N.C . State volleyball kept up its winning ways by capturing the Courtyard Midtown Invitational, extending its winning streak to 11 games on the season. Setter, Megan Cyr , earned MVP honors for the tournament, while middle blocker Brie Merriwether and outside hitter, Nicole Glass, were named to the All-Tournament team.
“It’s exciting,” Cyr said. “I wouldn’t be here without my team. I think we all worked hard this weekend. My hitters gave me a lot of options. I had people on the outside middle and the right side that I could set.”
“She played wonderfully,” Bunn said. “She distributed the ball well, she was accurate. She was our team leader, and that’s what we need as our setter.”
The Pack defeated Liberty, The Citadel and Towson this weekend, all of which came in straight sets. State hasn’t lost a set since its match against Charleston Southern in Wilmington, N.C . where it lost the third set, making it 16 straight sets won by the Pack.
“Right now we’re playing well,” coach Bryan Bunn said. “It’s going to get a lot tougher next week when we start ACC. I think the girls have a lot of confidence and it’s important to take those close games.”
“The past couple of games we’ve been able to get it done,” Cyr said. “We’re not messing around, we’re being diligent about our plays and get it done in three sets. I think we’ve proven that so far.”
The winning streak has also tied an N.C . State record for consecutive wins. The original record was set in 1987, a year in which the Pack won the ACC title.
The final set of its match against Towson left the Pack with a challenge to go undefeated through the tournament. The match was a back and forth battle between the teams with 22 ties and seven lead changes in the final set. Townson would not go away silently, but the Pack held on to get the win with a kill from freshman outside hitter Dariyan Hopper. Hopper had six kills for the match.
“I think everyone has been working really hard in practice on and off the court, and it’s paying off in the long run,” Hopper said. “Everyone’s here and we all want to win. Coming out with another win tonight shows how much confidence and character our team is building.”
“We had a little bit of a lead and they came back and tied it at 17,” Bunn said. “We went back and forth but we had the character to hang in tough when they were playing well. We hung in tough and made the plays that we needed to make. I don’t think that’s something that the program hasn’t done in the past.”
According to Cyr , the team has built resilience over the course of the non-conference schedule, which will be pivotal to its success in conference play.
“I think we’re all excited, it’s been a good preseason for us,” Cyr said. “I think we’re ready to show the ACC what we’ve got.”
