Wolfpack Stuns No. 10 SMU with Reverse Sweep

DALLAS – The NC State volleyball team stunned 10^th-ranked SMU with a reverse sweep Saturday evening at Moody Coliseum to mark the programs third ever top-10 win.

The Pack moves to 15-12 on the season and 11-9 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Breaking Down the Match

The Mustangs jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the opening frame but a kill by junior outside hitter Ava Brizard started a 6-0 scoring run to give the Wolfpack the lead (8-6).
A back-and-forth battle between the two teams began, with neither leading by more than two points at a time. Heading into the first media timeout of the match, SMU led 15-13.
Head coach Luka Slabe used his first timeout of the set after SMU took a three-point lead out of the media timeout (17-14).
The Mustangs went on a 8-0 scoring run to close out the opening frame on top, 25-15.
The Wolfpack continued to struggle in the beginning of the second set, forcing Slabe to use an early timeout in hopes of regrouping the Pack. Out of the timeout, NC State went on a 10-3 scoring run to take the lead, 15-12, forcing SMU to take a timeout of its own.
A 4-1 scoring run by the Mustangs put SMU ahead, 17-16, forcing Slabe to use his final timeout.
Despite late efforts by the Pack, SMU took set two, 25-22.
NC State started the third frame off with an 8-3 lead over the Mustangs, forcing SMU to use an early timeout.
The Pack continued to dominate as it increased its lead to seven (14-7), forcing the SMU to use its final timeout.
An attack error by Naya Shime allowed NC State to push its lead to 10, the largest of the evening for the Wolfpack.
The Mustangs would score four more points before NC State took the third set, 25-14.
Through the first three frames, senior opposite Amanda Rice led the Pack with 12 kills while Brizard added 10.
It was a back-and-forth battle in the fourth set, with neither team leading by more than one point. The Pack went on a 5-2 scoring run to push the lead to three headed into the media timeout (15-12).
A service error by the Mustangs allowed NC State to take the fourth set, 25-18. Rice led all scorers with 17 kills through four frames.
The Wolfpack continued to dominate to start the fifth set until the Mustangs minimized the lead to one (11-10), forcing Slabe to use a timeout.
With NC State on match point, the Mustangs tied the set 14-all but the Pack would go on to win the match, 17-15.
Senior middle blocker Jada Allen tallied a career high 10 blocks in the win.
The win marks the 16^th of the season, 11^th in conference play, 816^th overall in program history, 214^th in conference play in program history, and 78^th under head coach Luka Slabe.

Stat Leaders
Kills: Amanda Rice (23)
Digs: Skye Stokes (24)
Assists: Naomi Cabello (45)
Blocks: Jada Allen (10)
Aces: Naomi Cabello Rice (3)

Up Next
The Wolfpack will wait to see if it earns an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA tournament. The selection show will take place on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 6pm on ESPN.

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Team Stats

Amanda Rice

Ava Brizard

Courtney Bryant

Jada Allen

Players Mentioned

Jada Allen

Ava Brizard

Naomi Cabello

Amanda Rice

Skye Stokes