The NC State volleyball team was swept by the Syracuse Orange in its penultimate regular season match on Wednesday, Nov. 24 in Reynolds Coliseum.
The Wolfpack (15-13, 9-8 ACC) trailed almost the entire way in both the first two sets before holding the lead for most of the third set. The Orange (17-13, 6-12 ACC) came back to squeak out the final set and complete the sweep.
“This is what NC State volleyball’s future is not going to look like,” said head coach Luka Slabe. “Didn’t show up for work. It’s embarrassing and it’s absolutely something we’re not going to tolerate in the future.”
The two teams went back and forth to begin the first set, but the Orange went on a 8-2 run near the midway point of the set to go up 16-12. The Pack got as close as one the rest of the way but was unable to ever retake the lead as the Orange took the first set 25-21 to go up 1-0 in the match.
The second set was much like the first as the two teams went back and forth to start before the Orange went on a 5-1 run to go up 9-6. The Pack went on a 4-0 run to tie it up at 16, but the Orange closed out the set on a 9-3 run to win the set 25-19 and take a commanding 2-0 match lead.
NC State came out with a different kind of energy in the third set, scoring the first three points and holding a slim lead almost the entire way before the Orange took its first lead of the set 24-23. The two teams battled the rest of the way with the Pack fighting off several match points, but was ultimately unable to ever retake the lead as the Orange won 29-27 to complete the sweep.
“We had the team talk in the third set and kind of tried to turn it around,” said graduate opposite hitter Melissa Evans. “We knew it was all on us. It just kind of felt like a lack of guidance in a sense from all of us.”
NC State beat Syracuse on the road earlier in the season 3-1, and this was the Pack’s first loss to an ACC team that currently has a losing conference record.
“Our preparation was not good,” Slabe said. “Coaches failed at preparing this team better, team didn’t do what we asked them to do, and the result of that is a bad performance and 3-0 loss to a much better Syracuse that came here, outworked us, outplayed us. No excuses.”
The Pack finished with 51 kills to the Orange’s 48 but had 27 total errors to the Orange’s 13 and a hitting percentage of .217 to the Orange’s .317.
Redshirt junior outside hitter Taylor Rowland led the team in kills with 19, while Evans was right behind with 18. Rowland also led the team in digs with 15, and junior setter Kristen McDaniel led all players in assists with 45.
The Pack will need to turn it around quickly as it hosts Clemson on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 1 p.m. in its final regular season match. That match will also serve as senior day as NC State will honor its graduating seniors.
“It’s bittersweet for all the seniors,” Evans said. “We love this program. We love what we’re trying to do here. It is a celebration for us, but we don’t want to make it about us. We want to make it about the team. We want to come out with the win.”
The match against Clemson will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
