RALEIGH — The North Carolina women’s volleyball team (12-2, 4-1 ACC) fell to North Carolina State (8-5, 3-2 ACC), 3-1, on Friday evening at Reynolds Coliseum.
UNC opened play shakily in front of a roaring Wolfpack crowd with two early attacking errors and three missed serves. However, after a monstrous block by graduate middle blocker Alexis Engelbrecht and graduate outside hitter Emani’ Foster, North Carolina amassed a five-point run behind the serves of sophomore setter Zoe Behrendt to earn an early 12-7 edge.
The Tar Heels failed to maintain that cushion after making more unforced errors and allowing N.C. State to terminate points. UNC took the first set 25-23, but not without 13 total unforced mistakes at the net and behind the service line that gave the Wolfpack over half its points.
Apart from the obvious errors North Carolina made, another issue for the Tar Heels was Amanda Rice of the Wolfpack. The attacker in red scored six kills in the first set for N.C. State and continued to tear apart UNC’s block throughout the match on her way to a match-high 19 total kills.
In the second set, the Wolfpack didn’t do anything fancy; it was clean and scrappy play that kept N.C. State on top combined with an inability to keep the ball alive on North Carolina’s half of the court. After a kill by Courtney Bryant and another by Rice, UNC called a timeout while down 11-17.
North Carolina picked up some steam as it began to involve middle blockers Engelbrecht and first-year Jackie Taylor. However, an ace and two more kills from the Wolfpack prompted UNC’s second and final timeout of the set at 21-15, with the Wolfpack leading. N.C. State clinched the second set, 25-17.
North Carolina called a timeout while down only 3-6 to start the third set. Conversations most likely centered around the Tar Heels’ front line, where the block was rarely on speed with the Wolfpack’s quick offense. UNC talked it over on the bench yet again at 12-4, N.C. State with the big advantage.
Slowly but surely the Tar Heels worked their way back into the game behind the arm of senior outside hitter Mabrey Shaffmaster. N.C. State called a timeout while up 18-19 in the middle of a 5-0 UNC run.
Several long and highly intense rallies won by the Wolfpack at the end of the third set put the fans of Reynolds Coliseum on their feet. N.C. State secured the set, 25-22.
