The N.C. State volleyball team came up short against Duke Friday night, losing in three consecutive sets in Reynolds Coliseum. The loss brought the Pack’s record to 13-14 overall and 3-12 in the ACC.
The first set started off relatively strong for the Pack, with freshman Anna Moore scoring the first point. The set remained close with one lead change and four ties until the middle, when the Pack tied the Blue Devils at 13-13. From there, Duke pulled away and finished the set strongly with a 25-17 win. Junior Luciana Shafer said the players realized they were not playing up to their standards in the first set and wanted to turn things around in the second set.
“I think as a team we decided we weren’t playing well at all,” Shafer said. “After that, we came out and were like, ‘Okay, it’s a new game, let’s go. Let’s come together and play hard’.”
The second set was a back-and-forth affair, as the two teams changed leads only twice until it was finally tied at 20-20. From there, the rest of the set was riddled with Wolfpack attacking and blocking errors, which resulted in a 25-20 victory for the Devils.
State had a much tougher time controlling the Devils’ offense in the final set. After being tied 2-2, Duke dominated the rest of the set, surging to a 24-13 lead. At this point in the set, it seemed as though there may have been a comeback in the works when junior Kelly Wood scored with a service ace off Duke senior Becci Burling, cutting the deficit to 24-14. However, it was too little too late as the Devils finished the Pack off with a 25-14 victory in the third and final set.
A key factor in the team’s lackluster third set performance was the disappointing defeat suffered in the second set, according to junior Margaret Salata.
“There was a little bit of frustration [remaining] from the second set,” Salata said. “We did not believe that we could truly do it. We need to stay overall consistent. We need to come out strong together at the same time every time we play.”
Shafer attributed the defeat to a lack of mental preparation and communication amongst players.
“I don’t think we were mentally focused the entire game,” Shafer said. “I think it is just something, as a team, we need to all be on the same page. We need to be ready to play for every point in every match. We need to know that every point matters.”
The Pack hits the road later this week to take on Miami Friday and Florida State Sunday. Earlier this season, the Pack fell to Florida State 3-1 and defeated Miami 3-0. Salata said she and the rest of the team are excited about traveling to Florida, trying to duplicate the success they had against the Hurricanes earlier this season.
“I’m excited to do it again,” Salata said. “Miami is one of my favorite places to go play away at. I’m also excited to play Florida State again. It is a very good opportunity for us to win.”