The volleyball team made history on Friday, bringing down Boston College in four sets. But this wasn’t just any ACC opener, this was the team’s first ACC win in 57 matches, and it wasn’t its last.
Friday’s win over Boston College sparked a fire in the team that carried it to another four-set victory Sunday against Maryland.
The weekend wins rank N.C. State second in the ACC, behind Virginia Tech, who is 3-0. This is the first time since 1988 that State has started conference play 2-0.
Senior middle blocker Aiwane Iboaya had faith in her teammates all along, but was excited to take such a significant win on the home court.
“It’s not for us, because we know we can do it,” Iboaya said. “It’s for our fans, for the school and for other teams that play us.”
State handled Boston College in set one on Friday, winning 25-14. The Eagles came back to take set two but couldn’t hang on as the Pack cruised through the next two sets for the match win. Fans were screaming with their hands in the air, and the team ran together in wild celebration.
Coach Charita Stubbs echoed Iboaya’s appreciation for the fans. “It’s very exciting,” Stubbs said. “The crowd helped us so much, standing up and cheering. Up until today, this crowd hadn’t seen an ACC win at home, so it was exciting.”
On Sunday afternoon, the Pack came out swinging against Maryland in the first set. Big blocks and strong serves tilted the momentum to State for a 25-17 win. The second set was a mirror image of the first, with the Pack putting down hard kills and pushing through scrappy rallies.
The Terps were rattled and forced to take consecutive timeouts after being held at 17-9. State took advantage of the failing Maryland blocks to win the match 25-18.
Every seat in Reynolds was empty with the crowd on its feet for the initial match point in set three. But Maryland fought back to tie at 25 and moved on to win the set 28-26. Stubbs said that passing errors were the main culprit in the set loss.
“We’ll be working on passing this week in practice, because that’s what cost us the third game,” Stubbs said. “We were there, we gave Maryland a hard time at the net, but the passing is what hurt us in the end.” Game four began with a slow start, and Stubbs brought the team in for a timeout following consecutive unforced errors that pushed the Terps to 6-3. State rallied to take a 15-12 lead, forcing Maryland to meet on the bench. Junior Arlee Tamietti served on match point with Maryland ready on offense. But after the Pack pulled out a defensive stop, Margaret Salata nailed out a final hit to close the set at 26-24.
Stubbs came off the bench with a big smile on her face and high fives flying. State fans gave the team a standing ovation as they exited the court, some even lined up to shake hands with the players.
“Just like on Friday, I want to thank the fans for all their support,” Stubbs said. “They play such a big part in the momentum of the game and the energy on the court.”
Freshman outside Isis Gardner rounded out the night with 13 kills. She said being a part of the team’s ACC win was a well deserved feeling.
“In preseason, we’re here and there, not knowing how we’re going to work as a team,” Gardner said. “Then progressively, as tournaments go by, you get to know your teammates and how they each play, so it all came together in time for the ACC.”
Freshman opposite Allyson Weissberg, who contributed 12 kills in the match, said the team felt confident and prepared coming into the weekend play.
“We’ve been going over some scouting reports and really figuring out what the team needs to do to win,” Weissberg said. “We haven’t been working on clutch plays. It just comes down to what you’ve got to do for each game”
Weissberg wasn’t the only one to recognize the importance of the team’s drive to win. Coach Stubbs could see it in the plays the team made and how much effort was put into each point.
“The biggest contributing factor was their heart and their desire to win,” Stubbs said. “They didn’t give up on plays, they pushed through when it counted most.”
