NC State Volleyball took on UNC Chapel Hill at Reynolds Coliseum on Wednesday at 7pm. With the home advantage, the Pack won the first three sets of the match, and swept the Tar Heels for the first time in 27 years. Although the Wolfpack finished with a 3-0 win, each set was a nail-biter with multiple lead changes.
The first set of the match started with the Pack taking an early lead. However, UNC closed the 7-4 gap and the score was back and forth from that point forward. Although the Heels took the lead several times, a key kill from #30, Teni Sopitan, tied the score at 22 and changed the Pack’s momentum. NC State was able to take the lead from there and win the first set.
Similar to the first set, the Wolfpack started out on top. However, UNC then tied the score several times and went on to take the lead by scoring four unanswered points. The Pack made a comeback late in the set when Sopitan and #5 Keira Moore’s kills closed the gap. #3 Melissa Evans’ kill gave NC State the lead, and a series of errors from the Tar Heels gave the Pack a 26-24 win in the second set.
With the Reynolds crowd getting louder, the Pack went into the third set ready to send the Tar Heels home early. While the score started off close in the beginning, the turning point came when #20 Lauryn Terry had consecutive kills to give the Wolfpack an 8-7 lead. The lead was then extended by several unforced errors from UNC. After an impressive block from #4 Kylie Pickrell and kills from Moore, a kill from Sopitan is able to finish off the set at 25-16.
Lauryn Terry, Teni Sopitan, and Jade Parchment led the Pack for a combined 34 kills on Wednesday, while Kylie Pickrell’s 40 assists helped push the Wolfpack to the 3-0 sweep.
NC State Volleyball moves to 14-12 on the season as the Tar Heels now stand at 7-13. The Pack takes on Syracuse at home on Wednesday, November 21st.