ole Miss (7-1, 0-0 SEC), going all the way to a decisive fifth set Friday. However, NC State lost 3-2, making it the first home opener the team has lost since Bunn took over the program six years ago.
NC State never fell behind by more than five points in the first set but lost 25-22. Yet the team mounted a run to win both the second and third sets. The Pack almost took the match in the fourth set, just missing it 26-24. Ole Miss hit hard and took the fifth set 15-7.
Despite the loss, the Wolfpack racked up impressive statistics during the Ole Miss match. Senior middle blocker Morgan Cormier made 17 kills and three service aces. Sophomore middle blocker Kaitlyn Kearney was right behind her with 14 kills and seven blocks, and sophomore outside hitter Julia Brown collected 10 kills. Junior defensive specialist Rachel Eppley counted a match-high 19 digs.
With a new day ahead, the Pack met the Jacksonville Dolphins (2-4, 0-0 Atlantic Sun) on the court for the fourth time in team history Saturday afternoon. NC State won the game, maintaining a perfect record against Jacksonville and recording its first home win of the season.
The first set was a rollercoaster, ending in the Dolphins taking it 27-25. The Pack came back and shut out Jacksonville by taking the final three sets 25-13, 25-22, 25-22. Impactful players for NC State included freshman middle blocker Blayke Hranicka, who scored eight kills, freshman defensive specialist Kassie Kasper, who collected 14 digs, sophomore outside hitter Perry Ramsey, who scored 10 kills, and Cormier, who recorded her second double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs.
“We played well today,” Bunn said. “We had a tough first set against Jacksonville earlier, but we bounced back and raised our energy level to where it needed to be. We had our chances last night against Ole Miss, we showed our youth and they were able to take advantage of it.”
The Wolfpack dominated its final match of the weekend and kept the Delaware Blue Hens (2-4, 0-0 Colonial Atlantic) at bay, winning three sets to none, 25-21, 25-14, 25-14.
Freshman defensive specialist Makenzie Kuchmaner had 10 digs, Cormier had 11 digs and Kearney proved to be tough to beat at the net, tallying 12 kills.
Up next for the Wolfpack is the Tulane tournament in New Orleans, as the team faces Nicholls State, Tulane and Incarnate Word, beginning Friday.
