MATCH STATS
- (RV) NC State def. Clemson 3-1 (25-21, 19-25, 25-12, 25-18)
- (RV) NC State improves to 18-8 (13-2, ACC); Clemson falls to 7-20 (2-13, ACC)
- Raleigh, North Carolina (ACC Match)
- Attendance: 741
- Box Score
Raleigh, North Carolina – (RV) NC State kept pace atop the three-team race for the ACC title with a four-set win over Clemson. In fact, with Pittsburgh and Louisville not playing until tomorrow, the Wolfpack hold the lone spot in first of the conference for the time being.
The win was led by an NC State attack that hit .257 and a defense that held Clemson to a .081 mark for the match. Both teams used the block to slow things down, but the back row defense of NC State kept a plethora of tough balls off the floor in leading to attacks for the offense.
Clemson actually jumped ahead 19-12 to open things up, but an 8-0 NC State run that featured a trio of Julia Brown (13 kills, .300, nine digs, three blocks) kills put NC State in front. From there they didn’t look back as they finished the set on a 13-2 spurt to take the 1-0 set lead.
In the second, Clemson once again pulled out to a seven point lead at 12-5. This time things would be different though as they held to the set victory behind the defense of Madi Howell (19 digs for the match) and the overall play of Megan McGinley (five kills, .200, seven blocks).
Off the heels of early Clemson leads, NC State responded in the third by jumping out themselves with the first three points and eventually an 11-5 edge. Clemson did pull closer at 14-11 but Teni Sopitan‘s (15 kills, .267, three blocks) kill switched back the momentum as NC State would scratch ahead for 11 of the final 12 points to win the set and take a 2-1 advantage. They continued that strong play in the fourth too as after trailing 2-1 quickly went in front and led from there to the finish at 25-18 with big contributions from Bree Bailey (16 kills, .256, four digs) throughout.
With this one in the books, NC State has one more home match on the year as senior night ensues on Saturday when they host Georgia Tech. For Clemson, they stay in the state to their north to face the Tar Heels of North Carolina on the same day.
PRESS RELEASES:
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State volleyball team remained unbeaten in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) home matches with a 3-1 (25-21, 19-25, 25-12, 25-18) victory against the Clemson Tigers Thursday night inside Reynolds Coliseum.
The Wolfpack rallied from a seven-point deficit to win the first set before the Tigers evened the match at one with the second-set victory. After the intermission, NC State earned a convincing win in the third set and completed the win with a strong fourth set.
NC State moves to 18-8 on the year and 13-2 in ACC action, which ties the program record set by the 2016 squad. Additionally, the Wolfpack remains unbeaten in ACC home matches with a perfect 9-0 record – one of only three teams in the conference to accomplish the feat.
Clemson, in its first year under head coach Michaela Franklin, fell to 7-20 and 2-13 in league play.
Quoting Hampton-Keith
Overall thoughts…
“Credit to Clemson, they did a really good job of keeping pressure on us,” said head coach Linda Hampton-Keith. “We talked about really being in front of the game instead of always reacting to it. Really reading plays, watching plays develop and being on the front end of the play as opposed to always being surprised. There were times we looked surprised by what was going on as opposed to anticipating, understanding and reading so that’s where we spent some time and focus on that.
“We got better and better as the night went on. We’ve worked on that in practice, so we reminded the team about that and it was fun to coach and watch them succeed.”
Match Rewind
– NC State overcame a seven-point deficit to win the first set, 25-21.
– After Clemson grabbed a 19-12 lead, the Wolfpack roared back with eight unanswered points to take the lead 20-19 following a kill from Teni Sopitan.
– The Tigers evened the frame at 21-21 after an NC State attacking error, but a kill from Julia Brownsparked a 4-0 run for the Pack to win the set, 25-21.
– Clemson started fast in the second set and NC State nearly rallied from the deficit, cutting the Tigers advantage to 18-14 following three consecutive points.
– Unfortunately, Clemson countered with four in a row and won the frame, 25-19, to even the match at one set apiece.
– NC State raced out to a 9-3 lead in the fourth and later extended the margin to 11-5 after a kill from Bree Bailey to force a Clemson timeout.
– The Wolfpack continued to roll in the set and closed it out on a 10-2 run to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
– Clemson led early in the fourth set before NC State grabbed the lead with a 5-1 run to pull ahead at 10-7 thanks to a block from Sopitan and Lauryn Terry.
– A 6-2 run down the stretch allowed the Pack to take control of the set and win the frame, 25-18, for the 3-1 win in the match.
Top Performers
– Bailey led all players in the match with 16 kills, while Sopitan finished closely behind her with 15.
– Brown also reached double-digit kills with 13 in the contest, while Kaitlyn Kearney tallied nine to go along with a .368 attacking percentage.
– Kylie Pickrell dished out a match-high 31 assists and Becky Porter also saw action in the match and handed out 19 assists.
– Defensively, Kassie Kasper collected 14 digs and Emily Harris pitched in with 10.
Up Next
NC State will conclude its home slate Saturday night against Georgia Tech when the Wolfpack observes senior night. First serve is set for 5 p.m. inside Reynolds Coliseum.
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Clemson volleyball team fell, 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 12-25, 18-25), to NC State (18-8, 13-2 ACC) Thursday evening in Reynolds Coliseum. The Tigers were led by junior middle blocker Megan McGinley, who posted a season-high 7.0 blocks, three of which were block solos. Freshman libero Maddie Howell also tied her season high of 19 digs.
The two teams were even to open the first at 6-6 before the Tigers pushed out to a 15-10 lead heading into the media timeout. Clemson extended its lead, 19-12 on kill by junior middle blocker Megan McGinley that was assisted by senior setter Keely Hayes. From there, the Wolfpack embarked on an 8-0 run to take a 20-19 lead. The Tigers traded four straight points with the Wolfpack, but another unanswered NC State run sealed the set, 25-21, for the home team.
Despite the late-set collapse, Clemson rebounded early in the second, pushing out to a 6-2 lead that featured kills from McGinley, Kailey Harvell, Jaden Light and Kaylin Korte. The Wolfpack would take the next two points, but Clemson initiated an 8-2 run, which saw senior defensive specialist behind the service line for three straight Tiger points. Clemson would gain a 23-15 lead, but NC State kept things interesting late in the second, cutting the Tiger lead to four with a 4-0 run. A Harvell kill on a ball from Hayes halted the Wolfpack’s momentum as the Tigers went on to take the second, 25-19.
The Wolfpack grabbed a 13-7 lead coming out of the break. NC State maintained pace to claim the third, 25-12, ending the set on a 4-0 run to give them a 2-1 lead. Clemson took an early 7-6 lead in the fourth before NC State went on a 4-0 run to take a three-point lead. The Tigers stayed within striking distance, trailing 19-15, before the NC State strung together another 4-0 run to push the match out of reach for the Tigers. NC State went on to claim the set (25-18) and match, 3-1.
Up next, Clemson heads west to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face North Carolina (13-10, 10-5 ACC) Saturday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m., in Carmichael. Saturday’s contest will air on ACC Network Extra. Live stats for next week’s matches can be accessed on clemsontigers.com.
For complete coverage of the Tiger volleyball team, follow @ClemsonVB on Twitter and Instagram, @ClemsonVolleyball on Facebook and ClemsonVBall on Snapchat.
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