Dates: Friday & Sunday, September 7 & 9
Opponents: Wright State & Utah Valley (Fri.), Campbell (Sun.)
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
Site: Reynolds Coliseum
Times: 2 & 7 p.m. (Fri.) | 2 P.M. (Sun.)
Live Video: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: SideArm Stats
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State volleyball team will return to home action this weekend when the Wolfpack welcomes three teams to Reynolds Coliseum. The Pack is co-hosting a tournament titled the Wolfpack-Camels Invitational along with Campbell, as NC State will play Wright State, Utah Valley and the Camels in Raleigh.
The Wolfpack will take on the Wright State Raiders in its first match of the weekend at 2 p.m. Friday afternoon and return to the court later that evening to face Utah Valley at 7 p.m. Appalachian State and Utah Valley will meet in a neutral site matchup as the first contest of the weekend at 11 a.m. Friday.
NC State will wrap up the tournament with a match against Campbell at 2 p.m. Sunday. NC Central is also taking part in the event with its lone match in Buies Creek.
Match Promotions
Friday, Sept. 7 versus Wright State – 2 p.m.
- Lunch Break with the Pack
- Free Jimmy John’s subs while supplies last
Friday, Sept. 7 versus Utah Valley – 7 p.m.
- Back the Pack Night
- Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Recognition
- Postmatch Autographs
Sunday, Sept. 9 versus Campbell – 2 p.m.
- High School Day
Receiving Recognition
Through the first two weekends of the season, NC State has had three players garner all-tournament honors. Senior All-American setter Kylie Pickrell has claimed the honor at the Wolfpack Classic and SMU DoubleTree Classic, while Melissa Evans was named all-tournament following opening weekend and Lauryn Terry collected the accolade after a strong showing in Dallas.
Terry Enjoying Strong Start to the Season
As a junior middle blocker, Lauryn Terry has turned in a strong start to the 2018 season. She has tallied 32 kills on 60 swings and has only committed one error to tally a team-best .433 attacking percentage.
The Columbia, Md., native also leads the Pack with 12 blocks on the year.
Wolfpack Among the ACC Rankings
Pickrell currently ranks fifth among ACC individuals with 9.62 assists per set and is also sixth in the league with 0.43 aces per set. Senior libero Makenzie Kuchmaner ranks among the top 10 in digs per set with 3.90.
Scouting Wright State
The Wright State Raiders head to Raleigh with a 5-1 record, its best start since 2015. WSU has won its last five matches after opening the season with a 3-2 loss against UCONN. The five-match winning streak is the best for the program since 2009.
Head Coach Allie Matters is in her first season after spending the last seven seasons as the top assistant at Seton Hall.
NC State and Wright State have met three times in the history of the programs with the Raiders owning a 2-1 advantage in the series. The Raiders won the last matchup between the teams during the 2002 season, 3-0, at a tournament hosted by Florida Atlantic.
Sophomore right side Celia Powers is tied for the team lead with 65 kills along with Teddie Sauer, as each is averaging 2.71 kills per set. At setter, Lainey Stephenson has dished out 7.54 assists per set and libero Jenna Story has logged 3.67 digs per set.
Scouting Utah Valley
Friday’s matchup will be the first meeting with Utah Valley, as the Wolverines own a 5-3 mark this season. UVU has won its last three matches heading into the weekend with a 3-0 sweep against Utah State on Tuesday night.
The Wolverines were picked to finish fourth in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Preseason Poll and sophomore outside hitter Kristen Allred was named Preseason All-WAC.
Utah Valley is led by head coach Sam Atoa, who is in his 20th season leading the program and is just five wins shy of reaching 400 for his career. The Wolverines take on Campbell Thursday night and Appalachian State Friday morning before meeting the Wolfpack in Friday night’s tilt.
Freshman outside hitter Kazna Tarawhiti leads the team offensively with 109 kills, averaging 4.19 kills per set, which is the best in the WAC. UVU has used multiple setters this season, as Madi Wardle has passed out 5.92 assists per set and Jaysa Funk Stratton has contributed 4.35 aps. Defensively, libero Seren Merrill has collected 3.38 digs per set.
Scouting Campbell
The Campbell Fighting Camels are 2-5 on the year with a 3-0 loss in their most recent outing on the road against the UNCW Seahawks on Tuesday night. The Camels will play Utah Valley on Thursday night and Appalachian State on Saturday before Sunday’s match against NC State.
Campbell was picked to finish third in the Big South Preseason Poll, receiving one first-place vote. Outside hitters Allena Heath and Jessica Stocking earned a spot on the Preseason All-Big South Team.
NC State and Campbell have met 16 times in the history of the programs with the Wolfpack leading the all-time series, 12-4. The Wolfpack has won the last four meetings, most recently with a 3-1 victory in 2016 inside Reynolds Coliseum.
Freshman outside hitter Sarah Colla leads the team with 83 kills on the year, averaging 3.32 kills per set. Madee Miner is the Camels’ setter and has dished out 5.32 assists per set, while libero Grace Kane has tallied 3.84 digs per set.
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