NC State volleyball stepped onto Reynolds Coliseum’s court wanting to show the world that the team is better than its record, and came through with a five-set victory over Florida State.
“Later in the year, people aren’t gonna want to play us,” said head coach Megan Wargo-Kearney.
It was an emotional day for the first-year coach as the Wolfpack (8-6, 1-3 ACC) earned its first conference win under her leadership against the Seminoles (8-5, 2-2 ACC). The Wolfpack did not let up the attack, led by career-highs of 18 kills from freshman Rebecca Ring and 22 kills from senior Courtney Bryant. This was NC State’s first win against Florida State in 3 years, and only its 5th victory in the matchup since 1999.
Bryant said the message to the team before the game was to “take it personal that we haven’t beat Florida State in a while,” and her teammates listened. “They took that into their heart and we went out and played,” she said.
The first set quickly went the way of the Seminoles, but the second set felt different. Just like in losses against Miami, UNC and Duke, the Pack found itself just points away from taking it. In those games, little errors added up and moved the sets out of reach.
“It’s little plays that we keep not making,” Wargo-Kearney said.
Not today. The team won its first set after six set losses in a row off of back-to-back kills from Ring. The outside hitter didn’t play like a freshman today.
“They’re ready to win. They’re ready to do whatever it takes to get the job done,” Bryant said of her younger teammates.
Florida State won the third set 25-22, but NC State didn’t look like a team on the verge of losing five games in a row: it was all smiles on the sideline.
“We tell them they just gotta roll with it,” Wargo-Kearney said.
In the fourth set, Florida State went up 18-12 before the Wolfpack’s relentless attack put the Seminoles on the backfoot.
“We did what we needed to keep pushing and keep the pressure on them,” Bryant said.
Reynolds filled with cheers after every home team point, and NC State surged back to win the set 25-23.
“Going into the fifth set, I told them: Heads up, shoulders back, stand tall,” Wargo-Kearney said. “We’ve just got to go for it.”
The Wolfpack went for it, and came out with it 10 kills later at 15-9. The coliseum grew louder with every point, and Florida State didn’t look like the team that gave NC State trouble earlier in the game.
An early challenge from the Seminoles overturned a Wolfpack kill and some of the team jokingly fell to their knees on the sideline, embodying the roll-with-the-punches attitude this group has.
“They keep their spirits,” Wargo-Kearney said.
When Ring’s final kill sent Florida State packing, Wargo-Kearney could finally celebrate the hard work her team has put in this year.
“Perseverance is about getting better every day, and we’re doing that,” she said.
Even though Wargo-Kearney raves about the team’s work ethic and attitude, win or lose, it’s always good to see a tick in the win column.
NC State will look for another win on the road against Wake Forest on Oct. 8 at 7:00 PM.
