North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Georgia Tech
Volleyball Tops Georgia Tech
11/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 19, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. -
NC State volleyball defeated Georgia Tech tonight for the first time since 1999, taking the match by a 3-1 margin. The Wolfpack moves to 14-16 overall in the 2010 season, and 4-14 in ACC play, marking the first time since 1999 the program has earned four wins in the conference. Georgia Tech falls to 17-13 and 10-8 this season.
Freshmen Anna Moore and Meredith Richardson posted outstanding offensive efforts for the Wolfpack in the match, scoring a career-high 15 and 13 kills respectively. Moore also contributed six digs, and hit at an impressive .591 clip. Richardson, too, earned a remarkable attack percentage (.458) and tacked on a team-leading four block assists. Luciana Shafer also scored double-digit kills, smashing 12 in the match.
Megan Cyr earned her seventh double-double of the season, dishing out 44 assists and corralling 12 digs for the Wolfpack. In addition, she contributed five kills, while hitting at a team-high .625 clip.
Defensively, Kelly Wood paced the Pack, earning 18 digs and Alex Smith added 11 to go along with three block assists in the match.
The Wolfpack jumped out to a 6-1 advantage in the opening frame, forcing Georgia Tech to call an early timeout. From there, the squad embarked on two seperate three-point runs, taking a commanding 13-6 lead. However, the Yellow Jackets responded, earning five straight points of their own to pull to score to 16-13. In the end, though, the Pack was victorious. NC State maintained the lead for the duration of the set and took the frame 25-22 behind a .317 attack percentage and five Richardson kills.
The second set was close, featuring 13 tied scores and four lead changes. NC State faced an early 3-5 deficit, but fought back to take an 11-8 lead before forcing Georgia Tech to utilize a timeout. Out of timeout, the Yellow Jackets went on a four point run, pulling within one point of the Pack at 14-13. From there, the score bounced back-and-forth, and, in the end, the Yellow Jackets won the set, 23-25.
NC State’s offense exploded in the third set, earning an impressive .455 attack percentage and 16 kills. The Pack ran out to an 8-7 lead, but, thanks to a Georgia Tech three point run, saw that advantage slip away. Following an 11-11 tie, the Wolfpack went on a 10-2 run and took a 22-13 lead. Georgia Tech simply could not attack at the same level as the Wolfpack, and earned a mere .146 hitting percentage. NC State went on the win the set by a score of 25-15.
The fourth set featured a staggering 15 ties, and was characterized by large runs by both teams. After an 8-8 tie, Georgia Tech rattled off four-straight points, taking an 8-12 lead. The Pack then embarked upon an 8-1 run of its own, giving the squad a 16-15 advantage. From there, the score bounced back-and-forth. NC State, however, had the final run of the set, one of four-straight points, winning the final set 25-21.
The Pack returns to Reynolds Coliseum tomorrow, Nov. 20, 2010 for its final home match of the season. The squad will battle Georgia Tech at 7 p.m., and prior to the match, NC State volleyball will honor the 2011 senior class.
