Following a tough loss at the third-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers, the NC State women’s volleyball team will return to Reynolds Coliseum to host the Boston College Eagles.
The Wolfpack (8-12, 3-5 ACC) is 3-2 in its last five matches,but faces a strong Eagles team (15-6, 6-2 ACC)that has experience and many conference wins under its belt. One thing the Pack has going for it is the fact that the Eagles are 1-2 in their last three matches, with tough losses to both Pittsburgh and Florida State, their only two conference losses of the season.
For Boston College, four players will look to make trouble for the Pack: opposite hitter Jewel Strawberry, right side hitter Cat Balido, opposite hitter Clare Naughton and middle blocker Amaka Chukwujekwu. The group has combined for a whopping 776 kills this season.
Strawberry has 240 kills alone, with 3.33 kills per set, 3.91 points per set and has scored 281.5 points for the Eagles this season. Balido and Chukwujekwu have both scored over 200 points apiece for the Eagles as well, with Balido accounting for 224.5 points and Chukwujekwu scoring 226.
Chukwujekwu and Strawberry are also defensive stalwarts for the Eagles, with Chukwujekwu racking up 91blocks on the year, and Strawberry manning the back line to the tune of 200 digs on the year.
Meanwhile, Eagles setters Jane DeJarld and Madison McKnight have impressed this season, withDeJarld recording 459 acesand McKnight having 397 under her belt. DeJarld also has 5.74 aces per set, while McKnight has 5.03 aces per set.
While both the offensive and defensive game of the Eagles looks sharp,the Wolfpack has only one player with more than 200 kills on the offensive side of the net. Junior opposite hitter Melissa Evans has 289 kills on the year, while redshirt junior middle blocker Jessica Kemp follows with 194.
As for serving, redshirt freshman setter Nina Sharpton by far leads the Pack with 577 aces, more than DeJarld, the leader for the Eagles, though the top two setters for the Eagles have more aces than the top two setters for the Pack.
On the defensive side of the net for the Pack, senior middle blocker Lauryn Terry leads the Pack with 74 blocks, while Kemp and Evans follow with 58 and 49, respectively. The leader for receptions for the Pack is sophomore outside hitter Jade Parchment, who has 20, while freshman outside hitter Daniela McDonald, redshirt sophomore setter Kaylee Frazier and senior defensive specialist Grace Irvin have combined for 39 on the year.
This matchup also provides some fun intrigue and rivalry, as Boston College’s Amaka Chukwujekwu’s sister, sophomore middle blocker Pam Chukwujekwu, plays for the Pack.Pam is a year younger than Amaka, so she has a little less experience under her belt, but she still has 62 kills, 88.5 points and just 19 errors on the year.
The match will start on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. inside Reynolds Coliseum. The match sets off a four-match home streak for the Pack, with this match being followed by Syracuse, Clemson and Georgia Tech.
