The volleyball team lost to Georgia Tech 3-1 at Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday. It was the first time N.C. State was not shut out in ACC play since a Nov.17, 2006, loss to Florida State.
The Yellow Jackets improved to 8-4 with the win and collected their second ACC win, after winning the conference opener against North Carolina on Friday, while the Wolfpack (3-10, 0-3 ACC) dropped its ninth straight match and second on the weekend. State lost to Clemson 3-0 on Friday.
“I thought it was a big step for us,” sophomore outside hitter Chrissy Zirpolo said. “I thought we took a good, big step as a team.”
Zirpolo led the team with 17 kills, and she also had 16 digs – her first career double-double.
The Pack struggled in the first game with a .029 hitting percentage and lost 30-16, but the players said it was also a lack of intensity that cost them the initial lead.
“I don’t think we had any energy,” Zirpolo said. “We stepped on the court, and we were just kind of dead.”
State had 21 kills and a .340 hitting percentage as it won the third game. The other nine points came off Yellow Jacket errors, as State grabbed the first game win in an ACC match this season before losing the decisive fourth game.
“We definitely got a lot better this weekend, and one thing we improved on a lot is our confidence…,” freshman Lauren Zaniboni said. “We’re taking little steps, but we’re improving as a team.”
Coach Charita Stubbs attributed the loss to the team’s mentality.
“It’s hard for them to believe that they’re really capable of doing it,” she said of the team getting an ACC win. “I think youth caught up with us.”
Zaniboni regretted losing the first game by such a large deficit.
“If we could have gotten the first game, that would have made them a lot more scared than they were,” Zaniboni said. “I think they were still scared, though, after we started doing a better job.”