The NC State volleyball team went .500 in a doubleheader on Friday, Sept. 9 at home, falling in straight sets to the Western Carolina Catamounts before sweeping the TCU Horned Frogs.
The double feature saw the Wolfpack (6-3) struggle to find its rhythm against the Catamounts (6-4) but regain its footing to finish off the weekend with a win over the Horned Frogs (3-5).
Game 1 vs WCU
The Catamounts came out swinging against the Pack in game one of the afternoon, building a 7-1 lead early in the first set. NC State clawed back to make it 7-5, but attack errors and miscommunications piled up quickly for the Wolfpack. Combined with quality production from the WCU duo of Bailey Hartsough and Merry Gebel, the Pack got punched in the mouth with a 25-19 loss in the opening set.
“It was a very disappointing loss, but we gotta congratulate them,” said head coach Luka Slabe. “They didn’t give us an inch. We didn’t show up to play… I hope that loss doesn’t haunt us down the road.”
NC State was able to hang tough with the Catamounts in the second set, never falling behind by more than four points, but WCU simply continued to execute on its way to a 25-21 win to double its set lead.
That difference in execution showed in the box scores as well as on the court. The Catamounts notched 36 kills compared to the Pack’s 28 for the match, and the Pack committed more service errors and attack errors than the Catamounts.
The Wolfpack kept things competitive in the third set, jumping to a 3-1 lead to start it off, but the Catamounts closed that gap quickly to reassert their control over the game. With the Pack leading 21-20 late in the set, WCU rattled off five straight points to finish the match.
“In the locker room, we sat down and had a serious talk,” said junior middle blocker Riley Shaak. “We had to get our stuff together. That was not the team that we are and that was not the team that we wanted to show people we are. So we made some changes, mentally.”
Game 2 vs TCU
Despite the loss earlier in the day, the Wolfpack was able to bounce back and sweep the Horned Frogs from TCU.
The first set was highlighted by multiple blocks from the Pack’s front line. Shaak accumulated two solo blocks and four block assists throughout the set. She was not alone though, as graduate opposite hitter Vanja Bukilic, sophomore outside hitter Martyna Leoniak and sophomore middle blocker Jada Allen all recorded blocks to give the Wolfpack a 25-17 win to make it 1-0.
“It’s something I’ve been working on for three years now,” Shaak said. “Just being told about constant changes and stuff, and seeing it finally happen. Really cool.”
Two aces by senior defensive specialist Hannah Wander, and even more blocks from the front row, led the Pack to a 25-19 victory in the second set. A five-point lead gave NC State the opportunity to clench the set on a kill by Bukilic.
“I think we passed pretty well and that allowed us to have a versatile offense,” Slabe said. “We killed the ball, which was not the case in the early afternoon. We put a lot of pressure on them with our serve…That’s what needs to happen in the future.”
Kills by Bukilic would become a trend as she surpassed 10 kills during the third set, eventually ending the match with 14 total. Another ace by Wander and another block by Shaak gave the Wolfpack a seven-point lead to make it 20-13. The sweep of the Horned Frogs was completed off a kill by sophomore opposite hitter Amanda Rice, ending the set 25-19.
“I think we feel a lot more powerful,” Shaak said. “We have wins under our belt, and just a better mindset.”
The Wolfpack will hit the road for its next match, heading down to Fayetteville, Arkansas to take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the ACC-SEC Challenge. The match is set for Thursday, Sept. 15 at 4 p.m.
