South Raleigh News

The NC State volleyball team faced a challenging match against the 6-seed Florida Gators in the first round of the 2024 NCAA tournament. The game took place at Horseji Family Volleyball Arena at the University of Kansas on Friday evening, where NC State was defeated in straight sets.

NC State concluded their season with an overall record of 16-13. In the opening set, Florida quickly established a lead of 9-4, prompting NC State's head coach Luka Slabe to call an early timeout. Despite efforts by players like Courtney Bryant, who ended a long rally with a kill, Florida secured the first set with a score of 25-18. Both Bryant and Amanda Rice contributed four kills each during this set.

In the second set, NC State initially led 3-1 but soon fell behind as Florida gained momentum. A notable play by Rice reduced Florida's lead to one point at 11-10. The teams continued to battle closely until a media timeout was called with Florida leading 15-13. Although Bryant managed to tie the set at 15-all with a kill on an overpass, Florida regained control and won the second set 25-21.

The third set began with NC State taking an early lead of 4-1 before Florida tied it up at four-all. A competitive exchange followed until Florida pulled ahead with a score of 10-7, resulting in another timeout from Slabe. Ultimately, despite scoring six more points, NC State could not overcome Florida's dominance and lost the third set 25-13.

Kennedy Martin stood out for Florida with her performance, achieving 18 kills while Isabel Martin recorded four service aces.

Key statistics for NC State included nine kills each from Courtney Bryant and Amanda Rice. Amanda Rice also led in digs with eight, while Naomi Cabello provided significant support through her assists totaling twenty-five and shared leadership in blocks alongside Lily Cropper and Jada Allen.