NC State Volleyball Defeats VCU 3-2 in Season Opener

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State volleyball team held off a pesky comeback attempt from the VCU Rams, the defending Atlantic 10 Conference Champion and preseason favorite, to open the 2018 season with a 3-2 (25-21, 25-15, 21-25, 17-25, 15-11) victory Friday night inside Reynolds Coliseum.

The Wolfpack raced out to a 2-0 lead in the match before the Rams countered to win the next two sets and force a decisive fifth frame. NC State scored first in the fifth set and never trailed en route to the 15-11 win to clinch the match, 3-2.

NC State has now won its last 12 matches inside Reynolds Coliseum dating back to last season. The Pack moves to 1-0 on the year while VCU, an NCAA Tournament team last season, opens the season 0-1.

Match Rewind
– The Pack opened the match strong, winning the first set, 25-21.
– After VCU pulled ahead 6-5 in the frame, NC State countered with a 5-1 run to take a 10-7 advantage and never relinquished the lead.
– Three consecutive Wolfpack points made the tally 18-14 and forced the Rams to call a timeout.
– A kill from Melissa Evans capped the first set to put NC State ahead in the match, 1-0.
– NC State was dominant in the second set, as the Pack won it, 25-15.
– The Wolfpack jumped out to a 3-0 lead and extended the margin to 15-7 after junior Grace Irvin served six consecutive points.
– A service ace from Kylie Pickrell stretched the advantage to 23-12 before NCSU closed out the set, 25-15.
– With the score knotted at 12 in the third set, VCU scored five consecutive points to pull away and take the frame, 25-21.
– The Rams started hot in the fourth set, but the Wolfpack did not go away and narrowed the margin to 21-15 with a 7-1 run prior to VCU winning the set, 25-17.
– In the final set, a block from Evans and Erin Chatman to start the frame quickly gave NC State momentum.
– A kill from freshman Jade Parchment put the Pack up 6-3 and Teni Sopitan tallied a kill at 12-10 to force a VCU timeout.
– After an attacking error, NC State closed out the match with three consecutive points to clinch the fifth set, 15-11.

Top Performers
– Evans led all players in the match with 20 kills to go along with a .311 attacking percentage. She also contributed eight digs and three blocks with a service ace.
– Pickrell notched a double-double in her first outing of the year, handing out 41 assists in addition to 13 digs and three service aces.
– Sopitan also reached double digit kills in the contest with 11.
– Defensively, libero Makenzie Kuchmaner pace the Pack with 14, while Parchment and Grace Irvin each chipped in with 10.

Up Next
NC State returns to action Sunday afternoon when the Washington State Cougars visit Reynolds Coliseum. First serve is slated for 12:30 p.m. and the match will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra.