The NC State volleyball team rebounded from three straight losses by defeating Wake Forest in four sets, a 3-1 score, on Sunday, March 14.
NC State (6-7, 5-7 ACC) rode a stellar performance from redshirt sophomore outside hitter Taylor Rowland to earn the victory, as Rowland came away with a season-high 13 kills. Senior opposite hitter Melissa Evans and junior outside hitter Jade Parchment each rebounded from less-than-stellar performances against No. 22 Pittsburgh. Evans ended the match with 24 kills, a .354 hitting percentage and 26 points while Parchment finished with 23 kills and 24.5 points.
Sophomore setter Kristen McDaniel was also fantastic in the win, having 38 assists through just three sets and ending with 50 assists altogether, tying her career high. McDaniel is integral to the success of this team, and is one of the most consistent sources of offense for the Pack.
In the first set, the Wolfpack managed to take advantage of a 8-2 scoring run propelled by Rowland and Evans. Evans had back-to-back service aces during this stretch while Rowland had three kills. Freshman middle blocker Riley Shaak got in on the fun with a service ace of her own.
Many of Wake’s (0-10, 0-9 ACC) points in the first set came from Wolfpack errors, highlighted by a sequence where three straight points came from errors from Evans and junior middle blocker Pam Chukwujekwu. NC State went on to take the set 25-23, which was indicative of the competitive theme of each set throughout the afternoon.
Wake Forest took the second set due in part to continued errors by the Pack. Parchment in particular committed back-to-back attacking errors that led to a 6-0 run by the Demon Deacons. Despite six kills from Parchment, four from Evans and three from Rowland, that 6-0 run proved to be crucial, as the Demon Deacons came away with the set win behind a seven-kill performance from Caroline Kuhn in the frame.
The third set was a tale of runs, with NC State going on a 5-0 run at one point, with McDaniel assisting on three of those five points. On the other hand, the Pack’s theme of playing against itself continued, with Parchment committing back-to-back errors and redshirt sophomore outside hitter/defensive specialist Savannah Bryant adding a service error to give Wake a 3-0 run. The Wolfpack was able to come away with the 25-22 set win, putting it up 2-1 with a chance to secure the match.
In what turned out to be the fourth and final set, the Pack went up 8-4 and never looked back. NC State went up by as many as six points in the final frame, with McDaniel and Evans connecting on back-to-back scores to bring the team up big. That connection came up once again in the clutch after the Demon Deacons narrowed the lead to just three, with the duo giving the Pack its 23rd point, putting it in prime position to take the match.
The Pack’s final two points came from sophomore setter Hannah Reid’s service ace and an error by the Demon Deacons, completing the rebound from yesterday’s loss. The 25-19 fourth frame was the only set of the match settled by more than three points, giving the Pack a 3-1 victory on the day.
Next up, the Wolfpack will play in a home stand next weekend, with the first match coming against Clemson on Friday, March 19. That match can be viewed on ACC Network Extra, and is set to begin at 7 p.m.
