Hosting an SEC opponent on its home turf, NC State volleyball stepped up and delivered a commanding 3-1 win over South Carolina.
Despite the Gamecocks (3-4) taking the first set 25-18, the Wolfpack (5-1) came back to win the final three sets by an average of over six points, fixing its earlier errors and commanding the momentum of the match.
“We know we let that first set slip away,” said head coach Megan Wargo-Kearney. “We came back, talked about some adjustments we were gonna make on our side, and the girls went out and executed. The first set was on us. We missed some serves, we had some errors and then we just took care of our side.”
The match is a part of the new Showdown at the Net tournament in which 16 ACC teams and 16 SEC teams battle each other in cross-conference play. The ACC narrowly lost the tournament 7-8.
“This tournament is so important to play early in the year,” said Wargo-Kearney. “There’s some big implications down the road when it comes to the NCAA Tournament and RPI. We’re proud of the ACC and these are the matches you pull for.”
Every Pack needs a leader, and tonight was no different as NC State rallied behind senior outside hitter Courtney Bryant and her season-high 16 kills, marking nearly one-third of all NC State’s kills and falling just one kill away from matching her career-high.
After spending all of last season opposite former star Amanda Rice, Bryant has stepped up in a big way for the Wolfpack, leading in kills, attacks and service aces on the season. The team looked to Bryant to lead after dropping its first set, and Bryant responded.
“We knew everything was on our side of the net,” said Bryant. “We knew we had the control. We just stepped up and played how we know we can play.”
After Luka Slabe’s surprise retirement, the Wolfpack has won five of its first six games under Wargo-Kearney in her first season as head coach. commanding the squad and ensuring it’s a force to be reckoned with in the ACC.
“Any of these matches, with how many newer players we have out there, just give us confidence down the road,” said Wargo-Kearney. “I’m proud of them for showing resilience tonight.”
NC State will look to continue its hot streak on Saturday as it hosts Cleveland State for the first game of the Wolfpack Invitational. The match is set to begin at 5 p.m.
