NC State Volleyball Defeats Central 3-0 in Opener

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The NC State women’s volleyball team opened its 2015 campaign with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-17) sweep against the North Carolina Central Eagles, Friday afternoon inside the Carolina Volleyball Center.

The Wolfpack (1-0) opens the season with a win for the fourth time in head coach Bryan Bunn’s six-year tenure, while the Eagles fall to 0-1.

Match Rewind
– With the score tied at two in the first set, NC State used a 12-3 run to take a comfortable 14-5 lead in the frame. The Wolfpack went on to win the set, 25-16, and did not allow NC Central to get any closer than six points.

– Senior Morgan Cormier had a strong first set for the Pack, putting down four kills in the frame.

– NC State got all of its season-opening jitters out in the first set, as the Wolfpack was much more efficient offensively in the second set to record an attacking percentage of .364, the highest in any set on the night.

– The Eagles led very early in the second set, but with freshman Kassie Kasper at the service line the Wolfpack countered with a 5-0 run to take the lead, 8-3, and proceeded to win the set, 25-14.

– In the third set, NC State never trailed nor was the score ever tied as the Wolfpack raced out to a 10-0 lead on the strength of some strong serves from senior Tanna Aljoe. NC Central tried to mount a rally, but freshman Sarah Konchan’s kill cemented the Pack’s third set win, 25-17 and 3-0 win in the match.

Bunn’s Beat

Overall thoughts…
“We served the ball really tough tonight and got some of the first game jitters out,” said Bunn. “NC Central did a nice job defensively, so it challenged our hitters but overall it was a pretty good performance.”

On sophomore Julia Brown’s performance…

“She started off a little bit slow, but picked it up in the second and third sets. Ten kills in three sets is a good match for an outside hitter.”

On the team’s 10-0 run to open the third set…

“We served the ball really well during that stretch. Tanna Aljoe was serving some tough balls and they were out of system a lot. When we had an opportunity to put the ball away, we did.”

Top Performers
– Offensively, sophomore Julia Brown paced the Wolfpack with 10 kills. Blayke Hranicka, Kaitlyn Kearney and Maggie Speaks each contributed five kills, while Morgan Cormier and Perry Ramsey chipped in with four.

– At the setter position, Speaks dished out a match-high 20 assists to go along with her five kills, six digs and three blocks.

– Kasper, a freshman from Algonquin, Ill., earned the start at libero and recorded seven digs, while classmate Makenzie Kuchmaner and sophomore Emily Harris had five apiece.

– Hranicka led the Pack with five blocks.

Up Next
NC State will return to the court on Saturday at 10 a.m. to take on Southeastern Louisiana in the second match of the Gamecock Invitational for both teams. Later in the day, the Wolfpack will take on host South Carolina at 7 p.m. in a match that will air live on the SEC Network +.