The NC State women’s volleyball team swept Boston College on Sunday, 3-0, in Reynolds Coliseum to wrap up the end of alumni weekend for its 12th ACC win of the season.
NC State (17-8, 12-2 ACC) had a quick start against Boston College (6-18, 3-11 ACC) in the first set but it turned out to be a fairly close set at 25-20. The second set was the largest point gap as the Pack eased through, 25-13. The third set was getting close towards the end but with a final breakthrough, the Pack finished the game 25-19 for the sweep.
“I’m just so confident in this team. We work so hard every day in our gym, day in and day out, putting in the work,” freshman Nailah Gordon said. “I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else. I’m just lucky to be a part of it.”
The Wolfpack took an early lead in the first set by being aggressive on the attack line. But the Eagles were resistant to the Pack’s aggression and climbed back to trail by only three points, 13-10.
What appeared to be an easy set quickly turned into a close one-point game. The Wolfpack fought through the rough patch and pulled away, 19-16. The breakthrough caused Boston College to take its second timeout once NC State reached 21-18.
It didn’t take long for NC State to claim the first set 25-20. Senior Kaitlyn Kearney had five kills in the first set out of her 13 kills for the entire game with a .765 attacking percentage.
The Wolfpack had a slower start in taking a clear lead in the second set. Nevertheless, the team pushed forward leading 7-5.
The Pack gained momentum as it recorded four points by consecutive kills. Junior Teni Sopitan and seniors Julia Brown and Kearney brought their team to an eight-point lead.
The Eagles took a timeout in order to regroup and break down the momentum fueling the Wolfpack. The Eagles’ wish came true as they were able to score twice to close the gap 18-9, but the team faced a rotation error, losing a point and giving the Pack 19-9 lead.
With the score 20-12, the Wolfpack tried a few new formations with Gordon and juniors Becky Porter and Sarah Konchan together on the court.
“It was awesome to have that opportunity to get our whole bench in and getting us to work with different people, getting more exposure and keeping those leads throughout the game,” Porter said. “It just goes to show how competitive we are as a whole, not just a starting six.”
Two kills by Sopitan led the Pack to win the second set 25-13. The Wolfpack had an outstanding sideout percentage of 91 percent. With a two-set advantage, the Wolfpack returned for its third and final set.
Despite gaining the first two points of the game, NC State had to fight the relentless Eagles 6-4. A kill by Gordon doubled the Pack’s score on Boston College 12-6. Gordon had an impressive showing on Sunday, registering five kills in the match.
“[I was] a little nervous at first but my teammates are super encouraging and just really great,” Gordon said. “Getting out there, getting it warm but then building up that confidence.”
From there the Wolfpack continued upwards, staying ahead at 16-7. Two consecutive kills from Brown, out of her 13 kills for the match, helped the Pack reach a 10-point lead.
Boston College started to close the gap all the way to five at 23-18, forcing an NC State timeout.
A kill by Konchan brought the Pack to set point, and a block by Brown and Konchan earned the Pack not only the win for the third set 25-19 and but match sweep.
“The road is getting shorter; the end of the road is coming closer,” Porter said. “We just have to keep taking one game at a time because every match matters from here on out.”
NC State volleyball is back in action on Thursday against Clemson University at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum.
