CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia volleyball (1-4, 0-4 ACC) fell 25-22, 25-16, 21-25, 25-21, to NC State (1-4, 1-4 ACC) on Friday evening (Oct. 23) inside Memorial Gymnasium.

Sophomore Jayna Francis (Virginia Beach, Va.) led the Cavaliers with 13 kills while hitting a season-best .370. Junior Milla Ciprian (St. John’s, Fla.) returned to the court for the first time this season to produce 11 kills while redshirt sophomore Grace Turner (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 10 to the effort.

NC State was paced by 23 kills from Jade Parchment, one off her career high. Melissa Evans added another 16 kills and Lydia Adam chipped in 11 to give the Wolfpack three in double figures.

SET 1: NC State 25-22

NC State rode early momentum, hitting over .360 in the opening points, to build a 15-9 lead at the media timeout. Virginia found its footing in the back half of the frame, chipping away with a 4-1 run to close within a single point at 21-20. An Evans kill and a hitting error provided the difference for NC State’s 25-22 win.

SET 2: NC State 25-16

The second set started with back-and-forth action as a Francis kill pulled Virginia level at 10-10. From that point, however, NC State reeled off a 7-1 run to pull away. The Wolfpack lead swelled to 20-12 as Parchment floored six kills to lead the set.

SET 3: Virginia 25-21

Francis and Ciprian produced five kills apiece to lead Virginia in a bounce-back effort in the third. The Cavaliers came out of the gate fast, building a 9-5 lead after a Turner termination.

NC State answered back to tie the set at 10 and the two squads traded blows to 17-all. Francis and Ciprian recorded the final two kills for Virginia to earn the 25-21 frame.

SET 4: NC State 25-21

Evans and Parchment floored five kills each to lead NC State to a match-clinching win in the fourth. Neither side could create separation in the early going, with the frame tied 11-11 after a block from Sarah Billiard (Matthews, N.C.) and Mattison Matthews (Charleston, S.C.).

NC State broke the deadlock with a 4-0 run keyed by two Parchment kills. Virginia responded to pull level at 19-all on a Turner kill but the Wolfpack would score six of the next eight points to close the match.

QUICK HITS

  • Megan Wilson (Brookeville, Md.) recorded a season-best 43 assists. She needs just eight more to move into sixth on Virginia’s all-time list
  • Alex Spencer (North Canton, Ohio) picked up 17 digs
  • Francis’ 13 kills and .370 hitting percentage were both season highs
  • Matthews racked up a team-leading six rejections to pair with her eight kills

UP NEXT

Virginia and NC State square off on Saturday (Oct. 24) at 6:30 p.m. inside Memorial Gymnasium. The match will stream on ACCNX.