The NC State volleyball team beat Elon 3-1 but fell to Tennessee 3-0 in the Wolfpack’s first home doubleheader of the 2022 season on Saturday, Sept. 3.
After cruising past Elon (1-5) in the early match for its fourth win of the season, NC State (4-2) fell to Tennessee (3-3). Despite its 3-0 scoreline, the match against the Volunteers was competitive through and through, largely due to sophomore opposite hitter Amanda Rice’s amazing 17-kill performance.
Elon
Despite losing the first set 25-21, NC State won three straight sets to send the Phoenix back home in the first match of the day.
Freshman outside hitter Ava Brizard, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Madison Williams and Rice immediately stood out for the Pack in the early match both on the court and in the stats as the trio ended up in a three-way tie for most kills with 12. With all three making plays in every set, it’s safe to say they made the difference for the Pack against Elon.
Brizard and Williams made crucial kills at the end of the second set to tie the match at 1-1. Two kills from Brizard increased the Pack’s lead to 10 as Williams followed up her teammate’s kills with one of her own, putting NC State in position to clinch the set.
After winning the second set 25-15, the Wolfpack continued to rely on Williams and Brizard for the remainder of the match. Meanwhile, Rice also played a big role in the third set as she made two kills early on, helping the Pack gain the lead in what ended up as a close 25-23 win.
Up 2-1 in the fourth set, NC State put the game away thanks to more clutch end-of-set plays by Brizard and Williams. Shortly after Williams scored two straight points to put the Pack up 24-19, Brizard put the match away with a kill, winning the set 25-20 and clinching the match 3-1 for NC State.
But while Rice, Brizard and Williams stood out against Elon, it was Rice that stole the show against the Volunteers in the latter match.
Tennessee
Compared to the first match against Elon, the Wolfpack didn’t fare nearly as well against the Volunteers, losing in three straight, closely contested sets. After losing each of the first two sets 25-22, the Wolfpack almost came away with a win in the third set, but the Volunteers prevailed 27-25 to complete the sweep.
For the duration of each set, NC State managed to trade points with Tennessee but couldn’t find a way to command the contest and hold onto its lead. Despite short bursts of energy, the Wolfpack ultimately struggled to gain momentum throughout the match. Head coach Luka Slabe commented on the Wolfpack’s inability to perform well consistently throughout the entire weekend.
“Regardless of who was on the other side of the net, we struggled,” Slabe said. “We were battling uphill for all three sets”.
After narrowly losing the first two sets, the Pack’s loss in the third set was as close as it gets. With each team trading points all set long, extra points were needed for Tennessee to come away with the win. The Pack was able to position itself on the verge of victory, but couldn’t conjure points at the end of sets when it counted the most.
Despite the Wolfpack’s inability to pull out a victory against the Vols, it fought hard to make the match competitive. Just as she did earlier in the day against Elon, Brizard played an important role in the Wolfpack’s performance, recording another 12 kills. Senior setter Kristen McDaniel was behind many of those kills, achieving a grand total of 37 assists. Perhaps the most notable performance was that of Rice, who played particularly well in both matches.
Even with the Volunteers sweeping the Pack, Rice was seemingly unstoppable against Tennessee. She helped keep the Wolfpack in a competitive position in each and every set, tallying 17 kills along the way, which is a career-best for the sophomore.
Rice also managed to record double-digit kills in both games on the day. A feat that she was only able to accomplish twice in the 2021 season occurred twice in one day in 2022, showing the sophomore’s growth and potential for success on the squad.
“She’s a light in this program,” Slabe said. “She’s working hard. She is a dedicated, mindful person and she’s a super bright young woman. We have nothing to worry about having her on the team.”
Rice was still focused on the team’s performance overall, and she believes that a rebound from the loss is in the cards for NC State.
“Although we didn’t win, which is obviously a little disappointing, I think we all know what we need to work on,” Rice said. “We’re going to bounce back, hopefully stronger than ever next weekend since we are playing some really good teams.”
That next chance to bounce back will come against Indiana on Thursday, Sept. 8 at Reynolds Coliseum where the Wolfpack will battle the Hoosiers at 7 p.m.
