NC State’s bid for a shocking upset over the No. 5 Cardinals seemed far too easy through the opening two sets.
Despite matching up against just one top-25 opponent on the year — NC State suffered a thorough 3-1 setback against No. 13 Georgia Tech — and having never beaten a ranked foe on their home floor, the hard-hitting Pack cruised with a near .500 kill percentage and a pair of opening-set victories.
Louisville roared back in the third set, using a five-kill round from Phekran Kong to halve the deficit, and a thunderous ace from Anna DeBeer would later level the fourth set and descend a palpable wave of doubt upon the fans at William Neal Reynolds Arena desperate for the building’s first-ever ranked victory.
The Wolfpack, however, never wavered from their confident and even-keeled approach, breaking from a brief huddle and engineering an immediate, and ultimately decisive, 9-2 response.
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NC State would claim the fourth set 25-15, a dominant end to a stunning top-5 victory, the first for the program in more than a decade.
JADA ALLEN 😱#NCAAWVB x 🎥 ACCN / @PackVball
