RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State fell to Wake Forest, 3-0, on Saturday, Oct. 6, at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. State kept things close in the first and second stanzas, but was simply outmatched in the third and final frame. With the loss the Pack falls to 3-14 (0-7 ACC), while the Demon Deacons climb to 7-9 (4-3 ACC).
Lauren Zaniboni delivered team-bests in kills (9) and digs (13), while Alex Smith led the squad with 23 assists. Ashley Wallace put up seven total blocks and Lindsay Benac collected the team’s lone service ace.
The match marked just the third time all season that the Pack failed to get a double-digit kill total from any player on its roster.
Natalie Mullikin (20 kills) and Kristen White (10 kills) paced the Wake Forest offense, while Kelsey Jones lifted 38 assists. Megan Thornberry contributed 15 digs and the team amassed 11 total team blocks. Four different Demon Deacons tallied service aces on the night.
In all, Wake Forest out-hit the Pack .263 to .016.
The red and white came out flat in game one, dropping the first four points. State later tied the score at 19-all on a Mullikin ball handling error that forced the Demon Deacons to call time. Wake returned to the court and grabbed the next four points, resuming the lead at 23-19, before closing things out at 30-26.
A three-point run with the score tied at 7-all gave the Demon Deacons the lead for good in the second frame. Wake lead by as many as seven points before the Pack cut the score to 24-20, but State would only muster three more scores before falling 30-23.
The Wolfpack couldn’t get anything going in the third and final game as Wake cruised to a 30-9 decision. The Demon Deacons went off on an eight-point run early on, before closing out with a seven-point streak.
NC State will return to the road next weekend, traveling to Virginia and Virginia Tech. The Pack will take on the Cavaliers on Friday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. in Charlottesville, before squaring off against the Hokies on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. in Blacksburg.
Courtesy: Ken Martin
