The NC State volleyball team came back from UNC-Wilmington on Saturday with a pair of well-earned wins, as both UNC-W and Fairfield succumbed to the Pack in the UNC-W Hilton Garden Inn Mayfaire Classic.
The Wolfpack redeemed itself from Friday’s contest against Eastern Washington, in which it lost three sets straight after a promising start. Despite dropping the first set to the Stags, State upheld a water-tight defense. Fairfield finished the match with a negative attacking percentage, as well as losing the last three consecutive sets.
Senior opposite hitter Rachel Buckley recorded 10 kills, leading the team in kills for the second match in a row. Freshman middle blocker Kaitlyn Kearney was close behind her with nine. Sophomore setter Maggie Speaks made her presence known with 25 assists and seven digs total. Freshman defensive specialist Emily Harris celebrated her first double-digit dig performance at NC State. After the tournament, Fairfield’s record dropped to a dismal 0-3.
Later that Saturday, the Pack butted heads with UNC-W, facing the team on its home turf.
“I think we played really well in the first two sets and played well in the third set also, but we let it slip away,” said Head Coach Bryan Bunn. “We didn’t play well in the fourth set, but we came out and played well in the fifth set.”
The Wolfpack clinched the first two sets, but the Seahawks returned with a vengeance and swept the third and fourth sets. In the fifth set, State pulled energy from its reserves to dominate UNC-W by a score of 15-8. Early on, the Pack laid down a devastating 7-0 run to make the score 11-2.
“UNC-W is a good team, and we were playing on their home court, so it was a tough environment,” Bunn said. “We showed a lot of character by battling back and winning that fifth set.”
The offensive front in the last match Saturday was led by senior outside hitter Dariyan Hopper, who boasted 16 kills. Buckley followed close behind with an almost equally as impressive 13 kills. Speaks accumulated 38 assists in the contest — a career best for the sophomore. Harris led the way again in the second match with 16 digs, while freshman outside hitter Perry Ramsey trailed with 15.
The Wolfpack volleyball squad will continue its brigade on Friday and Saturday with the home season opener Courtyard Midtown Classic tournament.
