NC State volleyball (3-1) traveled to Kansas State (3-0) to take on the Wildcats in the Ahearn Field House for its first road matchup. The Pack couldn’t get it done as Kansas State rolled through all three sets and handed NC State its first loss.
The matchup versus the Wildcats marked the first real challenge for the Pack after they had swept the competition in last week’s Summit Hospitality Tournament. NC State carried some momentum after winning the five-set match against Green Bay to complete the sweep, but the energy wasn’t there on the road versus Kansas State.
The Wolfpack came out flat, allowing for a four-to-nothing run from the Wildcats. A series of NC State errors pushed the wildcat lead to 14-5 in the first set. The Pack couldn’t dig itself out of this hole, and dropped the first set 25-19.
The Wolfpack kept it close in the opening moments of the second set, but once again a five-to-nothing run for the Wildcats secured them an early 8-3 lead on the Pack. Errors haunted the red-and-white in the second set as it recorded 10 errors and lost the set 18-25.
After a sloppy first two sets, the third set needed to be promising for the squad if they wanted to mount a comeback. They were keeping with Kansas State every inch of the third set, as it was tied at 12-12 and the Wolfpack looked like it had some fight left. However, a dry spell in the offense sparked a 7-1 wildcat run, inevitably losing the set 25-21 and the match.
The Wolfpack’s offense stalled, producing only 58 points by the final.The Pack matched the Wildcats attacks well, but it was beaten in kills 44-25.
Senior opposite hitter Courtney Bryant was a bright spot in the Wolfpack offense, leading the team with seven kills on 31 attacks. But it wasn’t nearly enough as three Wildcats outscored her in kills, leading to the offensive showcase from Kansas State.
This was the first power conference test for the team this season, and while the outcome might not be what they wanted, it is still very early in the season and this is a very young volleyball team with a lot of potential.
NC State will face Nevada on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 1 p.m.
