North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
12-4, 1-3ACC
Georgia Tech
9-9, 2-3ACC
Volleyball Drops Seesaw Battle at Georgia Tech
10/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
ATLANTA – In a contest where the score was tied 48 times and the lead changed 21 different times, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets emerged victorious over visiting NC State, 3-1 (25-16, 28-26, 26-28, 29-27), Friday night in O’Keefe Gym. State got off to a slow start in the match, but raised its level of play in the final three sets as they were decided with extra points (past 25).
The Wolfpack falls to 12-4 overall and 1-3 in ACC play, while the Yellow Jackets improved to 9-9 and 2-3 in league play.
Match Rewind
- NC State finished the match with an attacking percentage of .160, while Georgia Tech compiled a hitting percentage of .202 as a team.
- Despite losing the match, the Wolfpack recorded more kills in the contest than the Jackets by a 62-56 margin. Unfortunately, State committed 32 attacking errors and had 12 service errors.
- After dropping the first set, the Pack came out re-energized in the second frame, racing out to a 7-4 lead forcing Tech to call a timeout. The Wolfpack held set point at 25-24 and then again at 26-25, but the Yellow Jackets fought them off to win the set, 28-26.
- NC State outhit Georgia Tech in the third set .184 - .114 en route to a 28-26 set win. With the score tied at 26, freshman Kaitlyn Kearney recorded back-to-back kills to cap the frame. The Frisco, Texas, native swatted eight kills in the set and tallied a .316 hitting percentage.
- The Pack had set point two different times in the fourth set, but Georgia Tech was once again up for the challenge. Trailing 24-22, the Yellow Jackets scored three consecutive points to take a 25-24 lead. The Wolfpack won the next point to tie the score at 25 and then took the lead, 27-26, before the Jackets closed out the match with three consecutive points.
Key Performers
- Kearney led the NC State offense with 16 kills and a .316 attacking percentage. Senior Dariyan Hopper swatted 13 kills, while freshman Julia Brown chipped in with a career best 11. Senior Alesha Wilson also reached double digit kills with 10 in the contest.
- Junior Tanna Aljoe headlined the Wolfpack’s play at the setter position with a match high 45 assists and 12 digs to record her second double-double of the season.
- Defensively, senior Alston Kearns tallied a season high 23 digs and sophomore Rachel Eppley charted a career best 17 digs. Hopper recorded 14 digs, while sophomore Maddie Brown had 10.
Up Next
NC State will return to action on Sunday, Oct. 12 when it takes on the fourth-ranked Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. in a match that will be broadcast on ESPN3.
