Aria Behrouzi
N.C. State lost 3-0 to North Carolina in its first ACC match of the season Friday night in Reynolds Coliseum.
The Wolfpack played in front of a home crowd of just under 2,000 people. While there were a few light blue shirts in the stands, coach Charita Stubbs said she loved the home crowd.
“I’m excited that they came out,” Stubbs said. “We’re definitely working very hard to give them that victory I’m sure they all want to see.”
Freshman Lindsay Benac said the effect of the home crowd is unmistakable.
“It gets me pumped up,” Benac said. “I want this crowd here every weekend. I wanted to win that because I want them back next week.”
Benac and Sophomore Keri DeMar said the vocal fans aided communication on the court.
“The crowd definitely added to our energy with the plays that were a little bit tough,” DeMar said. “We didn’t talk as much, but overall, we talked more than previous games. I think we wanted it more. It just makes you want to get a kill or a block or a dig, because you want to hear the roar.”
DeMar said communication between the hitter and the back row is necessary for attacking the Carolina net. The outside hitter contributed nine kills and 39 attack attempts.
“This week in practice, we practiced techniques, and we got things done that we haven’t in the past, so I think it’s coming together,” DeMar said. “We just fell a little bit short today. We’ll be ready for them next time.”
Stubbs said she was proud of DeMar for executing what the team practiced in preparation for the match.
“[UNC-CH is] a big block, so we talked about balls we should be hitting when there are two solid blockers,” Stubbs said. “It’s a different style they need to be executing, and we did it at times. But we didn’t do it often enough.”
The Wolfpack defense allowed 47 Tar Heel kills throughout the match. Benac was the starting libero in her first meeting with the Heels.
“The reason why I’m on the court is the presence I bring,” Benac said. “I’m very demanding, and I have a get-it-done attitude. I kind of pull the team together a little bit.”
Benac said the team worked hard in practice in preparation for the match and will make up for what it lacked Friday night.
“We did most of what we needed to do to win, but we needed an extra little ‘oomph’ that I thought we didn’t have,” Benac said. “We’re going to come back strong next week and work hard.”
State will host Clemson Friday at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum.