COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – NC State’s late set-winning comeback fell just short against UC Davis, 3-1, at the Air Force Volleyball Tournament on Friday, Sept. 5. Refusing to be shut out, the Pack took the third set before falling in the fourth.
UC-Davis climbs to 3-1 with the victory, while NC State dips to 0-5.
Aiwane Iboaya’s 13 kills paced the Wolfpack, while Arlee Tamietti added 11 of her own. Three State netters, Kelly Wood (15), Lindsay Benac (12) and Alex Smith (11) recorded double-digit dig totals, with Smith also putting up 27 assists. Nikki Sweet landed two service aces, as Smith and Tamietti both grabbed four blocks each.
Renee Ibekwe (13) and Keala Peterson (10) combined for 23 of UC Davis’ 50 kills, while Asia Casino had 36 assists. Avreeta Singh notched 21 digs, and five different Aggies recorded aces.
The introductory stanza was an all-out donnybrook between the two programs, featuring 17 ties and eight lead changes. Neither team trailed by more than three points throughout play. State was two points away from clinching at 22-23, but the Aggies grabbed the final three blows to steal the opening tally, 25-23.
13 tied scores followed in the second set, with both teams struggling to find any offense at all. The Pack (9) and Aggies (8) combined for just 17 total kills, but State’s 11 attack errors made the difference in the four-point loss, 25-21.
The Pack, which had been shutout in its previous four contests, refused to go down without a fight. Facing elimination, State toppled the Aggies in the third set with a 22-25 decision. With the score knotted at 21-all, the Pack jumped ahead 21-23 thanks in part to back-to-back UC Davis attack errors. Following a final Aggie score, Wolfpack kills from Margaret Salata and Isis Gardner forced a fourth frame.
State’s late rally obviously lit a fire in UC Davis, as the Aggies cruised to a .387 hitting percentage with a paltry three attack errors in a fourth set victory, 25-18.
The Pack will return to the floor with a 7 p.m. bout against Akron.
Courtesy: Karl DeBlaker
