NC State Volleyball Drops Seesaw Battle Against Duke, 3-2

Sunday, October 4

Raleigh, N.C. (Broughton HS Gym)

1:00 PM

NC State

12-4, 1-3ACC

Duke

7-7, 2-2ACC

Duke

NC State

Photo by: Greg Mintel

NC State Volleyball Drops Seesaw Battle Against Duke, 3-2

10/4/2015 3:56:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Justin Wilson, Assistant Athletics Communications Director

Photo Gallery

RALEIGH, N.C. – In a match that saw 36 ties and 17 lead changes, the NC State women's volleyball dropped a hard-fought 3-2 (12-25, 28-26, 25-16, 20-25, 12-15) decision against the Duke Blue Devils, Sunday afternoon inside Holliday Gym.

The Wolfpack falls to 12-4 overall and 1-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play, while the Blue Devils improve to 7-7 and 2-2.

Match Notes
- NC State was without the services of its starting setter, Maggie Speaks, who missed the contest due to injury.
- Freshman Becky Porter made her first career start in place of the injured Speaks.

Bunn's Beat
"We fought hard," said head coach Bryan Bunn. "It was a tough match and we had chances, but we didn't take advantage."

On overall thoughts of the weekend
"We fought hard in both matches. We have to come out better though in the first set. The first set we're not mentally ready to go but once we get going we're in good shape. We just made too many errors tonight- we lost the fifth set on three straight errors. If you don't take care of the ball you're going to lose."

On Becky Porter's first career start
"She did a nice job. She was a little nervous as a freshman and hadn't gotten to play much this year, but she did a good job. There are a few things we need to work on with her but overall she did a nice job."

Match Rewind
- The Wolfpack struggled to find its rhthym in the first set, as the Blue Devils earned a 25-12 first-set win.
- In the second set, the score was tied 17 times and the lead changed seven times as neither team led by more than two points. After each team saved set point once, NC State closed out the frame on a 3-0 run.
- NC State hit its stride offensively in the third set, as the Pack hit .423 as a team in the frame and only made two errors while recording 13 kills. A pair of 5-0 runs during the set helped the squad earn a 25-16 set win.
- Duke responded in the fourth and fifth sets to win both and claim a 3-2 decision against NC State.

Top Performers
- Sophomore Kaitlyn Kearney led the Wolfpack offensively with 13 kills, while senior Morgan Cormier and freshman Blayke Hranicka each chipped in with 11.
- A pair of sophomores, Julia Brown and Perry Ramsey, also reached double-digit kills with 10 apiece.
- At the setter position, Porter distributed a season-high 50 assists, to go along with three digs and two kills.
- Defensively, junior libero Rachel Eppley charted 21 digs and sophomore Emily Harris was second with eight.

Up Next
NC State returns to action on Wednesday, Oct. 7, when it hosts UNC-Chapel Hill. First serve is slated for 7:30 p.m. inside Holliday Gym at Broughton High School.