The fans in Reynolds Coliseum anticipating a 7 p.m. start to the volleyball match against Florida State anxiously fidgeted in their seats after the national anthem and announcement of the starting lineups, but the game didn’t begin.
Waiting on a referee who had gotten lost on campus, the teams took to the court to continue warming up as the clock eased past seven. N.C. State’s players peppered furiously until 7:17 when a roar from the crowd announced the ref had found his way to the court.
The extra 17 minutes of practice didn’t help the Wolfpack end their 11 match skid, though, as the Seminoles scored at will, beating the Wolfpack three games to none. State struggled, posting a hitting percentage of .090 thanks to 21 attacking errors, six service errors and just 26 team digs.
“It’s just a bummer that this happened,” freshman libero Kelly Wood said. “It’s unfortunate that we didn’t show up. It was just one of those games. “
Standout junior Arlee Tamietti also struggled, picking up only six kills against eight errors to amount to a -.071 hitting percentage on the night. Tamietti opted not to comment after the loss, but teammate Nikki Sweet said the attacking troubles have much to do with what the hitters are learning in practice.
“The hitters are learning different shots,” the freshman said. “We’re trying to incorporate them into the game and getting mishits or not putting them in the correct spot, and it’s hurting us, but they’re getting better.”
Attacking woes cost the Pack early as State amassed nine errors against 10 assists in the initial game, losing the set 25-18. Many of State’s balls sailed long in the set and the Noles capitalized and took the set going away.
The second set was more of the same as the Pack front line struggled to find the hardwood, collecting just 10 kills and compiling a hitting percentage of .100.
“We couldn’t pinpoint one thing that lost the game,” Sweet said. “We just weren’t on the same level. There wasn’t any thing we could blame the loss on.”
State kept it close early in set three, but was unable to erase a late deficit and lost the set and the match as Florida State took game three 25-18.
“They were a good attacking team,” Wood said. “Our blocks were in the right spots, but we weren’t touching hits.”
The Wolfpack has won just three games in its last 12 matches, all of which were losses. The Pack’s last win was a 3-1 victory over Virginia Oct. 11.
“As long as we’re stepping forward, we’re happy with ourselves and our performance,” Sweet said. “Tonight, we feel like we took a step back — we couldn’t connect with each other.”
State began conference play 2-0, ending a 56-match losing streak against ACC competition, but has won just once since. Wood said the losses haven’t changed the team’s approach despite the scarcity of success in the past 12 matches.
“We have the same mindset,” Wood said. “It’s the same as the beginning of the year. We’re doing things to get us better.”