Saturday, September 3
Oxford, Miss. (The Pavilion)
8:30 P.M.
NC State
4-3
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at
3
Ole Miss
6-0
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F
NC State
26
25
16
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Ole Miss
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Photo by: Sharon Ellman
NC State Volleyball Drops Five-Set Heartbreaker at Ole Miss
9/3/2016 11:46:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
OXFORD, Miss. – The NC State volleyball team left it all on the court Saturday night, but came up just short in the championship match of the Rebel Invitational as Ole Miss rallied for a 3-2 (26-24, 25-13, 15-26, 23-25, 15-17) victory to claim the title.
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The Wolfpack won the first two sets of contest, but could not hold off a furious comeback by the Rebels on their home court. NC State falls to 4-3 on the year, while Ole Miss remains unbeaten at 6-0.
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Worth Noting
- Sophomore Teni Sopitan tallied a career-best 21 kills in the match to lead all players.
- The five-set match was the first of the season for NC State, which was without the services of Perry Ramsey, the Pack's leader in kills heading into the weekend, due to injury.
- Last season, NC State also dropped a 3-2 decision against Ole Miss at the Hilton Garden Inn Cary Classic in Raleigh.
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Match Rewind
- NC State started slow in the match, as Ole Miss raced out to a 7-1 lead forcing the Wolfpack to take a timeout.
- From there, the Wolfpack chipped away at the lead and later tied the set at 16 following a kill by junior Kaitlyn Kearney.
- After Ole Miss took a 24-22, NC State fought off set point twice and went on to win the set, 26-24, closing out the frame with four consecutive points.
- Sophomore Teni Sopitan had a stellar first set, putting down seven kills on nine attempts with only one error.
- The Wolfpack was absolutely dominant in the second set, as it cruised to a 25-13 set win.
- NC State recorded an attacking percentage of .448 in the frame, while limiting Ole Miss to a .185 clip.
- With the score level at two apiece, NC State scored nine consecutive points to build a commanding lead en route to the second-set win.
- In the third set, Ole Miss countered with a strong set of its own to win it, 25-16, and cut the Wolfpack deficit to 2-1 in the match.
- The fourth set was a battle as the score was tied 10 times and the lead changed four times, the most for either in the match.
- NC State looked poised to win the frame and the match, but a late surge by the Rebels helped the squad earn a 25-23 set win.
- In the final set, the Pack started fast but fought back in the frame. A 3-0 run helped the Rebels take the lead for good and they held on for the 17-15 third-set win to complete the comeback.
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Top Performers
- In addition to Sopitan's big night, junior Julia Brown also turned in a strong performance with 18 kills.
- Senior Maggie Speaks handed out 48 assists from her setter position to go along with 10 digs for her third double-double of the year.
- Defensively, Rachel Eppley had a match-high 18 digs.
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Up Next
NC State returns to action next weekend when it hosts the Wolfpack Invitational inside the newly renovated Reynolds Coliseum. The Pack takes on Delaware in its home opener Friday, Sept. 9 at 11 a.m.
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The Wolfpack won the first two sets of contest, but could not hold off a furious comeback by the Rebels on their home court. NC State falls to 4-3 on the year, while Ole Miss remains unbeaten at 6-0.
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Worth Noting
- Sophomore Teni Sopitan tallied a career-best 21 kills in the match to lead all players.
- The five-set match was the first of the season for NC State, which was without the services of Perry Ramsey, the Pack's leader in kills heading into the weekend, due to injury.
- Last season, NC State also dropped a 3-2 decision against Ole Miss at the Hilton Garden Inn Cary Classic in Raleigh.
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Match Rewind
- NC State started slow in the match, as Ole Miss raced out to a 7-1 lead forcing the Wolfpack to take a timeout.
- From there, the Wolfpack chipped away at the lead and later tied the set at 16 following a kill by junior Kaitlyn Kearney.
- After Ole Miss took a 24-22, NC State fought off set point twice and went on to win the set, 26-24, closing out the frame with four consecutive points.
- Sophomore Teni Sopitan had a stellar first set, putting down seven kills on nine attempts with only one error.
- The Wolfpack was absolutely dominant in the second set, as it cruised to a 25-13 set win.
- NC State recorded an attacking percentage of .448 in the frame, while limiting Ole Miss to a .185 clip.
- With the score level at two apiece, NC State scored nine consecutive points to build a commanding lead en route to the second-set win.
- In the third set, Ole Miss countered with a strong set of its own to win it, 25-16, and cut the Wolfpack deficit to 2-1 in the match.
- The fourth set was a battle as the score was tied 10 times and the lead changed four times, the most for either in the match.
- NC State looked poised to win the frame and the match, but a late surge by the Rebels helped the squad earn a 25-23 set win.
- In the final set, the Pack started fast but fought back in the frame. A 3-0 run helped the Rebels take the lead for good and they held on for the 17-15 third-set win to complete the comeback.
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Top Performers
- In addition to Sopitan's big night, junior Julia Brown also turned in a strong performance with 18 kills.
- Senior Maggie Speaks handed out 48 assists from her setter position to go along with 10 digs for her third double-double of the year.
- Defensively, Rachel Eppley had a match-high 18 digs.
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Up Next
NC State returns to action next weekend when it hosts the Wolfpack Invitational inside the newly renovated Reynolds Coliseum. The Pack takes on Delaware in its home opener Friday, Sept. 9 at 11 a.m.
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Team Stats
ST
OM
Kills
62
58
Errors
28
27
Attempts
154
159
Hitting %
.221
.195
Points
75.0
73.0
Assists
58
53
Aces
6
4
Blocks
7.0
11.0
Game Leaders
Kills
21
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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