The volleyball team will host the Hilton/RTP N.C. State Classic this weekend at Reynolds Coliseum. UNC-Asheville, William & Mary, Norfolk State and Western Carolina will all travel to Raleigh for the tournament, which features eight matches.
N.C. State will go head to head with Norfolk State and William & Mary today, followed by matches with Western Carolina and UNC-Asheville on Saturday.
Last weekend, the Wolfpack traveled to Colorado Springs, Colo. for the United States Air Force Academy Tournament. The team returned to Raleigh with a 2-2 tournament record, putting them at 2-6 on the season.
The Pack will take the court for the first time at home this season against Norfolk State with a chance to tie last year’s total win record of three games. Coach Charita Stubbs is ready to be back in Reynolds with her team
“We’re definitely excited about being home,” Stubbs said. “A lot of the player’s parents are coming in, and we’re going to be in front of the home crowd.”
The team hopes to use the momentum from last weekend’s wins as a foundation for the remainder of the season. Sophomore defensive specialist Nikki Sweet anticipates good things to come for the team in the weekend contest.
“We’ve been coming together and building off the wins last week,” Sweet said. “We’ve found what worked in those matches.”
Although there are four new freshmen on the team this year, the Pack has been playing like everyone is a returning player.
“The freshmen have been doing really well, you can’t even tell they’re freshman,” Sweet said. “They all communicate well on the court. It’s not a problem like it was in the past.”
Junior outside hitter Keri DeMar said the Pack has been hard at work in practices this week, primarily on getting into position for hits, as well as blocking.
“We’ve been running drills and perfecting our technique — just the little things that will make us a better team,” DeMar said. “We’ve got good energy and we know what to expect from each other.”
Coach Stubbs said the team will scout its opponents, but won’t worry about what they bring to the table.
“It’s going to be a great tournament and our focus is to take care of business on our side,” Stubbs said.
