North Carolina State University Athletics
Deacs Take Battle from Pack, 3-0
9/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BOX SCORE
Raleigh, N.C. – NC State came out on the short end of a hard-fought volleyball match against Wake Forest, 3-0, on Saturday, Sept. 30, at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C. The Pack dropped all three games by a combined score of seven total points. Chrissy Zirpolo fronted the Pack’s offensive attack with 12 kills, while Keshia Raibon added 10. Allison Davis and Janay Yancey both grabbed four block assists, most of which the duo shared together, while Kelley Blakewood recorded 11 digs. With the loss, the red and white slide to 2-11 (0-5 ACC), while Wake Forest improves to 7-6 (3-1 ACC).
The Pack out hit the Demon Deacons .195 to .081 in the first game, but failed to win the point. Down 6-4, the red and white grabbed three-straight points to mount its first lead of the game. After trading blows, NC State built a 12-15 lead after grabbing five-straight points, due in part to several ball handling errors on the Demon Deacons behalf. Wake Forest called a timeout while trailing 20-22 and answered back with five of the next six points, taking the lead at 25-23. When the Wolfpack took its final lead at 25-26, Wake Forest answered back with three points to regain the advantage. Following an NC State timeout, Wake Forest quickly grabbed two points to take the game, 30-27. Jessica Williams and Aiwane Iboaya both hit .667, while Williams added 4 kills and a block assist.
Despite holding the lead for a healthy portion of game two, the Pack could not thwart off the Demon Deacon attack. With the score tied at 20-20, Wake Forest grabbed its first lead since the third point of the game on a service error by Victoria Bryant. NC State tied the score at 27, but only secured one more point before the Deacs closed out the game, 30-28. The Pack’s hitting percentage dropped to .120, as Zirpolo and Raibon each added four kills.
Game three saw several lead changes throughout the seesaw battle. NC State led 20-23, but Wake Forest bounced back as each team continued to make runs and pass the lead back-and-forth. With the score knotted at 28-28, Jessica Furlong drilled a kill to put the Demon Deacons at match point, which they clinched on a block by Jackie Lucas and Shannon Homan, 30-28. Zirpolo and Raibon led the Pack offense with five kills each, while Davis put up 13 assists.
NC State returns to action next weekend with two ACC road matches in the Sunshine state. The Pack will challenge Miami on Friday, Oct. 6, at 8:00 p.m. in Coral Gables, Fla., before going to battle against Florida State in Tallahassee on Saturday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m.
