Wolfpack Volleyball Trio Named to All-ACC Academic Team

GREENSBORO, N.C. - NC State volleyball's Julia Brown, Rachel Eppley and Kaitlyn Kearney have been named to the 2016 All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Academic Team, announced Thursday by the league office.

The three Wolfpack volleyball student-athletes to garner the award are the most for the program since 2012, when NC State placed four players on the team.

Brown turned in a phenomenal junior season, highlighted by earning American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-East Region Team honors. The Davidson, N.C., native is the first Wolfpack player to earn the mention since Megan Cyr in 2012. Additionally, she was named to the All-ACC First Team and started every match during the 2016 season.

The Wolfpack outside hitter broke the rally-scoring era program record for kills in a single season with 489, the third most in the ACC. Brown also broke the NC State rally-scoring era mark for kills in a single match with 31 at home against Syracuse.

As a business administration major, Brown maintains a 3.733 grade point average (GPA).

Eppley was a vital member of the Wolfpack's back row last season, as she led the team with 513 digs, the sixth-best total in the conference. Hailing from Charlotte, N.C., she became just the third player during the NC State volleyball rally-scoring era to eclipse 1,000 career digs when she achieved the mark against UT Arlington.

The Wolfpack senior was also a force at the service line, leading the squad and finishing with the fifth-most service aces at 38. Eppley set the rally-scoring era program record for aces in an ACC match with six against Virginia.

Eppley is a senior majoring in business administration with a 3.518 GPA and will graduate in May.

Kearney is the only junior on the All-ACC Academic Team to have garnered the award three times. She quickly earned a starting spot as a freshman and has maintained it, while also exceling academically.

The Frisco, Texas, native tallied the most blocks on the team for the third consecutive season, finishing the 2016 campaign with 129. Kearney also made her presence felt offensively, as she swatted 263 kills, the third most on the Wolfpack.

She ended the season with 351.5 points scored, the third highest on the team. Kearney enjoyed one of her best matches of the season in NC State's upset victory at No. 10 Florida State, as she tallied 16 kills in addition to seven blocks.

Kearney is a junior majoring in business administration with a 3.382 GPA.

As a team, NC State ended the season with a 20-12 overall record and a 13-7 mark in ACC play, which breaks the program record. Predicted to finish 12^th in the conference, first-year head coach Linda Hampton-Keith's squad ended the year in a tie for sixth place.

Take a look at all of the Wolfpack's accomplishments from last year in the season recap.

To be eligible for consideration for the All-ACC Academic Team, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) for the previous semester and maintained a 3.0 cumulative average during her academic career. The selection is also based on a student-athlete's athletic performance, as well as national and conference accolades.

#STATEment

Wolfpack Volleyball Trio Named to All-ACC Academic Team

Players Mentioned

Julia Brown

Rachel Eppley

Kaitlyn Kearney

Related Videos