North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Clemson
Volleyball Drops Match to Clemson
11/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 20, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. -
Alex Smith and Luciana Shafer each had a double-double, but the effort was not enough to push NC State volleyball over Clemson Saturday, Nov. 20. The 1-3 loss drops the Wolfpack to 14-17 overall and 4-15 in ACC play, but brings Clemson to 18-12 and 8-10 in the 2010 season.
Shafer had an outstanding night for the Wolfpack, earning her team-leading eighth double-double this year with 15 kills and 18 digs. Smith, too, played extremely well, smashing 15 kills and corralling 11 digs, all while hitting at a .293 attack percentage. Freshman Meredith Richardson followed up her career-high performance versus Georgia Tech by notching 12 kills and four block assists, and leading the Pack with a .417 attack percentage in the match. In addition, senior Jana Angel chipped in six kills and two solo blocks for the Wolfpack.
Kelly Wood matched a career-high in digs, earning 29 on the night to pace the squad defensively. Also, Megan Cyr dished out 46 assists, bringing her season total to 1,105.
The Wolfpack offense started out well in the match, hitting at an impressive .306 clip in the first set. NC State jumped out to a 13-7 lead, forcing Clemson to utilize an early timeout to stop the Pack’s momentum. The Tigers then rattled off four-straight points to pull within two at 13-11. However, the Pack maintained a lead until Clemson scored another four-straight points to go up 18-19. For the remainder of the set, the score bounced back-and-forth, characterizing the overall frame, which saw 14 tied scores and six lead changes. In the end, Clemson prevailed, earning the 28-30 victory despite seven Shafer kills in the opening game.
Both teams’ offenses hit a snag in the second frame—the Pack was only able to manage a .178 attack percentage, while holding Clemson to a .114 clip. The score remained close through the beginning of the set, where no team saw a lead greater than three points. However, Clemson embarked upon the first run of the set, scoring four-straight points to take a five-point lead, 14-19. Behind two Shafer kills, though, the Pack rattled off a 7-0 run, taking a 22-19 lead, and eventually took the frame 25-22.
Clemson’s offense rebounded in the third set, earning a .233 attack percentage. However, the Wolfpack offense was not as fortunate, hitting at just a .191 clip behind five Shafer kills. As in the two previous sets, the score remained close throughout, and the end result was determined by a series of runs. Unlike the second frame, though, the final run of the third set belonged to Clemson, which scored six-straight points to take a 24-20 lead after having been down 20-18. The Tigers prevailed, earning a 21-25 victory.
NC State jumped out to a 6-4 lead in the fourth set, and extended that mark to 12-8, forcing Clemson to call a timeout. After the timeout, the Tiger’s offense exploded, rattling off nine-straight points to take a 17-12 lead. The Wolfpack could not find an answer to Clemson’s offensive attack, and the Tigers ended the set with a 17-5 run, winning by a 17-25 mark.
The Wolfpack play its final match of the 2010 season Friday, Nov. 26, where the squad will take on North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. at noon. The match will be available on Gametracker.
