After defeating Oregon State for its first tournament victory, the NC State volleyball team returned for the second round of the NCAA Championships to be swept by No. 2 Texas.
After defeating Oregon State the night before, the Wolfpack (21-11, ACC 15-5) took on a tough opponent in the Longhorns (25-2, ACC 16-0). The first two sets were comfortably won by scores of 25-18 and 25-15, respectively, but the third set was a close 25-21.
Offensively, the team was carried heavily by senior Julia Brown and freshman Melissa Evans. The two were attack leaders for the team. Brown scored the highest of 12 points and Evans who followed closely behind with 11 kills.
The first set was a long battle for both teams. The score stayed close until Texas pulled away 12-8. The Wolfpack closed the gap to one point, trailing 16-15 before coming to a stalemate for points.
The Longhorns continued to gain consecutive points, 21-15, but a kill from graduate Bree Bailey gets the Pack moving forward again. The break was a little too late though as Texas only allowed the Pack to score two more points before the Longhorns reached 25 points.
By the end of the match, Texas was able to score 48 kills while the Wolfpack only managed 34 kills. The Wolfpack had an ending .132 hitting percentage compared to Texas’ .366 hitting percentage.
The Pack took an early lead in the second set but Texas quickly returned and prevented NC State from getting too far ahead. The Wolfpack slipped down from its offense as it barely managed to gain a few points to a crushing point deficit of 23-14 that resulted in the Longhorns easily snatching the final two points.
Defensively, the Wolfpack struggled greatly compared to Texas. Normally a strong blocking team, the Pack only had two blocks. It was out blocked five times the amount of blocks managed by Texas who had 10 blocks throughout the game.
Being backed into a corner with a 2-0 set disadvantage, the Wolfpack starts with a slight lead 8-3. Six of the Wolfpack’s points came from senior Julia Brown and Evans, each with three kills. The combined efforts of the two players kept Texas at bay by three points.
The game was heated when Texas tied with the Wolfpack 14-14. The Longhorns would then pull ahead 19-17, forcing NC State into taking a timeout to regroup.
Kills by Brown and Bailey help the Pack try to fight for the third set 24-21, but the Longhorns prevailed and took the last point needed to win the match in three-straight sets, 25-21.
