The NC State volleyball team was swept 3-0 by the No. 22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Saturday, March 27 in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Wolfpack (8-8, 7-8 ACC) dropped the first two sets and blew two seven-point leads in the third set as its three-game win streak was snapped by the Yellow Jackets (12-3, 11-3 ACC).
The two teams went back and forth to begin the first set. With the score tied 6-6, the Yellow Jackets went on a 5-1 run to take an 11-7 lead, but the Pack answered back with a 6-1 run to take the lead 13-12. The momentum shifted again as the Yellow Jackets went on another 5-1 run to take a 17-14 lead.
The Pack would get as close as one but was unable to gain any momentum as two of the last three points it scored in the set were followed by service errors, including the set point, as the Yellow Jackets won 25-20.
The second set was once again competitive to begin. The Pack found itself up 10-9 when the Yellow Jackets went on a 5-0 run to take a 14-10 lead. When the Pack cut the lead to three, the Yellow Jackets went on a 4-1 run to take a 19-13 lead. The Pack cut the lead back down to three to make the score 24-21, but the Yellow Jackets won the last point to take a 2-0 match lead.
The Pack had the lead for most of the third set and was up by seven twice with a 16-9 lead and a 17-10 lead, but the Yellow Jackets mounted a furious comeback, scoring 15 of the set’s final 20 points to win the set 25-22 and take the match.
NC State had 44 kills to Georgia Tech’s 38, but the Pack had 11 service errors and was out-blocked by the Yellow Jackets 13-3. The Pack also finished with 23 attack errors to nine by the Yellow Jackets.
Senior opposite hitter Melissa Evans led all players with 17 kills, sophomore setter Kristen McDaniel led all with 34 assists and redshirt freshman defensive specialist Hannah Wander had a season-high 12 digs.
The Pack has another tough contest on Sunday, March 28 when it takes on the No. 14 Louisville Cardinals. That match begins at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
