The NC State volleyball team started its season off strong on Friday afternoon, beating Austin Peay in straight sets in its first game of a doubleheader at Reynolds Coliseum.
The Wolfpack (1-0) had a strong and efficient game for the first two sets as the team was able to dominate the Governors (0-1), 25-14 in the first set and 25-13 in the second set. The third set was an uphill battle for the Pack as the Governors held onto the lead for the majority of the set. The Pack held on long enough to muster a last-minute comeback to win the last set 26-24.
The Wolfpack came out strong in the first set with sophomore outside hitter Jade Parchment serving up an ace for the Pack. Redshirt freshman Nina Sharpton and freshman Kristen McDaniel were the two setters throughout the entire match with Sharpton as the primary although McDaniel had five more assists. Both setters did a good job getting to the second ball to set for one of the attackers with minor errors.
In three sets, junior opposite hitter Jessica Evans led the team in points with 17 points, 14 of those points being from kills. Defensively, redshirt sophomore Kaylee Frazier stepped into her new role as libero well with 17 digs.
After taking the first set by an 11-point margin, the Pack enjoyed an advantageous lead at the beginning of the second set with a 6-0 lead thanks to senior defensive specialist Grace Irvin’s serving.
The Governors were able to stop Irvin’s serve but it did little to close the gap as the Pack was able to once again triple the score, 12-4, in a similar fashion to the first set.
Austin Peay went on a short-lived run in the second set in an attempt to close the point gap but the effort was futile as the Pack was not disturbed by their efforts.
With a two-set advantage, the Pack once again took the first point of the third set only to face opposition from the Governors.
Austin Peay brought a new game into the third set and tied with the Pack five points apiece only to take the lead for the first time in the entirety of the game and go on a run to lead 11-7.
The Pack continued to trail for a little longer until separate blocks from Parchment and sophomore middle blocker Pam Chuckwujekwu finally tied the score 15-15.
The set continued to be a back-and-forth struggle to take the lead until the Governors pulled ahead 20-17.
Austin Peay was able to create havoc on the Pack’s side of the net and continued towards the end of the third set, leading 22-18. And with an inopportune service error from junior middle blocker Jessica Kemp, the Governors were just two points away from taking the third set.
The Wolfpack remained calm and battled to put a stop to the Governors’ offense, with two consecutive kills by Evans bringing the Pack within one point, 23-22.
Evans scored another kill with a spike straight down the line to tie at match point, and the Pack was able to take the lead for a comeback win in the third set 26-24.
The Wolfpack will serve up again tonight at Reynolds Coliseum against Kansas State at 7 p.m.
