‘Can you close out?’ This is the question Notre Dame asked NC State volleyball time and time again in the Pack’s second-to-last home game.
Coming down to the fifth set, the Wolfpack (11-13, 4-10 ACC) and the Fighting Irish (9-13, 6-8 ACC) clashed at the net, but the contest ultimately went Notre Dame’s way 3-2. After a quick first set victory and an early lead in the second set for the Pack, Notre Dame came fighting back. Seven unanswered points in the second and dominant performances to close sets two and three gave way to a blue-and-gold victory.
“We came out like ‘that was kind of easy,’ said head coach Megan Wargo-Kearney. “And sometimes when it’s easy, I think we have a tendency to lay off the gas a little, which [was] when they started playing better in set two.”
It was a block party in Reynolds Coliseum, with the Pack securing 13 total blocks — tied for its third-highest total this season. On the other side of the net, the Fighting Irish had 16 blocks of their own.
“With two big teams battling, we were having a hard time scoring against their block and they were having a hard time scoring against us at times,” Wargo-Kearney said.
Senior middle blocker Lily Cropper led the team with seven total blocks — a season high for the Ohio native.
After dropping the second and third sets, the Pack dominated the fourth 25-18, setting up for a glorious five-set win where, at one point, the Wolfpack looked out of it. Still, NC State had fought back and was on track. But just as quickly as it got back in it, it was out of it again, falling 15-8 in the final set. Notre Dame won five of the first six points and controlled the rest of the match.
This game marked the first Fighting Irish victory in Reynolds Coliseum. Coming into the matchup, the Pack was 7-0 at home all-time versus Notre Dame going back to 2013.
Six games remain on NC State’s schedule, with the next five being played on the road. To this point, the Pack is 1-6 in road contests — a figure that it will try to improve in the remaining weeks, before the season concludes with its final home game on Nov. 29 versus SMU.
“[We] just try to make sure we keep them fresh and engaged, I think that’s the key on the road,” Wargo-Kearney said. “And just knowing that it’s going to be a battle anytime you go to somebody else’s gym.”
Next up, NC State will take on Boston College on Friday, Nov. 14 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts at 7 p.m.
