While NC State volleyball’s 3-1 exhibition win over Davidson doesn’t go in the record books, it was still a valuable game for the Wolfpack.
After splitting the first two sets, the Wolfpack took control, winning the last two sets both 25-9. The game could have drastically changed direction after the second set when Davidson closed it with a 5-0 run, but the Wolfpack stood tall.
“We saw it all, the good, the bad and the ugly,” said head coach Luka Slabe. “We struggled with [adjusting and adapting] at some moments, but then we figured it out. It took us too long but that’s why we play matches like this.”
Senior opposite hitter Amanda Rice led the team in both points and total blocks, with 14.5 and seven respectively. She was one of three Wolfpack players to eclipse the 10-point mark.
NC State didn’t look itself in the first two sets, but once it shook the rust off, things began to click. The Pack’s kill percentage in the first two sets averaged 0.305, while in the final two sets, it jumped to an average of 0.554.
“Even though we’re a team that’s been together for a while, we’re still putting the pieces together,” said senior middle blocker Jada Allen. “That’s the point of an early season game like this.”
Putting in the work in the offseason showed when the Pack refused to let off the gas at the end of the match. NC State continued to attack and didn’t let up on the offensive side of the ball.
“We served consistently well enough for the last two sets, where [Davidson] struggled in that department,” Slabe said. “We didn’t miss much in the last couple sets and the result was right there, 25-9 and 25-9.”
NC State handled Davidson’s serving with relative ease, winning 73% of the points on the Wildcats’ serve. The Wolfpack set the ball and attack, and no one took more advantage than junior outside hitter Ava Brizard.
Leading the team in attacks, with 26, Brizard was all over the court making her presence felt. In her sophomore year, Brizard led the team in kills and looks to do so again to get her squad back in the postseason.
Despite closing the 2023 season on a five-game win streak and an ACC record of 12-6, NC State didn’t make the NCAA tournament, a wake-up call for the group.
“[Making the NCAA tournament] was our expectation last year,” Allen said. “We didn’t quite get there and that’s fine but that’s our expectation, our goal and our mindset. Of course we want to win every day. We want to make the NCAA tournament.”
The Pack can take a big step in the right direction toward the NCAA tournament when it faces its next opponent. Traveling to Omaha, Nebraska for the Bluejay Invitational, the Wolfpack will face No. 12 Creighton in its first official match of the season.
The red-and-white will face the hosts on Friday at 6 p.m.
