Wolfpack Volleyball Falls to UNC-Chapel Hill

Wednesday, October 7

Raleigh, N.C. (Broughton HS Gym)

7:30 PM

NC State

12-5, 1-4ACC

[RV] UNC-Chapel Hill

7-7, 4-1ACC

North Carolina

NC State

Photo by: Reagan Lunn

10/7/2015 9:50:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Junior libero Rachel Eppley tallies a match-high 17 digs

Photo Gallery

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State women's volleyball team was defeated by UNC-Chapel Hill, 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-22), on Wednesday night in Holliday Gym.

The Wolfpack held tight with the Tar Heels in all three sets, but moves to 12-5 (1-4 ACC), while the Tar Heels improve to 7-7 (4-1 ACC).

Match Notes
- The Wolfpack handled offense by committee, as four Wolfpackers recorded at least six kills. Sophomore Kaitlyn Kearney led the group with 11 kills and freshman Blake Hranicka followed with nine kills. Perry Ramsey and Julia Brown had seven and six kills, respectively.
- Freshmen setter Becky Porter made her second start in place of the injured Maggie Speaks and led all players with 28 assists, while also contributing four digs and three kills.
- Rachel Eppley had a strong game in defense with match-high 17 digs. She also contributed four assists.
- In the third set, the score was tied 13 times and featured six lead changes. A complete team effort kept the team in the match. Porter amassed 10 assists, while Hranicka and Brown recorded four kills in the frame.
- The match marked the first time this season that NC State has been swept.

Bunn's Beat
"We battled hard until the end and then started making errors," said head coach Bryan Bunn. "We made serve-receiving and attacking errors- you can't do that against a strong team like UNC-CH."

On strong points during match…
"We played well defensively. We had more digs than they did but they out blocked us. Rachel (Eppley) had 17 digs in three sets. Our middles did well hitting behind the setter, but we have to take care of the ball."

On thoughts on Virginia match
"They're good. They beat Duke at home and have a strong team. It's going to be tough but we have to come out and take care of the ball and serve tougher."

Quoting the Players
Rachel Eppley
On thoughts of team performance…
"I think we did well defensively, we just didn't pass the ball and our outsides couldn't take care of the out-of-system passes. It starts from the first ball of contact whether it's the serve or the pass."

On looking ahead to Virginia match…
"I think this is going to fire us up to come out even stronger. We have practice tomorrow and Friday morning so we're just going to go out and focus on serving and passing and give it all we have."

Kaitlyn Kearney
On what can be taken away from tonight for the rest of the season…
"I think I learned that I need to be more aware of where I am on the court so that I can hit in certain places and tip if the block is there. I think as a team we learned that we need to push in crucial points at the end."

Match Rewind:
- The Tar Heels came out quickly and took the first set 25-18, but that would be the largest margin of victory during the match.
- The Wolfpack came out much stronger in the second set and forced 11 ties and six lead changes. Hranicka recorded five kills with a .500 hitting percentage to led the Pack in the second. Brown also had a strong set with four kills, while Porter tallied 12 assists.
- NC State came out strong in the third set behind a deafening Wolfpack crowd. The teams traded points early in the set, before NC State took a 10-8 lead.
- In a seesaw battle, both teams traded points until the end of the match. The Tar Heels closed out the third set on a 4-2 run.

Up Next
NC State will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 10, when it welcomes the Virginia Cavaliers. The contest is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. inside Holliday Gym at Broughton High School.