What happened?
The volleyball team traveled to Maryland on Saturday for its fifth ACC match up and lost 3-1 to the Terps, bringing the Wolfpack to a 3-12 record (0-5 ACC) on the season.
“We came out really strong and won our first game, which we haven’t really done in the ACC,” freshman Lauren Zaniboni said. “Then we got nervous and completely fell apart.”
N.C. State won the first game 30-26, but suffered close losses in the remaining three games.
“Our biggest issue is learning each others tendencies,” Zaniboni said. “We are all new to each other, and we’re just now learning how to play together.”
Who’s hot?
Sophomore Keri DeMar led the offense with 13 kills against Maryland, while sophomore Chrissy Zirpolo followed with 10 kills. Freshman Alex Smith had 26 of the team’s 37 assists, while junior Aiwane Iboaya received a team high with five blocks. State also did well in service with five aces.
Who’s not?
According to Zaniboni, the team’s biggest downfall is the mental game.
“We all were not mentally focused,” she said.
Zirpolo said the team has to work on keeping its cool in late-game situations.
“When we get really close to winning a game, we get excited, and if one person makes an error, we freak out, and we don’t keep on doing what we were doing all along to get us to that point.”
What’s next?
State takes on Duke at home Thursday at 7 p.m. and has Wake Forest at 6 p.m. Saturday in Reynolds Coliseum.