North Carolina State University Athletics
Volleyball Gets Back To Atlantic Coast Conference Slate This Weekend
10/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 21, 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. - The NC State volleyball team will host alumni weekend this Friday and Saturday when it plays Atlantic Coast Conference foes Georgia Tech and Clemson respectively. Many alumni from the Wolfpack volleyball program will be on hand as NC State looks to grab its first conference win of the season. Both matches are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum.
The Pack (10-12, 0-8 ACC) is coming off a 3-1 heartbreaking loss to non-conference opponent Liberty Tuesday night. But the defeat has only made the players hungrier as the weekend approaches. Leading NC State's offense is junior middle blocker Adeola Kosoko and senior outside hitter Melanie Rowe, who have recorded 252 and 247 kills respectively. But the true strength of this season's team has been that of team blocking.
So far in the year, the Wolfpack has tallied 254 total blocks and ranks first in the ACC, 13th nationally, with an average of 3.14 blocks per game. Junior middle blocker Stefani Eddins is a big reason for such accolades, as she leads the team with 131 total blocks. Heading into this week, she led the conference with a 1.58 blocks per game average, which was also ranked 19th in the country.
Against the Flames on Tuesday night, Eddins came one block short of a triple-double (13 kills, 10 digs, nine total blocks), but nevertheless pulled even closer to the school record for most blocks in a single season. Currently, she only needs 20 more to break former Wolfpack player Diane Ross' record of 150, a feat that is quite accomplishable considering there are eight more matches remaining in the regular season.
In addition to Eddins, Kosoko has also done well around the net, posting 96 total blocks on the season. Freshman libero Andrea Bentley leads the team in digs with 232, while setters Lauren Markowski and Melissa Rabe have dished out 772 and 117 assists respectively thus far.
The Yellow Jackets enter the weekend at 14-5 overall and a perfect 8-0 in the ACC. Tech's returning All-Americans, senior outside hitters Lynnette Moster and Lauren Sauer lead the team offensively with 341 and 256 kills respectively. Moster is also second on the squad in digs with 223, while senior libero Marisa Aston features a team-best 263 digs thus far. Around the net, senior middle blocker Jayme Gergen has 84 of the Yellow Jackets' 164.5 total blocks this season.
Meanwhile, Clemson (13-8, 4-4) has won two straight matches coming in. Three players: senior outside hitter Leslie Finn, senior middle hitter Lori Ashton and freshman outside hitter Brittany Ross have recorded over 250 kills apiece for the Tigers thus far. Finn leads the team with 399 kills, while Ashton has 295 off a team-best .348 hitting percentage, and Ross adds 284 kills. Setters Courtney Lawrence and Stephanie Haskell have split time this season, combining for 985 assists. Defensively, Ashton is also the team's leader in total blocks with 90, while sophomore libero Anna Vallinch has picked up 353 digs.
