Friday, August 30
Raleigh, N.C.
6 p.m.
Kansas State University
0-1
1
at
3
N.C. State
2-0
1
2
3
4
F
K-State
25
14
20
19
1
NC State
23
25
25
25
3
K-State Drops Season Opener at NC State
Aug 30, 2019 | Volleyball
RALEIGH, N.C. – K-State's Brynn Carlson registered a career-high 18 kills and Sarah Dixon turned in a double-double, but North Carolina State rallied to hand the Wildcats a four-set loss in their season opener Friday night at Reynolds Coliseum, 25-23, 14-25, 20-25, 19-25.
"I think it's disappointing," head coach Suzie Fritz said after the match. "I thought we played inconsistently in a lot of different areas. Not that there weren't some positive takeaways, at one point we had three true freshmen on the floor – Dru Kuck, Loren Hinkle and Anna Dixon – who I thought all played relatively well for their first real match.
"But way too many ebbs and flows. We struggled in nearly every phase, at different times. Like most coaches this time of year, we are just looking for more consistency."
Carlson was the lone Wildcat to reach double-figure kills in reaching her career-best output. The redshirt sophomore hit .222 (8 errors, 45 swings) to go with a pair of block assists. Dixon handed out 35 assists in addition to 11 digs for the 21st double-double of her career.
Sophomore Gloria Mutiri ended the night with eight kills while redshirt junior Peyton Williams picked up seven without an error on 13 attacks (.538). Williams led K-State with three total blocks (1 solo, 2 assists).
NC State (2-0) tallied 11 service aces and held a 56-46 edge in total kills. The Wolfpack's Melissa Evans matched Carlson's 18-kill output, as her and teammate Daniela McDonald (10 kills) reached double figures.
Four Wildcats recorded 10 or more digs, led by Kuck with 14. Redshirt sophomore Jacque Smith picked up 11 digs – a career high – while Hinkle contributed 10.
K-State (0-1) dropped its season opener for the first time since 2011, snapping a streak of seven consecutive seasons.
K-State withstood five lead changes and 10 tied scores in the opening set to take a 1-0 lead after a 25-23 Set 1 victory. The Cats rattled off five straight points to take an 11-7 lead, capped by back-to-back kills by Holly Bonde and Williams. Trailing 21-19, K-State closed the set on a 6-2 run that included three kills by Carlson. Carlson finished the set with a team-high six kills.
The Wolfpack countered with a 25-14 win in the second set, in which they hit .387 as a team (12 kills, 0 errors, 31 swings). K-State was limited to .098 hitting efficiency, as NC State picked up four team blocks in leveling the match. North Carolina State ended the frame by scoring eight of the final 10 points.
An 11-4 NC State run midway through Set 3 propelled the Wolfpack to a 2-1 match lead. K-State held a two-point edge at 9-7 prior to the spurt. Later in the set, the Wildcats clawed within two points at 19-17 after a 4-1 run before NC State responded with a 6-3 stretch to end the set.
The fourth set held seven lead changes, most of any set, with the Wildcats leading as late as 16-15. The Wolfpack would score six of the next seven as they sealed the victory on a 10-3 burst. NC State's Jessica Kemp clinched the match with back-to-back kills, as she finished with nine kills on the night. Carlson tallied six kills in the final game.
In their K-State debuts, outside hitters Anna Dixon and Bonde ended the night with four and three kills, respectively.
The Cats continue their season-opening weekend at the NC State Invitational with a Saturday doubleheader against Austin Peay (0-1) and Maryland (0-0). First serve against the Governors is set for 10 a.m. CT with the nightcap vs. the Terrapins slated for 6 p.m. Both matches can be heard free online at K-StateSports.com/watch.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
"I think it's disappointing," head coach Suzie Fritz said after the match. "I thought we played inconsistently in a lot of different areas. Not that there weren't some positive takeaways, at one point we had three true freshmen on the floor – Dru Kuck, Loren Hinkle and Anna Dixon – who I thought all played relatively well for their first real match.
"But way too many ebbs and flows. We struggled in nearly every phase, at different times. Like most coaches this time of year, we are just looking for more consistency."
Carlson was the lone Wildcat to reach double-figure kills in reaching her career-best output. The redshirt sophomore hit .222 (8 errors, 45 swings) to go with a pair of block assists. Dixon handed out 35 assists in addition to 11 digs for the 21st double-double of her career.
Sophomore Gloria Mutiri ended the night with eight kills while redshirt junior Peyton Williams picked up seven without an error on 13 attacks (.538). Williams led K-State with three total blocks (1 solo, 2 assists).
NC State (2-0) tallied 11 service aces and held a 56-46 edge in total kills. The Wolfpack's Melissa Evans matched Carlson's 18-kill output, as her and teammate Daniela McDonald (10 kills) reached double figures.
Four Wildcats recorded 10 or more digs, led by Kuck with 14. Redshirt sophomore Jacque Smith picked up 11 digs – a career high – while Hinkle contributed 10.
K-State (0-1) dropped its season opener for the first time since 2011, snapping a streak of seven consecutive seasons.
K-State withstood five lead changes and 10 tied scores in the opening set to take a 1-0 lead after a 25-23 Set 1 victory. The Cats rattled off five straight points to take an 11-7 lead, capped by back-to-back kills by Holly Bonde and Williams. Trailing 21-19, K-State closed the set on a 6-2 run that included three kills by Carlson. Carlson finished the set with a team-high six kills.
The Wolfpack countered with a 25-14 win in the second set, in which they hit .387 as a team (12 kills, 0 errors, 31 swings). K-State was limited to .098 hitting efficiency, as NC State picked up four team blocks in leveling the match. North Carolina State ended the frame by scoring eight of the final 10 points.
An 11-4 NC State run midway through Set 3 propelled the Wolfpack to a 2-1 match lead. K-State held a two-point edge at 9-7 prior to the spurt. Later in the set, the Wildcats clawed within two points at 19-17 after a 4-1 run before NC State responded with a 6-3 stretch to end the set.
The fourth set held seven lead changes, most of any set, with the Wildcats leading as late as 16-15. The Wolfpack would score six of the next seven as they sealed the victory on a 10-3 burst. NC State's Jessica Kemp clinched the match with back-to-back kills, as she finished with nine kills on the night. Carlson tallied six kills in the final game.
In their K-State debuts, outside hitters Anna Dixon and Bonde ended the night with four and three kills, respectively.
The Cats continue their season-opening weekend at the NC State Invitational with a Saturday doubleheader against Austin Peay (0-1) and Maryland (0-0). First serve against the Governors is set for 10 a.m. CT with the nightcap vs. the Terrapins slated for 6 p.m. Both matches can be heard free online at K-StateSports.com/watch.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- K-State finished with a team efficiency of .206 (46 kills, 17 errors, 141 attacks).
- NC State hit .275 as a team (56 kills, 15 errors, 149 attacks).
- Carlson set a career high with her 18 kills.
- Sarah Dixon tallied her 21st career double-double with 35 assists and 11 digs.
- The Wolfpack picked up 11 service aces to the Cats' two.
- K-State committed 11 service errors.
- Five Wildcats made their debuts in Abigail Archibong, Bonde, Anna Dixon, Hinkle and Kuck.
- Kuck turned in a team-best 14 digs to lead four Cats in double figures.
- NC State held a 56-46 edge in total kills.
- Evans led the Wolfpack with 18 kills while Kaylee Frazier had a match-high 19 digs.
- The all-time series between K-State and NC State is now tied 1-1.
- K-State dropped its season opener for the first time since 2011, breaking a stretch of seven straight opening-day wins.
- The Wildcats are 10-2 in their last 12 non-conference matches.
Team Stats
KSU
NCST
Kills
48
54
Errors
18
16
Attempts
139
139
Hitting %
.216
.273
Points
57.0
71.0
Assists
48
50
Aces
2
11
Blocks
7.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
OH/MB
/ Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballMB
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