
Photo by: Karl DeBlaker
Volleyball Edged in Hard Fought Battle at Pittsburgh, 3-2
10/28/2016 10:58:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – The NC State volleyball team recorded a season-high 18 blocks, but it wasn't enough Friday night as the Pitt Panthers rallied from a 2-1 deficit to earn a 3-2 (25-21, 16-25, 25-15, 33-35, 13-15) victory inside Fitzgerald Field House.
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The Wolfpack falls to 13-10 and 6-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play, while the Panthers improve to 16-7 and 7-4 in league action.
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Worth Noting
- NC State's 18 blocks in the contest bested its previous season high of 13.5 and was also the second most in the program's rally-scoring era.
- Kaitlyn Kearney headlined the Wolfpack's blocking efforts with a match high and season high 11 blocks, tied for the fourth most in a match by any player in the ACC this season.
- Sophomore Sarah Konchan made her first career start in the match.
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Quoting Hampton-Keith
Thoughts on the match…
"While the outcome of that match hurts I can't say enough about how proud I am of this team and how they performed tonight," said head coach Linda Hampton-Keith. "We had several people step up and give everything they had to the team tonight. Â We're at that point in the season where we're managing lots of things outside our control and the maturity and poise that we showed tonight was impressive.
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"As close as the scores were, it doesn't even begin to paint the picture of what a truly great match that was."
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Match Rewind
- NC State made a #STATEment in the first set with a season-high seven blocks en route to a 25-21 win.
- The Wolfpack jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the frame after a block assist from Kearney and Konchan.
- Another block by the duo capped a 3-0 run, as NC State grabbed an 11-8 advantage forcing a Pitt timeout.
- With the score even at 19-19, Konchan and Kearney put down kills to ignite a 6-2 run for the Wolfpack to close out the set, 25-21.
- Pittsburgh countered in the second set with a win to even the match score at one.
- The Panthers opened the frame with six consecutive points and the Wolfpack was not able to recover despite its best attempts.
- NC State returned the favor in the third set with a match-high .433 attacking percentage to earn a 25-15 win.
- The Wolfpack raced out to a 13-5 lead in the frame and never trailed.
- In the fourth set, NCSU looked to run away with the set and clinch the match, but Pitt had other ideas and put together a furious comeback.
- Leading 24-18, Pitt fought off six consecutive match point attempts by the Wolfpack to even the score at 24.
- From there a seesaw battle ensued before the Panthers closed out the set with three unanswered points to force a fifth set, 35-33. The score was tied 10 times in the frame with the first at 24-24. Â
- NC State rushed to a 6-3 lead in the fifth forcing a Pitt timeout. After a 3-0 run to take a 12-11 lead, the Panthers ended the match by winning four of the next five rallies to earn a 15-13 fifth-set win and 3-2 victory in the overall match.
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Top Performers
- Reigning ACC Player of the Week Julia Brown led the Wolfpack offensively with 22 kills, while Teni Sopitan swatted 12 kills.
- Freshman Lauryn Terry had eight kills on 15 swings in the contest without an error to record a .533 attacking percentage.
- At setter, Maggie Speaks dished out 51 assists and also had 13 digs to notch her 10th double-double of the season and third consecutive.
- Defensively, senior libero Rachel Eppley contributed 15 digs and sophomore Kassie Kasper tallied a season-high 12 digs.
- Kearney charted a match-high 11 blocks and
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Up Next
NC State returns to action Sunday afternoon when it takes on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. inside Cassell Coliseum and it will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra.
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The Wolfpack falls to 13-10 and 6-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play, while the Panthers improve to 16-7 and 7-4 in league action.
Â
Worth Noting
- NC State's 18 blocks in the contest bested its previous season high of 13.5 and was also the second most in the program's rally-scoring era.
- Kaitlyn Kearney headlined the Wolfpack's blocking efforts with a match high and season high 11 blocks, tied for the fourth most in a match by any player in the ACC this season.
- Sophomore Sarah Konchan made her first career start in the match.
Â
Quoting Hampton-Keith
Thoughts on the match…
"While the outcome of that match hurts I can't say enough about how proud I am of this team and how they performed tonight," said head coach Linda Hampton-Keith. "We had several people step up and give everything they had to the team tonight. Â We're at that point in the season where we're managing lots of things outside our control and the maturity and poise that we showed tonight was impressive.
Â
"As close as the scores were, it doesn't even begin to paint the picture of what a truly great match that was."
Â
Match Rewind
- NC State made a #STATEment in the first set with a season-high seven blocks en route to a 25-21 win.
- The Wolfpack jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the frame after a block assist from Kearney and Konchan.
- Another block by the duo capped a 3-0 run, as NC State grabbed an 11-8 advantage forcing a Pitt timeout.
- With the score even at 19-19, Konchan and Kearney put down kills to ignite a 6-2 run for the Wolfpack to close out the set, 25-21.
- Pittsburgh countered in the second set with a win to even the match score at one.
- The Panthers opened the frame with six consecutive points and the Wolfpack was not able to recover despite its best attempts.
- NC State returned the favor in the third set with a match-high .433 attacking percentage to earn a 25-15 win.
- The Wolfpack raced out to a 13-5 lead in the frame and never trailed.
- In the fourth set, NCSU looked to run away with the set and clinch the match, but Pitt had other ideas and put together a furious comeback.
- Leading 24-18, Pitt fought off six consecutive match point attempts by the Wolfpack to even the score at 24.
- From there a seesaw battle ensued before the Panthers closed out the set with three unanswered points to force a fifth set, 35-33. The score was tied 10 times in the frame with the first at 24-24. Â
- NC State rushed to a 6-3 lead in the fifth forcing a Pitt timeout. After a 3-0 run to take a 12-11 lead, the Panthers ended the match by winning four of the next five rallies to earn a 15-13 fifth-set win and 3-2 victory in the overall match.
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Top Performers
- Reigning ACC Player of the Week Julia Brown led the Wolfpack offensively with 22 kills, while Teni Sopitan swatted 12 kills.
- Freshman Lauryn Terry had eight kills on 15 swings in the contest without an error to record a .533 attacking percentage.
- At setter, Maggie Speaks dished out 51 assists and also had 13 digs to notch her 10th double-double of the season and third consecutive.
- Defensively, senior libero Rachel Eppley contributed 15 digs and sophomore Kassie Kasper tallied a season-high 12 digs.
- Kearney charted a match-high 11 blocks and
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Up Next
NC State returns to action Sunday afternoon when it takes on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. inside Cassell Coliseum and it will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra.
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Team Stats
ST
UP
Kills
60
68
Errors
19
32
Attempts
153
179
Hitting %
.268
.201
Points
85.0
83.0
Assists
60
65
Aces
7
7
Blocks
18.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
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