North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
14-11, 3-10ACC
No. 8 North Carolina
21-2, 12-1ACC
NC State Volleyball Falls at No. 8 UNC-Chapel Hill
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The NC State women’s volleyball team struggled to get into a rhythm offensively as the squad dropped a 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-22) decision against the eighth-ranked UNC-Chapel Hill Tar Heels Thursday evening inside Carmichael Arena.
The Wolfpack falls to 14-11 on the season and 3-10 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play, while the Tar Heels improve to 21-2 and 12-2 in league action.
Bunn's Beat
Opening statement…
"I think this match is a learning experience for us," said head coach Bryan Bunn. "UNC's ranked No. 8 in the country and we played a great third set, but we have to play that way throughout the match."
On Morgan Cormier's and Kaitlyn Kearney's performance…
"They played with energy. They were locked in and they weren't intimidated. It took some of our players two sets to start playing fearless and that's something we have to work on."
Worth Noting
- It was the 12th time this season that NC State has held its opponent to a hitting percentage less than .200, but it was the first time the squad has lost the match when doing so. The Pack is now 11-1 when accomplishing the feat.
- UNC’s attacking percentage of .175 was the second-lowest for the Tar Heels in a win this season.
Match Rewind
- With the score tied at three in the first set, UNC utilized a 6-0 run to pull away from the young NC State squad. The Wolfpack rallied to trim the lead to five, but could not get any closer as the Tar Heels won the frame, 25-14.
- Redshirt sophomore Morgan Cormier led the way for the Pack in the second set with five kills on eight attacks to record a .625 hitting percentage.
- Trailing 4-3 in the frame, the Tar Heels scored three unanswered points to take a 7-3. After a point by State, UNC countered with another 3-0 run and went on to win the set, 25-17.
- NC State played its best set of the night in the third frame, but came up just short, 25-22. Despite having a better hitting percentage (.122-.054) than the Tar Heels and more digs (24-21), UNC was able to squeeze by with the three point set win.
- Freshman Kaitlyn Kearney paced the team in the frame with four kills on seven swings to tally a .571 attacking percentage.
Key Performers
- Cormier highlighted the Wolfpack’s offensive attack with a match-high nine kills, while Kearney and classmate Perry Ramsey chipped in with seven each.
- At the setter position, sophomore Maggie Speaks dished out 26 assists to go along with eight digs, four kills and three blocks.
- Sophomore libero Rachel Eppley led the squad defensively with 15 digs and freshman Emily Harris pitched in with seven.
Up Next
NC State will return to action on Sunday, Nov. 16 when it travels to South Carolina for a matchup with the Clemson Tigers. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. inside Jervey Gym.
