This past weekend the volleyball team traveled to Spartanburg, S.C., where it took on The Citadel, UNC-Asheville and USC Upstate in the South Carolina Upstate Tournament.
N.C. State came out Friday with a 3-0 win against The Citadel. The Wolfpack opened the match with a 27-25 score in the first game, and continued to the second game with a 25-21 victory. In the final game, the girls dominated with a season-best .419 hitting percentage.
Sophomore libero Kelly Wood led the Pack with 13 kills and 18 digs, senior outside hitter Keri DeMar added nine scores, junior setter Alex Smith carried out 38 assists, 8 kills, and 10 digs, and junior Jana Angel locked in five total blocks in the win over the Bulldogs.
Later that same day, the girls matched up with UNC-A and walked away with a 3-1 loss after taking the opening set 25-20. Despite fighting through six ties and two lead changes in the second game, the Pack was unable to come out on top, with the game ending in a 25-22 Bulldog victory.
The next two sets ended in defeat as well, with scores of 25-14 and 25-22. The Bulldogs led through the entire fourth and final game even though State committed just three attack errors.
Despite the loss, Smith said she was pleased with the way the girls played together.
“We stayed together as a team,” Smith said. “But we just got caught in some ruts and couldn’t outdo their defense.”
Wood dropped 17 kills, three service aces and 12 digs, Smith had nine scores and 40 assists, and DeMar and Angel each added eight kills apiece.
In their final match against USC Upstate on Saturday, the girls came out on top in a close 3-2 match, moving the Pack’s record to 5-2.
Angel said her team is having success because of a willingness to make the sacrifices necessary to win.
“We really played well as a team and this is the most cohesive year [of my career],” Angel said. “We both play and sacrifice for each other.”
The four netters made a defensive impact, as Kelly Burns, DeMar, senior middle blocker Lisa Kretchman, and Wood combined to record double-digit kill totals. Smith hoisted a season-best 46 set assists in addition to 11 digs, six scores and two service aces. Sarah Griggs added to the momentum with a team-best three perfect serves.
USC Upstate took the opening set 26-24 on an extra play, giving them the extra two points after a Burns kill and a Kelsie Queen attack error tied the score at 24-24. The Pack responded with 25-16 victory in the second stanza. The Spartans then answered by taking the third game 25-21, posting their best statistical showing of the afternoon after fighting off 10 tied scores and three lead changes.
Coach Charita Stubbs said it was an intense match and complimented USC Upstate, singling out Spartans dominance in the middle of the court.
“S.C. Upstate was very good and very dominant in the middle,” Stubbs said.
The Wolfpack continued to fight, forcing a fifth and final set after winning the fourth set 25-20. After trailing by five, NCSU fought back, reeling off seven straight to take the lead without ever letting the Spartans tie the score.
In the fifth and final set State grabbed the first three scores, committed just three attack errors, and never trailed. The Pack’s offensive effort paid off with a match win of a 16-14 decision.
N.C. State will host the Raleigh Crabtree Valley Marriott Classic next weekend, Sept. 11 to 12 at Reynolds Coliseum.
