Audie Moore
Freshman outside hitter Rebecca Ring attempts to keep the ball inbounds during the game against Florida State at Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. Ring made 18 kills. NC State beat Florida State 3-2.
Any momentum NC State volleyball carried from its dramatic win over Florida State quickly vanished against Wake Forest, as the surging Demon Deacons swept the Wolfpack 3-0 Wednesday night.
Entering a week where these two Tobacco Road rivals will meet twice, the Wolfpack (8-7, 1-4 ACC) looked to gain direction in ACC play and secure its first win against an in-state rival after falling to North Carolina and Duke. Wake Forest (8-8, 2-3 ACC) was the third attempt.
The first set was kind to Wake Forest, who built a 14-10 lead to start the match before NC State went on a 4-0 run to tie the set. From that point on, no one had a lead of more than two with both going back and forth into extra points with Wake Forest finally taking the set 32-30 after an emphatic kill.
The second set was a similar story to the first. The Demon Deacons took a close early lead, and NC State was unable to come back, sealing the second set 25-23. In the third set, Wake had all the momentum from the start, opening a 5-0 lead and not letting up for the rest, winning 25-18 and completing the sweep.
With the loss, NC State has now dropped four of its last five ACC matches, putting pressure on the team to rebound in the next phase of conference play.
If there were any bright spots for NC State, it was the play of senior outside hitter Courtney Bryant and freshman outside hitter Rebecca Ring, who both had 12 kills. Bryant continues to be the leader for this squad on the court as the young team battles through adversity.
The Pack’s next game will be a rematch against the Deacons on Saturday, Oct. 11, but this time, it will be in Raleigh. The game is slated for a 2 p.m. start.