Wolfpack Tops Tar Heels in Front of Record Crowd

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State volleyball team handed UNC its second loss of the season Friday evening when the Wolfpack defeated the Tar Heels, 3-1, in front of a record attendance (3,431) at Reynolds Coliseum.

The Wolfpack moves to 8-5 on the season and 3-2 in conference play.

Breaking Down the Match

The Wolfpack started the first set off with the lead, but UNC tied the frame seven-all and took over. After a 6-0 scoring run by the Tar Heels, NC State head coach Luka Slabe called a timeout.
The Pack rallied back to minimize the deficit to two (21-23), but UNC took the first set 25-23.
The second set started as a back-and-forth battle between the two programs, but it was NC State that eventually jumped out to a three-point lead (12-9). At the media timeout, the Pack led 15-11 and would later increase the lead to six (17-11) to force a UNC timeout.
Despite the Tar Heels attempting to minimize the deficit, the Wolfpack took the second set 25-18. Senior opposite Amanda Rice led the Pack with 11 kills through set two.
The Wolfpack maintained the momentum from set two into the third frame. The two teams tied the frame on four separate occasions, but it was NC State who dominated and took the set 25-22.
UNC took the early lead in the final frame, but the Wolfpack battled back to tie the set 11-all. After NC State took the lead, 12-11, UNC called a timeout. A service error by Skye Stokes ended the 6-0 scoring run by the Wolfpack and allowed UNC to start minimizing the lead.
The two programs exchanged points, and UNC eventually took a 22-21 lead. A kill by Alexis Engelbrecht was the last point the Tar Heels scored before NC State went on a 5-0 scoring run to eventually end the set on top, 25-22.
The Tar Heels recorded a season high 18 service errors on the evening and the win for the Wolfpack snapped an eight-game winning-streak for UNC.
Rice led the Pack with a season high 19 kills on 31 attempts with four errors to finish the evening hitting .484.
The win marked the eighth of the season, third in ACC play, 201^st ACC win in program history, 808^th win in program history, and 70^th win under the leadship of Slabe.

Stat Leaders
Kills: Amanda Rice (19)
Digs: Skye Stokes (16)
Assists: Naomi Cabello (28)
Blocks: Sophie Groom, Amanda Rice (5)
Aces: Skye Stokes (2)

Up Next
The Pack will host Duke on Sunday, Oct. 13 for the final home match of the month. First serve is set for 1pm on ACCNX.

Wolfpack Tops Tar Heels in Front of Record Crowd

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Team Stats

Amanda Rice

Ava Brizard

Courtney Bryant

Jada Allen

Players Mentioned

Naomi Cabello

Sophie Groom

Amanda Rice

Skye Stokes