Saturday, August 29
Columbia, S.C. (Carolina Volleyball Center)
7:00 PM
NC State
3-0
3
at
0
South Carolina
2-1
1
2
3
F
NC State
27
25
25
3
South Carolina
25
16
14
0
NC State Sweeps South Carolina to Win Gamecock Invitational Title
8/29/2015 9:41:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Senior Morgan Cormier tallies first career double-double with 11 kills & 10 digs
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Playing in front of a large crowd at the Carolina Volleyball Center Saturday night, the NC State women's volleyball team was unfazed as it made a #STATEment by sweeping the host South Carolina Gamecocks, 3-0 (27-25, 25-16, 25-14), to win the Gamecock Invitational.
Â
The Wolfpack remains undefeated on the season at 3-0, while the Gamecocks suffered their first loss and fall to 2-1.
Â
Bunn's Beat
Opening statement…
"It's good to be 3-0," said head coach Bryan Bunn. "We had a good match tonight against a tough opponent on their home court. It was a really nice environment; they had about 1,500 people there.
Â
"It was really nice to go in there and play well this weekend."
Â
On the turning point in the match…
"Winning that first set was huge, because it gave us a lot of momentum. We served really tough and got them out of system a lot more in the second and third sets, forcing them to make more errors."
Â
On the performance of tournament MVP Julia Brown…
"She played really well this weekend. She got off to a slow start against NCCU, but she played fantastic this morning and followed that up with another strong performance tonight."
Â
Match Notes
- NC State handed South Carolina its first home tournament loss under current head coach Kevin Swanson. The Gamecocks were 25-0 heading into the match.
- The Wolfpack and Gamecocks met on the volleyball court for the first time since 1997 and it was the Pack's first win in the series since 1991. NC State now leads 14-12 in the all-time series.
- Sophomore Julia Brown was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Gamecock Invitational and junior Maggie Speaks also garnered a spot on the all-tournament team.
- Morgan Cormier, a senior from Carlsbad, Calif., recorded her first career double-double in the match with 11 kills and 10 digs. It was also the first double-double performance of the season for NC State.
Â
Match Rewind
- NC State got off to a great start in the match, jumping out to a 9-4 lead in the first set resulting in a timeout by South Carolina.
- The Wolfpack held the upper hand throughout most of the first set, but the Gamecocks did not go down easy as they fought off match point four times before NC State was able to capitalize and win the first set, 27-25.
- Cormier had a fantastic first set, recording a kill on all six of her swings.
- With the score tied at 11 in the second set, the Pack reeled off seven unanswered points forcing South Carolina to use a timeout. Fortunately for NC State, the break was unable to break any rhythm as the squad went on to win the frame, 25-16.
- Brown paced the Pack in the second set with four kills and a .571 attacking percentage.
- In the third set, the score was tied eight different times but the lead only changed once. South Carolina led early in the frame, but a kill by Cormier put the Wolfpack ahead, 7-6, and the squad never relinquished the advantage.
- A 6-0 run by NC State broke an 11-11 tie, as the Pack pulled ahead for good. The Wolfpack scored four answered points to end the set, highlighted by a service ace by freshman Blayke Hranicka to give NC State the 25-14 third set win and 3-0 win in the match.
Â
Top Performers
- Cormier had a phenomenal match for the Wolfpack, tallying a match-high 11 kills to go along with a .526 attacking percentage. She recorded a kill on more than half of her swings (19 attempts) and only made one error.
- Brown smacked nine kills in the match, while sophomores Kaitlyn Kearney and Perry Ramsey each tallied six.
- At the setter position, Speaks continued to have success dishing out a match-high 33 assists. She also had seven digs and six kills.
- Defensively, Cormier had 10 digs as well as freshman libero Kassie Kasper.
Â
Up Next
NC State will return to action on Friday, Sept. 4 when it hosts the Hilton Garden Inn Cary Classic. The Wolfpack will play Ole Miss in its first match of the tournament on Friday at 7 p.m.
Â
#STATEment
Â
The Wolfpack remains undefeated on the season at 3-0, while the Gamecocks suffered their first loss and fall to 2-1.
Â
Bunn's Beat
Opening statement…
"It's good to be 3-0," said head coach Bryan Bunn. "We had a good match tonight against a tough opponent on their home court. It was a really nice environment; they had about 1,500 people there.
Â
"It was really nice to go in there and play well this weekend."
Â
On the turning point in the match…
"Winning that first set was huge, because it gave us a lot of momentum. We served really tough and got them out of system a lot more in the second and third sets, forcing them to make more errors."
Â
On the performance of tournament MVP Julia Brown…
"She played really well this weekend. She got off to a slow start against NCCU, but she played fantastic this morning and followed that up with another strong performance tonight."
Â
Match Notes
- NC State handed South Carolina its first home tournament loss under current head coach Kevin Swanson. The Gamecocks were 25-0 heading into the match.
- The Wolfpack and Gamecocks met on the volleyball court for the first time since 1997 and it was the Pack's first win in the series since 1991. NC State now leads 14-12 in the all-time series.
- Sophomore Julia Brown was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Gamecock Invitational and junior Maggie Speaks also garnered a spot on the all-tournament team.
- Morgan Cormier, a senior from Carlsbad, Calif., recorded her first career double-double in the match with 11 kills and 10 digs. It was also the first double-double performance of the season for NC State.
Â
Match Rewind
- NC State got off to a great start in the match, jumping out to a 9-4 lead in the first set resulting in a timeout by South Carolina.
- The Wolfpack held the upper hand throughout most of the first set, but the Gamecocks did not go down easy as they fought off match point four times before NC State was able to capitalize and win the first set, 27-25.
- Cormier had a fantastic first set, recording a kill on all six of her swings.
- With the score tied at 11 in the second set, the Pack reeled off seven unanswered points forcing South Carolina to use a timeout. Fortunately for NC State, the break was unable to break any rhythm as the squad went on to win the frame, 25-16.
- Brown paced the Pack in the second set with four kills and a .571 attacking percentage.
- In the third set, the score was tied eight different times but the lead only changed once. South Carolina led early in the frame, but a kill by Cormier put the Wolfpack ahead, 7-6, and the squad never relinquished the advantage.
- A 6-0 run by NC State broke an 11-11 tie, as the Pack pulled ahead for good. The Wolfpack scored four answered points to end the set, highlighted by a service ace by freshman Blayke Hranicka to give NC State the 25-14 third set win and 3-0 win in the match.
Â
Top Performers
- Cormier had a phenomenal match for the Wolfpack, tallying a match-high 11 kills to go along with a .526 attacking percentage. She recorded a kill on more than half of her swings (19 attempts) and only made one error.
- Brown smacked nine kills in the match, while sophomores Kaitlyn Kearney and Perry Ramsey each tallied six.
- At the setter position, Speaks continued to have success dishing out a match-high 33 assists. She also had seven digs and six kills.
- Defensively, Cormier had 10 digs as well as freshman libero Kassie Kasper.
Â
Up Next
NC State will return to action on Friday, Sept. 4 when it hosts the Hilton Garden Inn Cary Classic. The Wolfpack will play Ole Miss in its first match of the tournament on Friday at 7 p.m.
Â
#STATEment
Team Stats
ST
SC
Kills
43
30
Errors
16
18
Attempts
99
100
Hitting %
.273
.120
Points
55.0
38.0
Assists
40
27
Aces
7
2
Blocks
5.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballMB/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballS
/ Women's VolleyballPack Volleyball Then and Now. Players Discuss the Game They Played
Monday, October 06
Pack Volleyball Then and Now. Coaches Discuss How the Game is Played
Thursday, October 02
Pack Volleyball Then and Now. Former Players Compare Uniforms and Gear
Friday, September 12
Pack Volleyball Then and Now. Coaches Discuss Gear and Uniforms
Monday, September 08