North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
3-1
Rice
2-3
NC State Outlasts Rice in Home Opener, 3-2
9/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State women’s volleyball team opened its home slate in the 2014 Courtyard Midtown Classic with a 3-2 (25-18, 25-23, 21-25, 19-25, 15-9) victory over Rice Friday evening inside Reynolds Coliseum. With the win, State improves to 3-1 on the season, while Rice falls to 2-3.
State remains perfect in home openers under the guidance of head coach Brian Bunn with an unblemished 5-0 mark.
Worth Noting
- The Pack utilized a 6-2 run in the first set to take a 19-15 advantage, before winning the frame 25-18. Rachel Buckley led the Pack with five kills in the frame, while Perry Ramsey and Dariyan Hopper each had four.
- In the second set, the Pack jumped out to a 7-1 advantage and never trailed throughout the frame to win it, 25-23. Buckley recorded five kills in the frame and reached double digit kills with 10.
- Rice took the third frame, 25-21, and tied it at two sets apiece, winning the fourth frame, 25-19. Wolfpack freshman Kaitlyn Kearney led all players with five kills in the set and had a .571 hitting percentage.
- State concluded the fifth set by winning eight of the final 10 points to take the frame, 15-9, and complete the win. Kearney concluded her outstanding home debut by leading all players with three kills in the set.
- The Wolfpack closed out the night by hitting .438 as a team in the fifth set, while limiting Rice to a .091 clip.
Key Performers
- Buckley led the offensive output with 16 kills, which is one shy of her career-high of 17. Kearney had 14 kills in her home debut, while Hopper (11) and Alesha Wilson (10) also recorded double-digit kills.
- In addition to recording double-digit kills, Kearney recorded a game-high seven blocks.
- Maggie Speaks continued her fantastic start to the season, as she recorded a career-best 48 assists. In addition, Speaks had five kills, five blocks and three digs.
- Senior Alston Kearns led the defensive output with 21 digs, while Rachel Eppley recorded 12.
Bunn’s Beat
Opening Statement…
“We played with confidence,” said head coach Bryan Bunn. “We stopped them from siding out in the fifth set and they only had four kills. In sets three and four they hit .260 and .360, and then we started playing better defense in the fifth set. We sided-out 70 percent and they only sided-out 42 and that was the difference in the match.”
On Rachel Buckley’s performance…
“She’s our vocal leader. She knows what it takes to be successful and win and she knows the energy you have to put into it.”
Quoting the Players
Dariyan Hopper…
“We came out and we won the first two sets but then I think the third set kind of brought the team down. We figured out how to come back from that and that’s what matters, that we got the win.”
Rachel Buckley…
“I think everyone is really stepping into their roles. We have a lot of freshmen that are coming in and playing incredible. They are excited to play and are doing everything they can to help the team win.”
Maggie Speaks…
“In the first and second set we came out and we were calm and composed and had a lot of energy. In the third and fourth sets we would make a mistake and it was hard to come back from them once Rice got those runs. In end though, we came back and fought back to get the win.”
Up Next
State will return to action in the Courtyard Midtown Classic Saturday afternoon inside Reynolds Coliseum, as the Pack hosts Toledo at 1 p.m. The squad will also host UCONN at 7 p.m., in the final game of the tournament.
