Virginia Stumbles, 3-1, at NC State
RALEIGH, N.C. – Virginia (5-12, 1-6 ACC) rolled to a first-set victory, but NC State (9-8, 3-4 ACC) controlled the next three frames to pick up a 19-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-16 victory on Friday (Oct. 12) night at Reynolds Coliseum.
Freshman Grace Turner (Cincinnati, Ohio) recorded her second double-double in three matches, knocking down 10 kills and setting a new career best with 16 digs. Sarah Billiard (Matthews, N.C.) and Jelena Novakovic (Belgrade, Serbia) each had 12 kills to lead Virginia offensively.
NC State was paced by Teni Sopitan off the bench with 15 kills. After hitting just .025 in the opening set, the Wolfpack hit over .300 in each of the following three sets.
SET 1: Virginia 25, NC State 19
Virginia used an 8-0 run to transform a 6-4 deficit into a 12-6 advantage. The Cavaliers used a pair of blocks and capitalized on four Wolfpack errors to score the eight consecutive points.
In an extremely defensive set, Virginia held the Wolfpack to just .025 hitting. The Cavaliers use three blocks and forced a total of 10 NC State errors in the 25-19 victory. Milla Ciprian (St. John’s, Fla.) had three kills and a trio of block assists to lead Virginia in the frame.
SET 2: NC State 25, Virginia 19
NC State’s Sopitan reeled off three-straight kills to fuel a 6-0 Wolfpack run in the early going to establish a 9-5 lead. Virginia responded with a 6-0 run to take 12-11 lead and would hold a tenuous advantage to 15-14.
The Wolfpack then recorded four-straight points, building an 18-15 edge and forcing a Virginia timeout. NC State continued its push, cruising to a 25-19 victory of its own to level the match.
SET 3: NC State 25, Virginia 19
Two aces helped NC State build a 10-6 lead coming out of the break. The Wolfpack never allowed Virginia back into the set, cruising to a 25-19 victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.
NC State hit .375 with 17 kills to control the set. Melissa Evans floored six kills in the set to lead the Wolfpack.
SET 4: NC State 25, Virginia 16
After Virginia opened the set with a 5-2 lead, NC State stormed to an 11-2 run to seize control of the set at 13-7. Trailing 19-9, Virginia rolled off five consecutive points but NC State turned back the late rally to seal the match, 25-16.
NC State held Virginia to just .064 hitting in the final set.
QUICK HITS
• Ciprian produced another solid match defensively with a match-high seven blocks.
• Kelsey Miller (Crestwood, Ky.) led the match with 21 digs.
• Alex Spencer (North Canton, Ohio) hit a team-best .353 with seven kills. She added nine digs.
UP NEXT
Virginia returns to action on Sunday (Oct. 14) with a 1 p.m. first serve at North Carolina.