The NC State volleyball team rebounded nicely following a four-game losing streak, winning 2 of 3 matches at the 2019 Appalachian Invitational in Boone, N.C.
The Wolfpack (4-5) took down Western Carolina 3-1 and host Appalachian State 3-2, while its lone loss came in a match against Iowa State, 1-3.
NC State dropped the first set of its Friday evening win over Western 20-25 but rebounded nicely, sweeping the next three sets by scores of 29-27, 25-21 and 25-16.
Junior opposite hitter Melissa Evans powered NC State to its win over the Catamounts, knocking down 20 kills. Redshirt freshman Nina Sharpton was also everywhere in the match with a team-high 40 assists and 12 digs, third to senior defensive specialist Grace Irvin and redshirt sophomore libero Kaylee Frazier.
NC State saw a reversal of fortune in its next match, a Saturday matinee against Iowa State. The Wolfpack won the first set 25-23 but was unable to finish out with a win, dropping the next three sets 13-25, 18-25 and 20-25.
Evans again led the Pack in kills against the Cyclones, finishing with 16 while also contributing seven digs on the defensive side of things.
In Saturday’s nightcap, the Pack took down Appalachian State in a five-set, come-from-behind thriller. After sandwiching a 25-18 second-set win between 22-25 and 21-25 losses in the first and third sets, respectively, NC State answered with 25-19 and 15-9 wins in the fourth and fifth sets, respectively, to complete its comeback over the host Mountaineers.
The trio of Evans, senior middle blocker Lauryn Terry and sophomore middle blocker Pam Chukwujekwu were fearsome at the net against the Mountaineers, combining for 10 block assists. Evans also racked up 22 kills, leading the Pack for the sixth game in a row.
Frazier was a force defensively all weekend, finishing with 62 digs over the three games. Evans was equally dominant for the Pack, with her team-high 58 kills over the three games adding to what has been an outstanding season so far.
The Wolfpack will be back in action on Thursday, Sept. 19 when it takes on Georgia in the first match of the two-match ACC-SEC Challenge at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia.
