Another road contest, another road win.
NC State volleyball (14-13, 7-10 ACC) extended its win streak to three after it stormed back against Virginia (11-16, 4-13 ACC) on Lyons Family Court. Senior opposite hitter Courtney Bryant showed again why she’s the leader of this team, and rallied the Wolfpack to overwhelm the Hoos’ in five sets.
NC State had control of the entire fifth set, never trailing and beating the Hoos’ 15-9, earning the victory.
The Pack found itself in a sticky situation against UVA being down two-sets-to-none, unable to stop the offensive surges from the Cavaliers. After upsetting Boston College and grabbing the win against Syracuse in its last match, the Wolfpack was riding high — not prepared for an electric start from the Cavaliers.
As the Wolfpack went into the third set, it had a different mentality and came out with a lot of energy on offense. The Pack had two 6-0 runs in the third set, swelling its lead to 16-8. The Cavaliers were down 23 to 16 when they decided to go on a late five-to-one run, but a service error from UVA sealed the set 25-19 Wolfpack.
The energy from the third set carried into the fourth set, but UVA also came out hot. The Hoos’ opened the fourth set on a 7-2 run and put tons of pressure on the Pack to respond. Bryant responded with seven serves which turned into seven Wolfpack Points and tied the fourth set at 10 apiece.
The Wolfpack and the Cavaliers traded points in the fourth until UVA claimed a 18-15 lead behind a pair of service aces from Virginia’s Katie Barrier. But three straight errors from UVA allowed the Wolfpack to crawl back and tie the game at 19-19. The Pack went on another significant offensive run led by Bryant’s three kills, and took the set 25-22.
Freshman opposite hitter Rebecca Ring was looking like Robin to Bryant’s Batman as she had an excellent performance with 20 kills and a pair of blocks. Her offense was unstoppable in the third set, as she had seven kills that suffocated the energy out of John Paul Jones Arena.
Errors were the Wolfpack’s friend in the contest, as Virginia tallied up 30 errors to the Wolfpacks 19. The Wolfpack was disciplined with its serves as it only had seven service errors. Bryant contributed to three out of the Pack’s seven service aces.
The Wolfpack still claimed the win despite being outscored in kills 64-62, and total attacks 178-162. The offensive woes that the Pack faced in the first two sets was made up for by a great defensive showout. The Pack had 19 blocks on the night, a difference maker that swayed the game in favor of the red-and-white.
The Wolfpack is set to continue its road trip against Virginia Tech on Sunday Nov. 23. Service is set for 1 p.m.
