North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Claims First Win Over UT-Chattanooga, 3-0
9/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BOX SCORE
Raleigh, N.C. – NC State grabbed its first win of the Charita J. Stubbs era over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 3-0, on Saturday, Sept. 2, at Reynolds Coliseum on the NC State campus. Five players contributed service aces, while Allison Davis plugged in 33 assists and 13 digs. Chrissy Zirpolo added 13 kills and 10 digs, while Keshia Raibon added 12 kills and 14 digs of her own. The Pack took the first game 30-21, before winning the second 31-29 and the third 30-12. In victory, the red and white move to 1-4 on the season, while the Lady Mocs fall to 0-2.
NC State started off with a five-point run to begin the first game. Three Pack players offered service aces, with Davis dishing 10 assists, as the red and white cruised to a 30-21 win. Zirpolo and Raibon each contributed five kills.
The Pack, which has struggled in second games this season, continued to have problems as the Lady Mocs built an early lead and led for the majority of the second frame. Down 22-26, Lyssa Ramirez and Ashley Wallace both came off of the bench to provide a pivotal spark for the Pack and pull the team within one point of a tie. With UT-Chattanooga serving for the game, the Wolfpack grabbed four-straight points to force overtime. With the score knotted a 29-29, Zirpolo added a kill to give NC State its first lead of the frame and Jessica Williams followed with a kill of her own to secure the Pack win, 31-29.
After dropping the first point of the third and final game, NC State grabbed 10-straight with Davis serving, and never looked back. Williams was flawless with three kills in three attempts, and Janay Yancey offered two solid kills. Aiwane Iboaya, who struggled at times in the second game, returned to the court in the third frame and posted several notable plays at the net, helping the Pack to a 30-12 win.
“I told the team that I enjoyed the win, and I will probably enjoy it more after tonight’s match, but right now I am concentrating on Northern Colorado,” said head coach Charita J. Stubbs. “The kids bought in on how to win games. Chattanooga had a good lead in the second game and we showed signs of maturity by coming back and winning. We never gave up. We stayed tough and had some great net play.
“During the break between the second and third games I wrote ‘belief and accountability’ on the board and showed the team. We talk about belief and accountability every day and I wanted them to know that this was an opportunity for them to show that. After coming back in the second game, we knew we could win, but we had to close it out. The girls took accountability for their actions and came out with a purpose at the start of the third game.”
The red and white will close out the Wolfpack Classic with another match tonight at historic Reynolds Coliseum on the NC State campus. The Pack will take on Northern Colorado at 7 p.m.
