North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Volleyball Heads to ACC Tournament
11/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 18, 2003
The NC State volleyball team concluded the 2003 regular season over the weekend and will now head to Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida to compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. The Wolfpack finished at 7-24 overall, 0-16 in the conference and will be seeded ninth in the tournament. First up for NC State will be Florida State, which finished the regular season 5-11 in the ACC, 15-15 overall, and earned the eight seed.
The Wolfpack offense is led by junior middle blocker Maya Mapp and outside hitters Adeola Kosoko and Melanie Rowe. Mapp enters tournament play ranked second on the team in kills with 241, while leading the team with a .294 attack percentage. Kosoko and Rowe have stepped up lately, recording 145 and 138 kills respectively during the regular season. Setters Crystal Shannon and Melissa Rabe should both see action in the tournament, as Shannon leads the team with 774 assists dished out, and Rabe is second with 264 as a freshman.
Senior libero Caroline Frede has had a standout final season for the Wolfpack and will again anchor NC State's defense from the backrow. Thus far she has a team-best 356 digs and ranks 13th all-time in school history in career digs with 939. Meanwhile, Mapp and fellow middle blocker Paige Gilliam lead the team in total blocks, combining for 186 on the season.
FSU is led by rightside Cassie McLaughlin and middle blocker Aisha Carr offensively. McLaughlin is first on the the team in kills with 325, while Carr follows closely behind with 307 of her own off a .293 attack percentage. All together, the Seminoles boast six players on their roster that have 150 kills or more on the season. Setters Jennifer Anderson and Jessica Skower have shared playing time this year, and have 812 and 540 assists respectively. The Florida State defense is led by Carr and Amanda Santos, who have combined for 244 total blocks around the net.
