NC State volleyball shined this past weekend for the Michigan Tournament. Beginning on Friday, the Pack easily took the win against Cincinnati in three sets; allowing the Bearcats to score no higher than 16 points in one set. Later on Friday, despite the close fight, the Pack lost to Michigan after the team’s quick win in the tournament. Finally, wrapping up the weekend, NC State steadily pulled through their win against Milwaukee. The team walked away with an overall two wins in three matches, falling to Michigan.
The Wolfpack (5-6) came out strong against Cincinnati (2-10) on Friday. In the span of three sets, the Pack had a total of 47 kills, 25 more kills than Cincinnati. Senior Julia Brown scored 14 of those kills. In the first set, the Pack cruised to a 25-11 win. Defense was also a strong core to the Pack when facing Cincinnati. Sophomore Grace Irvin defended the Pack with 10 digs throughout the match. The following two sets were both a win for the Wolfpack to close out the match at 25-16 apiece. The win was made easier with only nine errors among the team compared to the Bearcats’ 15 errors.
Later on Friday, NC State had a tough fight with Michigan (10-2). Both teams showed offensive power with kills. Michigan pulled ahead with 47 kills, seven more than the Wolfpack. The first set allowed a good foundation for Michigan’s match win, ending 25-23. The Pack, not giving up, fought even harder in the second set. The set went to Michigan, however once the Wolverines pulled ahead at match point, 26-24. The third set was almost as close as the first two, with a final score of 25-22.
With a fresh start Saturday, the Pack defeated Milwaukee (7-7) within three sets. Graduate Bree Bailey lead the Pack with 10 kills out of the team’s total of 43 kills. The Pack had a strong first set against the Panthers, grabbing a 25-19 win. The second set was much more heated, as the Pack had to fight past the usual 25 match point. The set ended when the Pack pushed through for a 27-25 win. Both teams had a large amount of errors throughout the set, the Pack with 22, the Panthers with 27. The Pack grabbed the sweep in the third set with a victory of 25-16.
Overall, the Pack fought hard this past weekend and saw the rewards for all of the hard work it put in. The team will head home with a tournament victory of 2-1, second to only Michigan’s 3-0 tournament victory.
On Sept. 22, the Wolfpack will be up against ACC opponent UNC-Chapel Hill. No. 24 UNC (3-5) has had a rough start to the season, a stark contrast to their previous season of 29-4.
The Wolfpack will serve it up to the Tar Heels at 7 p.m. at Reynolds Coliseum.
