Boston College women’s volleyball took NC State to the brink in nearly every set of Friday’s game, which marked the Eagles’ last home game of the season.
Despite stretches of resilient defense and late-set rallies, however, BC (16–11, 5–10 Atlantic Coast) could not finish when it mattered most, leading to a 3–1 win for the Wolfpack (12–13, 5–10).
The game started with strong performances from both teams, as neither was able to take more than a one-point lead. A kill by Anna Herrington, followed by two crucial Audrey Ross blocks, brought the game to a 6–5 BC lead.
As the Wolfpack took the lead, a monumental block by Ross and then a missed kill by NC State gave BC the lead again.
In a critical turn of events, a crucial dive from Brooklyn Yelland kept BC alive in the point, and Courtney Bryant hit a controversial missed kill. NC State challenged the ruling, and the referee ruled in its favor, bringing the set to a 19–17 Wolfpack lead.
The Eagles came out of the timeout down 21–19 until they equalized the game.
But BC didn’t let down. In fact, they took a 23–21 lead after a Cornelia Roach kill and an ace by Bryant, forcing the Wolfpack to call a timeout.
BC had only half of NC State’s kills, notching just seven compared to NC State’s 14. The Eagles also had 15 fewer attack attempts.
A Sam Hoppes kill brought the game to 24–22 in favor of BC. And NC State’s Rebecca Ring’s service error earned a first-set victory for the Eagles.
The Eagles lagged behind throughout the second set, and NC State’s dominance persisted.
Despite several blocks by BC’s defense and many kill attempts, they could not seem to break NC State’s defense. With a kill by Elaisa Villar, NC State took the second set, splitting the first two sets.
NC State opened the third set with a 3–1 lead, but a series of sprawling saves from Yelland and Bryant pulled BC back within one.
The Eagles then surged ahead on a three-point run, fueled by back-to-back aces from Villar and Lucy Mott to bring the score from 3–1 to 5–3.
The game stayed close in the third set, thanks to multiple diving saves from Yelland, and the score was tied 11–11.
Just as the Wolfpack took the lead, two consecutive kills from Ross kept the score tied at 15. With two more crucial kills by Sequoia Layne, BC tied the game, and a kill by Ross gave BC the lead.
Sofia Marjanovic’s failed serve brought the game to 24–22, then a missed hit from Ross gave the Wolfpack the third set.
The fourth set began much like all the other sets, with the score tied at 7–7, as neither team was able to increase the score gap in their favor. The teams continued to trade points until three kills by the Wolfpack brought the score to 12–9.
A missed serve by Ali Natt capped off a 25–19 win for NC State. Despite taking the opening set and staying within striking distance, BC couldn’t reclaim control once the Wolfpack seized momentum in the second set.
