The Wolfpack Challenge scrimmage Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum will mark the beginning of a new chapter of the volleyball program. First-year coach Bryan Bunn seeks to instill a winning culture into a program that has been a fixture at the bottom of the ACC standings in recent years, registering only four conference wins in as many seasons.
“The past is the past,” Bunn said. “We can’t do anything about that but we can definitely shape our future and that is what we want to do. The good thing is that we have no place to go but up. Any kind of improvement will be looked upon favorably, by both the players and the fans.”
After serving three years as the associate head coach at Baylor, Bunn was hired in February to help turn the program around. Rebuilding a program is never easy, but Bunn said he has already seen improvements since practice began Aug. 7.
“The girls are working really hard and getting better every day,” Bunn said. “We’ll take a step back and then two steps forward, then another step back and two more forward, but as long as we keep moving forward, then that’s great.”
Along with changing the culture inside the program, players want to change the public perception of the program as well.
“We want our fans and everyone affiliated with the N.C. State volleyball program to see a change,” senior Taylor Pritchard said. “One of our main goals is to change the vision of N.C. State volleyball. I think it’s important that our fans see that the program is being switched around.”
Leadership will play an integral part in the team’s rebuilding project as the Wolfpack welcomes 10 new faces to the program. Six freshman, two sophomores and two juniors join six players from last year’s squad. Alex Smith, Jana Angel and Pritchard will attempt to provide much-needed senior leadership to this year’s inexperienced team.
“The seniors will offer leadership in terms of having been there before,” Bunn said. “They’ve been in the ACC for three years so they have good insights into that. But in terms of who will be our leaders, well, they will emerge as we start competing because you have to earn it. Taylor, Jana and Alex are all providing good leadership right now. They want to start winning so they’re putting forth the necessary effort. It’s been great to work with.”
The inaugural Wolfpack Challenge scrimmage will provide the coaching staff with a chance to see which players have the ability to contribute right away.
“We want to see who is going to take charge, who is going to perform when the lights are on and the whistle blows, and who is ready to get out there and prove they deserve a starting spot,” Bunn said. “We want to get an idea of how we are going to compete.”
The scrimmage will also provide an opportunity for fans to get their first look at the new and improved team when action gets underway Saturday.
