Chris Mervin
Sophomore MB Kaitlyn Kearney sets to block a spike from a Duke opponent at Cameron Indoor Stadium November 25. Kearney had 8 kills during the match. The Wolfpack lost the match 3-0.
The NC State volleyball team concluded its 2015 season on the road against ACC rivals Duke and Wake Forest during the holiday break, falling to the Blue Devils Wednesday before downing the Demon Deacons Saturday.
It was a tough straight-set loss to Duke (16-13, 11-8 ACC) last week, as the Wolfpack (16-16, 5-15 ACC) came close each time (25-23, 25-23, 25-21).
“We played with good energy, and we were right there competing in every set,” head coach Bryan Bunn said. “Unfortunately, we’re still making some young errors and not recovering well from them.
Senior Morgan Cormier had seven kills against Duke to maintain a .400 attacking percentage.
Sophomore Perry Ramsey tallied her fourth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 10 digs.
Both juniors Maggie Speaks and Rachel Eppley had a solid game against Duke, Speaks making 40 assists, eight digs and two kills and Eppley with 21 digs.
State kept it close in the first set with the Blue Devils, tying it at 20 after winning 10 of the next 15 points down 15-10. Duke took the two-point lead before State trimmed the lead to 24-23. Ramsey made a kill saving set point once but it wasn’t enough. Duke took the first 25-23.
The Blue Devils couldn’t keep up with the Wolfpack’s hitters, trailing with a second set attack percentage of .179 compared to State’s .250. Hitting kept State in the running for the second set, as the Pack trailed 16-12 before making a 7-4 point run to force a Duke timeout. Cormier made a kill to tie it at 22, but Duke came back to take the set 25-23.
NC State looked to take the third set after coming back from an early deficit to take the lead 15-13. Duke slid by and took a 19-18 lead, which the Wolfpack was never able to regain. The Blue Devils won the set 25-21 and the match 3-0.
The finale of the season pitted the Wolfpack against the Demon Deacons (12-20, 4-16 ACC) Saturday afternoon.
Both teams fought for control but State took the lead after a seven-point run in the first set at 18-8. A kill by freshman Blayke Hranicka along with Deacon errors clinched the set for the Wolfpack 25-15. State had an impressive .361 attacking percentage with 17 kills in the first set compared to the Deacons’ .227 and eight kills.
Wake Forest came out stronger in the second set and took it 25-22. Needing the win, State took the third set after taking an immediate 11-5 lead. The Wolfpack kept the advantage despite the Deacons edging the score to 20-19. State won the set 25-22.
Again in the fourth set, NC State took an 11-6 lead early on. The Pack advanced to a seven-point lead at 17-10 before Wake Forest regained momentum. Cormier kept a set point away from the Deacons with a kill at 25-24 and an error by Wake Forest gave the Wolfpack the win at 26-24, taking the match 3-1.
“We can’t make errors down the stretch, and we have to learn that,” Bunn said. “We just have to keep learning.”
Cormier left it all on the court against the Deacons, hitting a .346 attacking percentage and tallying 14 kills.
Hranicka and classmate Kassie Kasper stepped up contributing double-digit kills and digs, respectively.
State will lose two seniors, Cormier and Tanna Aljoe, going into the 2016 season and will look to gain more experience for its young team.