RICHMOND, Va. – After dropping the first set, Alabama rallied to win the next three over NC State including a convincing 10-point decision in the fourth to cap the 3-1 victory.

Alabama (5-1) dropped a narrow two-point decision in the opening frame to NC State (2-3) before claiming back-to-back four point wins in the second and third to move ahead in the match. The fourth set was all Crimson Tide, cruising ahead to a 10-point victory at 25-15 to cap the match.

Senior Hayley McSparin led the team with 10 kills, hitting .500 with just one error on 18 swings. Sophomore Mylana Byrd played all six rotations, finishing with 38 assists along with a team-leading five blocks. Junior Kaylee Thomas was one of two players with double-digit digs, earning 20 while senior Ginger Perinar tallied 11.

Stat Leaders

Set-by-Set

Set One (NC State 26, Alabama 24): NC State scored the first point of the set and would not give up the lead until back-to-back kills from senior Hayley McSparin made it 11-10 in Alabama's favor. The Tide scored three of the next four points, leading 14-11 as the Wolfpack spent a timeout. NC State chipped away and eventually tied it at 17-17 after scoring three in a row. The Wolfpack scored following an Alabama timeout to retake the lead and, after four tie scores, a kill from McSparin pushed the Tide back in front late, 23-22. Alabama reached set point first, 24-23, before NC State scored back-to-back to lead 25-24 as the Tide spent its final timeout. A solo block from the Wolfpack on the next rally closed out the set.

NC State scored the first point of the set and would not give up the lead until back-to-back kills from senior made it 11-10 in Alabama's favor. The Tide scored three of the next four points, leading 14-11 as the Wolfpack spent a timeout. NC State chipped away and eventually tied it at 17-17 after scoring three in a row. The Wolfpack scored following an Alabama timeout to retake the lead and, after four tie scores, a kill from McSparin pushed the Tide back in front late, 23-22. Alabama reached set point first, 24-23, before NC State scored back-to-back to lead 25-24 as the Tide spent its final timeout. A solo block from the Wolfpack on the next rally closed out the set. Set Two (Alabama 25, NC State 21): Trailing 8-4, Alabama scored four unanswered to tie it up at 8-8. After two more tie scores, the Tide would take an 11-10 lead and a 5-3 run further stretched the advantage to 16-13 before the Wolfpack spent a timeout. NC State scratched away at the deficit, drawing within one to force Alabama to take a timeout with its lead at 18-17. Two quick points from the Tide made it 20-17 and the Wolfpack burned their final timeout. Alabama would hold on to win the set by four and even the match.

Trailing 8-4, Alabama scored four unanswered to tie it up at 8-8. After two more tie scores, the Tide would take an 11-10 lead and a 5-3 run further stretched the advantage to 16-13 before the Wolfpack spent a timeout. NC State scratched away at the deficit, drawing within one to force Alabama to take a timeout with its lead at 18-17. Two quick points from the Tide made it 20-17 and the Wolfpack burned their final timeout. Alabama would hold on to win the set by four and even the match. Set Three (Alabama 25, NC State 21): NC State held the early momentum in the third, fighting off five tie scores before Alabama broke through after a sixth, with a block from sophomore Mylana Byrd and freshman Alyiah Wells pushing the Tide in front 16-15. NC State spent a timeout after an attack error on the next rally made it 17-15 and took its final break following a kill from sophomore Erin Curl to put the Tide ahead 22-19. Alabama reached set point after back-to-back kills and then closed it out three points later to win by the same score as the previous set and take a 2-1 match lead.

NC State held the early momentum in the third, fighting off five tie scores before Alabama broke through after a sixth, with a block from sophomore and freshman pushing the Tide in front 16-15. NC State spent a timeout after an attack error on the next rally made it 17-15 and took its final break following a kill from sophomore to put the Tide ahead 22-19. Alabama reached set point after back-to-back kills and then closed it out three points later to win by the same score as the previous set and take a 2-1 match lead. Set Four (Alabama 25, NC State 15): Alabama slowly extended its lead throughout the first half of set four leading 12-8 at NC State's first timeout before moving ahead 18-11 at its second. It was all Crimson Tide from that point on, scoring three more unanswered to lead by 10 and ultimately win by the same margin.

Key to the Match

Alabama kept NC State out of system, holding the Wolfpack to a .084 team hitting percentage, committing more than twice as many attack errors as the Tide at 34 as opposed to 16.

Player of the Match

Senior Hayley McSparin was efficient on offense, earning 10 kills with just one error on 18 swings, finishing with a .500 clip.

Up Next

Alabama plays three matches in Birmingham, Ala., starting Thursday, Sept. 12 against UAB at 7 p.m. CT.

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