North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
North Carolina
North Carolina Sweeps NC State Volleyball, 3-0
10/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 3, 2003
NC State suffered a tough 31-29 loss in game one of Friday night's match against North Carolina and wasn't able to fully recover, falling to the rival Tar Heels, 3-0 (31-29, 30-21, 30-22) before of a crowd of 537 at Reynolds Coliseum. The win moved North Carolina to 12-5 overall and 3-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while the Wolfpack fell to 6-11, 0-4 in conference play.
Despite the defeat, junior middle blocker Paige Gilliam had a breakout game for NC State, finishing with 10 total blocks (nine block assists and one solo block) on the night, tying her with former Wolfpack player Tennekah Williams for the third-most blocks during a single ACC match in school history. Gilliam, along with fellow teammates Julia Reis and Maya Mapp would also record five kills apiece on the night. Reis also finished with a match-best 15 digs, while sophomore outside hitter Adeola Kosoko tacked on another eight total blocks for NC State defensively.
Setters Crystal Shannon and Melissa Rabe shared equal time on the floor and each finished with 11 assists.
The Tar Heels were led by outside hitters Camilla Ihenetu, Meg Eckert and Molly Pyles, who finished with 17, 13 and 11 kills respectively on the night. Pyles led North Carolina's defense with 11 digs, while setter Norma Cortez dished out a match-high 47 assists.
NC State now leaves the friendly confines of Reynolds Coliseum, as it hits the road for three straight matches over the next week and a half. The Wolfpack will next play at Maryland on October 7th, followed by a trip to Charlottesville, Virginia to face the Cavaliers on the 11th and then step out of conference play for a date with East Carolina on the 14th.
