North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Maryland
Volleyball Blocked by Maryland
9/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 25, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. -
NC State volleyball fell tonight to Maryland in a match that featured 23 total team blocks. The loss drops the Wolfpack to 1-2 in ACC play, and 11-4 overall, but brings the Terps to 2-1 in conference play and 11-4 in the 2010 season.
Megan Cyr collected her team-leading fourth double-double on the season, dishing out 35 assists and earning a season-high 16 digs.
Becah Fogle spearheaded the Pack offense, scoring a match-high 14 kills to go along with three digs and three blocks. Luciana Shafer and Margaret Salata each added eight kills to the team total of 50. Salata led the squad with five of NC State's nine team blocks.
Defensively, Alexa Micek doubled her previous season-high in digs, pacing the Pack with 20 on the night.
Freshman Meredith Richardson scored four kills in the match, which gave her a new career high.
The Wolfpack was plagued by a slow start in the first set, due mostly to numerous Maryland blocks. After falling behind 8-14, head coach Bryan Bunn called a timeout in an attempt to regain momentum. However, directly after the timeout, Salata hit into a Terp block, pushing the score to 8-15. NC State's offense continued to struggle, and the squad eventually dropped the first frame 16-25.
In the second set, the Pack joined in the block party, taking advantage of back-to-back Richardson and Fogle blocks to force a Maryland timeout with a score of 8-4. Senior Alex Smith led the offense, scoring five of her seven kills in the second frame. Overall, the squad utilized a .364 attack percentage to dominate the set, winning 25-15.
The tables turned in the third set, where the Pack hit at a .067 clip, but the Terps exploded to hit .333. The squads battled back-and-forth, trading blocks throughout the frame. However, in the end, the Pack's hitting woes cost the squad the game 18-25.
The fourth and final frame was the closest of the match, featuring six tied scores and two lead changes. It opened with a Maryland block, but the Wolfpack responded, capitalizing on a Salata and Smith block to bring the score to 1-2. Following an emphatic Salata kill, Maryland called timeout with the score 7-5. NC State extended its lead after back-to-back Elena Frac kills 14-12, but, thanks to errors, fell behind 18-21 before calling a timeout. After drawing within one point following another Frac kill, Maryland took its second timeout of the set. A Smith and Salata block brought a tie at 23-23, but the Pack ended up dropping the game 23-25.
NC State returns to action Friday, Oct. 1 to take on Florida State at 7 p.m. and Miami Oct. 3 at 1 p.m., both in Reynolds Coliseum.
Post-match photos with the Wolfpack can be found in the following photogallery: http://www.gopack.com/view.gal?id=77477
