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Kelly Burns, freshman setter, sets for her teammates after practice Tuesday in Reynolds Coliseum. Burns played volleyball and basketball at Jackson Hole High School in Wyoming and is majoring in business management. Photo by Tim O'Brien
One hails from a tiny town in the Rocky Mountains. Another is a beach bum from the Outer Banks. Together, they make up the freshman core of N.C. State’s volleyball team.
Freshmen Kelly Burns and Sarah Griggs worked hard all summer preparing to step into their new positions and are excited for the start of the season. Burns, a setter, has come all the way from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and despite the distance she seems extremely excited to be at State.
Having played for a club team in her hometown, the pressure of moving to N.C. and playing for a Division I school seems more exciting than intimidating for Burns.
“I really like the East Coast,” Burns said. “I used to live in Virginia, so it was one of the regions I was exploring.”
Griggs, an outside hitter, is from the Outer Banks of N.C. She played for only four years, for her high school team and a club team, before coming State.
Griggs is excited to avoid traveling over an hour to practice, which she had to do for her club team. Instead, she can make a quick trip over to Reynolds Coliseum.
“Playing alongside all these girls is a really big compliment because they’re so good, to think I made it to the ACC … it’s really flattering. We made it,” Griggs said.
In recent months, the freshmen say they have become attached at the hip. Over the summer they had all their classes together, roomed together, and attended workouts together. Now in the fall semester, the girls do not have every class together. However, that doesn’t seem to stop them from being together.
“Over the summer, we were basically inseparable, but it was nice because it gave us an easier transition,” Burns said. “We stuck together and got familiar with campus, and it made getting used to college a lot easier.”
Though each has branched out, Burns said you still don’t often see one girl without the other.
“We don’t have classes together anymore, but we always text after class to meet up again,” Burns said.
Both girls agreed that the transition onto a new team has been pretty smooth, in part because of the support the older girls on the team have provided.
“It’s nice to have so many older people because it’s so much easier,” Griggs said. “We don’t have to get confused or be the odd man out. There is so much guidance.”
Burns also added that only having two freshmen on the team is helpful because it allows for practice to flow better.
“There’s an easier transition this year. We don’t have to stop because we pick up drills pretty quickly,” Burns said.
In reference to the new girls, junior Lindsay Benac offered nothing but supportive words.
“I love them,” Benac said. “They are a great addition to our team. They have both had an immediate impact on the court and it helps.”
The girls are excited for their upcoming first ACC tournament this weekend in the “comfortable atmosphere” of Reynolds Coliseum.
“I am really excited because it’s the first tournament, and you get to see what other girls are like. I know what our teammates are like but I don’t know how the other team plays,” said Griggs.
“Plus it’s a couple of teams outside of our conference, so we’ll get to see a really good variety, which is nice,” Griggs said.