Press Release courtesy of NC State Athletics
The NC State volleyball team will look to remain unbeaten in home Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) matches this season when the Clemson Tigers visit Reynolds Coliseum Thursday night. It will be the first match that the Wolfpack has played on a Thursday this year.
The match will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra, accessible through Watch ESPN or the Watch ESPN App. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth (17 or younger). Admission is free for children age two or younger.
NC State heads into the matchup with a 17-8 overall record, highlighted by a 12-2 mark in ACC matches. The Wolfpack is 8-0 on the year in home conference matches and is one of just three teams in the ACC to accomplish the feat.
Match Promotions
– Military Appreciation Night
– Postmatch autograph session with the team and Military honorees
Last Time Out
In its last outing, NC State defeated Boston College in straight sets to complete a perfect weekend following a 3-0 sweep two days prior against Syracuse.
Last Time Versus Clemson
Thursday’s matchup will be the second meeting between the teams this season, as the Wolfpack will look to complete the season sweep. NC State swept the first contest between the teams in Clemson on October 1.
In that match, the Pack broke the rally-scoring era program record for blocks in a three-set match with 14.5. That total stands as the second most by a team in the ACC this season and ranks among the top 25 of the NCAA.
Sophomore middle blocker Lauryn Terry enjoyed a breakout performance in the first meeting, as she tallied a career-best 11 blocks, which is the most by any player in the conference this year.
Eight in a Row
Thanks to a perfect weekend, the Wolfpack has now won its last eight sets dating back to the fourth set of NC State’s win at Florida State. The Pack swept Syracuse and Boston College, 3-0, last weekend.
Kearney ACC Co-Player of the Week
Following one of the best weekend’s in her collegiate career, NC State’s Kaitlyn Kearney was tabbed ACC Co-Player of the Week on Monday by the league office. It is the second consecutive week that an NC State player has claimed the honor, as Kylie Pickrell secured the mention last week.
Kearney swatted 21 kills on 30 attempts with ZERO attacking errors over the weekend to compile a .700 attacking percentage.
Offensive Prowess
The Wolfpack’s offense has been operating at a high level all season and continues to do so heading into the eighth week of ACC play. NC State leads the conference in total kills with 1,342 and kills per set with 14.28, which ranks 21st in the NCAA.
In addition, NCSU’s 13.49 assists per set paces the ACC and is 14th in the nation. The Pack has a total of 1,268 assists on the year, which is also good for first in the conference.
Unbeaten at Home in ACC Matches
NC State is looking to record its first unbeaten ACC home season since 1988, as the Wolfpack is 8-0 in home conference matches this season with only two more home matches remaining. With a win against Clemson and Georgia Tech, NCSU would have an undefeated season in home ACC matches at 10-0.
Only UNC-Chapel Hill and Louisville, which the Pack travels to next Friday, are also unbeaten in ACC home matches.
It would be the first unbeaten home season in ACC play since 1988 when the Wolfpack went undefeated in conference play at 6-0.
Scouting Clemson
Clemson is in its first year under head coach Michaela Franklin and the Tigers have compiled a 7-19 overall record and are 2-12 in ACC action. Clemson fell 3-1 at Virginia Tech in their most recent outing.
NC State has won the last four matchups with Clemson, highlighted by a season sweep against the Tigers last year. The Wolfpack swept the Tigers, 3-0, in last year’s meeting inside Reynolds Coliseum on Nov. 13, 2016.
Kaylin Korte paces the group offensively with 268 kills or 3.35 kills per set, while Kailey Harvell is second on the squad with 140 kills. The Tigers’ have used Keely Hayes at setter recently and she has dished out 156 assists. At libero, Madi Howell has collected 3.43 digs per set.
Clemson owns a team attacking percentage of .148 for the year and its opponents have compiled a .236 clip.
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