NC State volleyball looked to continue its win streak on the road, but No. 14 Miami proved too tall a task to conquer.
The Hurricanes (25-5, 15-4 ACC) had everything going for them in a clean sweep of the Wolfpack (15-14, 8-11 ACC), starting the match with a dominant 11-2 run and forcing NC State to use both timeouts to stop the bleeding. The bleeding continued, though, as evidenced by the Hurricanes’ later dominance in the third set, only allowing five points en route to a 3-0 victory.
The Pack’s struggles started early as it found itself down big to start the match. Miami came out swinging, and NC State could not respond. After NC State ended the Canes’ run, it wasn’t long before Miami was able to string up another run to build a 16-3 lead and leave the Wolfpack helpless, leading to a first-set loss.
A quick 4-0 second-set start brought the Pack hope, fueled by two consecutive service aces by redshirt junior defensive specialist Elaisa Villar. While the quick start helped it maintain control midway through the set, a 9-2 Canes run put the Pack back down in a familiar place this match.
While still looking to even the score with Miami, the Pack kept playing until the very end, only trailing by two late in the set. With Miami looking to take a commanding two-set lead, NC State looked to make up for the first set. However, a service error followed by an attack error allowed Miami to win the second set by four.
After a close second set, not all hope was lost for NC State. A 10-point improvement across sets gave the Pack a newfound confidence. However, Miami looked to dominate as it did in the first set.
The third set was all Miami, which started off the set ahead 10-0 and didn’t let off the gas, allowing NC State just five points and three kills the entire set. The same was not true for NC State’s defense, as Miami was able to secure the set and match quickly.
The Hurricanes’ defense was the key on Wednesday, led by sophomore middle blocker Logan Wiley, who recorded eight blocks, her second-highest of the season. Another key player for the Canes was senior outside hitter Flormarie Heredia Colon — the 10th pick in the 2025 Major League Volleyball draft — who led the team with 16 kills and a team-high six aces.
Next up, NC State will return to Raleigh on Nov. 29 to face No. 8 Southern Methodist at 1 p.m. in its final match of the season.
