For Charita Stubbs, coming to N.C. State required leaving a place she had long known as home.

She went to school for her undergraduate and masters degrees and played volleyball for the University of Arizona, where she was named All-PAC-10 her senior year.

After nine seasons on the coaching staff of the Wildcats, a perennial NCAA Tournament team, Stubbs left her post as associate head coach on Friday to become the Wolfpack’s seventh head volleyball coach.

She said the chance to direct a program was one of the biggest factors in her decision.

“It was a great opportunity for me to step out on my own as a head coach,” Stubbs said.

Stubbs added that she felt like she was coming into a place where volleyball will receive the proper amount of support from the Department of Athletics.

The quality of the ACC also played into her decision, she said.

“I definitely think that the ACC in general is an up and coming conference.”

On Friday night, Stubbs said she had already met the players on her new team.

Despite only having known them for a short time, she predicted an enjoyable future working with them.

“It’ll be a lot of fun,” Stubbs said.

Stubbs becomes the first black head coach at State.

Coming in to take over a program that has been last in the ACC for six consecutive years, Stubbs admitted her job will not be an easy one.

She said that after the consistent losing, she will need to help “change the culture” of the program to get things headed in the right direction.

“It is possible to make that change,” Stubbs said.

One area she said plays a vital role in the process is recruiting.

She helped address the issue when she hired Boise State assistant coach Keisha J. Demps to be an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

Stubbs said having success requires a coach to “get the right kids in the program.”

While she was optimistic about her new job, Stubbs acknowledged that rebuilding a program will not be an instantaneous process.

“It’s not something that happens over night. Change is not always easy,” Stubbs said.

Director of Athletics Lee Fowler was unavailable for comment on Stubbs’ hiring.