The NC State volleyball team lost to the No. 24 Arkansas Razorbacks 3-1 on Friday, Sept. 16. The result marked the Pack’s second loss of the ACC-SEC Challenge after falling to Georgia the day prior.
The Wolfpack (6-5), struggled to get it going against the Razorbacks (9-1). NC State appeared out of sync to start the match, while Arkansas seemed like the more composed group.
NC State lost the first two sets 25-18 and 25-19, respectively. Every time the Pack tried to gain some momentum, it was swatted away by the Razorbacks’ Jillian Gillen, who led all players with 18 kills.
The Wolfpack struggled with its hitting percentage in comparison to the Razorbacks, with NC State posting a hitting percentage of .091 compared to .213 from Arkansas. The Pack also came up short in total kills, 59-45.
It appeared that the only thing keeping NC State alive in this matchup was Arkansas’ errors as the Razorbacks accumulated 13 service errors and 23 attack errors over the four sets. This alone wasn’t enough for NC State to win either of the first two sets, and it looked like the Pack was going to be swept if not for the blocking of sophomore middle blocker Jada Allen and graduate opposite hitter Vanja Bukilic, who accumulated 10 and seven blocks, respectively.
The Wolfpack rallied to win the third set 26-24, avoiding the sweep, and carried its momentum into the fourth set, especially on serve receives. However, the Pack could not overcome the firepower of Gillen, ultimately falling 25-20 and losing the match.
NC State is now halfway through its four-match road trip, with its next matchup coming against the Virginia Cavaliers on Friday, Sept 23. That match is set to start at 7 p.m.
