The volleyball team saw its first competitive play of the season at the Hilton RTP Classic, held in Reynolds Coliseum Friday and Saturday. The tournament featured Campbell, Charleston Southern, Davidson, Morgan State and N.C. State. The Wolfpack rounded out the weekend 3-1, falling only to the Campbell Camels.
“It was an awesome start to the season. We have some high expectations for the year,” senior middle blocker Lisa Kretchman said. “We’ve got to continue to play hard, no matter what, and set the pace with a good start in our games.”
Sophomore outside hitter Isis Gardner, who swung for a team-high 39 kills, was named to the All-Tournament Team, but downplayed her own efforts and attributed her success to her teammates.
“It felt pretty good to be voted in, but it was a team effort overall,” Gardner said.
Senior outside hitter Arlee Tamietti and sophomore Allyson Weissberg will be out for the season for medical reasons. Tamietti, a transfer from Boise State, served as a team captain last year and brought a strong offensive attack and leadership to the court. Junior outside hitter Sommer Ivory and sophomore middle blocker Margaret Salata are out with undisclosed injuries, but could possibly return at some point during the season.
Saturday night, in the final match of the weekend, State took on the Davidson Wildcats. The Pack won the first point to open the match, then traded several points with the Wildcats. Setter and co-captain Alex Smith extended State’s lead to 9-4 on a fast tip to wide open Wildcat backcourt. Keri DeMar found a way to beat the Davidson block, earning consecutive points on attack and rounding out the set hitting .714.
State continued to pull ahead of Davidson at 17-10. But several attacking and defensive errors brought Davidson back to tie the set 23-23. The Wildcats went up 24-23 on a passing error by State, but once again, DeMar depleted a double block to tie it up again at 24. State fought back and stayed fast on their feet, taking the set 26-24.
In set two, the momentum from winning the opener was nowhere to be found. The Davidson attack, as well as ball handling errors, held the Pack down 0-13, forcing head coach Charita Stubbs to call a second time out. State finally got on the board following a Wildcat service error. Davidson quickly took the match 11-25 and held the Pack to a dismal -.120 attack percentage, versus Davidson’s .294 tally.
But something sparked a turnaround in the Wolfpack. The team set up tough blocks to downplay the Davidson offense and pulled ahead to a 5-0 start. The Pack offense found Davdison’s weak areas on the hardwood and continued to chip away. Kretchman went 6-0 on kills, swinging for a .667 attack percentage as the Pack took control of the game and ran away with the momentum in a 25-12 win.
Gardner said that the team’s defense took a downturn, but managed to pull things together.
“In the second set, we were weak on passing. So to turn things around in the third, we had to get back to basics, have a good platform and make the passes, then go from there,” Gardner said.
Kretchman said the team was able to pull together for the next game and play to their level.
“It showed our determination to come back and step it up,” Kretchman said. “We’re a team that’s about defense, and we had to hustle and give a better effort to win.”
Set four saw a more evenly matched contest, as the teams traded points for over half of the match. State finally pulled together for several points, jumping out to a 21-17 lead. The State attack pushed the lead to 23-18. Freshman Sarah Griggs served an ace to bring the game to 24-18 and was met with a raucous applause.
The Wolfpack fans were on their feet for game point in the fourth frame and the noise in Reynolds was deafening. The Wildcat defense broke down and State took the set 25-18, and the match in four sets.
Griggs, one of the team’s two freshmen, said she was pleased with her first weekend of collegiate play.
“It went well and I couldn’t have asked for more,” Griggs said. “Everyone helps me out on the court and guides me, so we all work together well this early into the season.”
Earlier in the day on Saturday, the Pack fell to Campbell in three sets (18-25, 15-25, 17-25.) On Friday, the team edged by Charleston Southern in three sets (25-23, 26-24, 25-23), and downed Morgan State in three sets (26-24, 25-17, 25-21.)
The team will hit the court again on Sept. 4 at the South Carolina Upstate Tournament in Spartanburg, S.C., where the Pack will take on the Citadel, UNC-Asheville and South Carolina Upstate.
