Coming off a historic year, the N.C. State volleyball team is on pace to have its best season in history. Leading the charge is senior middle blocker Brie Merriwether, who serves as a captain of the team.
Merriwether is entering her fourth and final year with the Wolfpack. She was the star of Oviedo High School’s volleyball squad in Orlando, Fla., where she was named a Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star.
“I remember [head coach Bryan Bunn] came to one of our tournaments in Orlando and asked me come visit [N.C. State],” Merriwether said. “When I came I really loved the school, and the community-type feel was really attractive to me.”
Merriwether said the atmosphere at N.C. State helped reduce the stress of the recruiting process.
“The recruiting process as a whole was so stressful,” Merriweather said. “As a senior in high school, you don’t really know what you want in a college.”
Since joining the program, Merriwether has made a huge impact on the team. In her first year, she led all freshmen on the team in sets played, with 81, and started 27 matches.
As a sophomore and junior, Merriwether started at middle blocker for the Pack in all but two games. In those two years, she ranked in the top five on the team in kills, kill percentage and total blocks.
Merriwether said she recalls N.C. State’s record-breaking season in 2012, in which State’s volleyball team made its first postseason appearance since 1987 and won its first set in an NCAA tournament match.
“My fondest memory [of last season] was just how shocking of a season we had,” Merriwether said. “We were rated 12th in our conference [in the preseason] and finished fourth. Going to the NCAA tournament was one of our goals, so that was huge for us.”
As the 2013 season progresses, Merriwether’s game has only improved. Through 20 games, she ranks second on the team in kills, kill percentage and total points. She also leads the team in blocks with 80, and her 1.27 blocks per set average is good for third best in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 44th in the nation.
“It’s definitely a lot about vision, something that I didn’t have as a freshman,” Merriwether said. “When you come from high school and club to college, the game is so much faster. It’s all about seeing what’s happening before it happens.”
Merriwether said that the team was pleased with their progress so far and has high hopes for the remainder of the season. She said that she sees the team building on last year’s success and making a push for the NCAA tournament at the end of November.
“Our goal is to be in the top five in our conference,” Merriwether said. “Winning really big games shows us how much potential we have, and it really motivates us to keep working hard.”
Merriwether said she has become extremely close with all of her teammates, especially junior hitter Dariyan Hopper. Merriwether and Hopper have accounted for 36 percent of the Pack’s point total this season.
Not only is Merriwether a star on the court, she has also been successful in the classroom. Merriwether, human biology major, sports a grade-point average of over 3.8. As a junior, she was named to the All-ACC Academic Team and selected as a captain on the Capital One Academic All-District Team. After graduating this year, Merriwether said she plans to attend chiropractic school.
In her free time, Merriwether said she enjoys baking and occasionally sneaks cookies onto the bus for away games. She said she has also picked up knitting and scrapbooking for a while.
“I just have a really artistic side to me,” Merriwether said.
