Virginia Tech Volleyball Drops Sixth-Straight In Loss To NC State
Luke Boran
Staff Writer
November 12, 2023
Virginia Tech fell to NC State in four sets on Sunday afternoon. (Virginia Tech Athletics)
BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech (12-14, 2-13 ACC) could not keep up with NC State’s (20-7, 10-6) offensive barrage in a 3-1 loss to the Wolfpack on Sunday afternoon inside Cassell Coliseum.
NC State led the match in kills with 55 to the Hokies’ 41. Tech found themselves out of position often, chasing digs out of bounds and leaving areas of the floor open to attack.
Tech also fell short in assists, amassing 37 compared to the Wolfpack’s 51.
NC State had control of sets two, three and four after losing set one by nine. The momentum shifted, and the Pack increased their aggressiveness offensively. They had 15 kills in the second set and pressured the Hokies to react.
“Our serving pressure went down,” Tech outside hitter Leyana Mangual Duran said. “We had times where we couldn’t pass the ball very well and weren’t taking smart swings. I think our offense could have been a little bit better.”
The serving attack for the Hokies started very strong. They had nine aces in the first two sets and 11 total. The Pack only had six aces the entire match.
Service became the Hokies’ downfall in the last two sets. Tech had five service errors, two of which won matches three and four for the Wolfpack.
NC State surprisingly led the match in errors with 23 total. However, the Hokies could not capitalize on these mistakes.
Whenever Tech captured any momentum, the Wolfpack would respond with a run of their own and thwart the Hokies’ attack.
Despite the loss, the Hokies played incredibly hard. They refused to give up on rallies, running into the scorers and media tables countless times to save the ball.
Tech setter Hanna Borer was the Hokies’ catalyst offensively. She led the match in assists, accounting for an astounding 32 assists of the Hokies’ 41. Borer also went to work defensively, tying Mangual Duran for second in digs for the Hokies.
Duran was on fire offensively, leading the match with 13 kills.
“I’m just like, ‘give me the ball. If I have the hot hand, I got you,’” Duran said. “I was just aiming for high hands, being smart about my swings and not hitting it in the seam.”
Both liberos set the defensive tone for their respective teams. Wolfpack libero Skye Stokes led the match with 17 digs, and Tech libero Iliana Rodriguez, followed with 13.
The defensive front for the Pack and the Hokies was active as well. NC State middle blocker Lilly Cropper had a match-leading five blocks, with the Wolfpack’s Jada Allen and Tech’s Hailey Pierce just behind with four each.
“I want to see more consistency: consistency overall, passing, serving, offense, etc.,” Duran said. “We were really good in that first set, and, honestly, a lot of the match. There’s no one else I’d rather do this with and play ball with.”
The Hokies will face Wake Forest in their next match on Nov. 19 in Cassell Coliseum. The Demon Deacons will play two days after their match with Notre Dame on Nov. 17, so the Hokies should be fully rested with a full week to prepare.
Wake Forest defeated Tech 3-0 in their last meeting. However, Virginia Tech has a home record of 20-2 against the Deacs, and has won its last two home matches. The Hokies will look to get revenge for their earlier loss and snap their six-game losing streak.