North Carolina State University Athletics
Stubbs Aims to Put Wolfpack Volleyball Back on Map
10/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BY BRANDON YOPP
RALEIGH -- With two Atlantic Coast Conference championships in its trophy case, the NC State volleyball program has been hungry to rekindle its competitive history for quite some time now. For a team that was once a mainstay in the upper echelon of the conference standings, the Wolfpack has only collected three ACC wins since the beginning of the 2000 season. That’s not exactly the direction that the program seemed to be headed in when the Pack won its last league crown in 1987.
With the hiring of Charita J. Stubbs as the program’s seventh head volleyball coach on Feb. 17 2006, NC State began the process of assembling a winning volleyball outfit. Stubbs dons the red and white after spending nine seasons on the women’s volleyball staff at the University of Arizona, having served as the program’s associate head coach since the start of the 2000 season. During her tenure, the Wildcats reached the NCAA Tournament during all nine years and finished in the top-25 in all but one of those seasons.
Heavily involved in all aspects of the program at Arizona, Stubbs coached at least one middle blocker to all-conference accolades during all of her final eight seasons in Tucson. In 2002 she assembled the nation’s top recruiting class and established herself as one of the top recruiters in college volleyball. In addition to those duties, Stubbs was very involved in youth club volleyball, acting as the head coach of the Zona Volleyball club and working as an assistant coach at the heralded High Performance Camp in Salt Lake City. Stubbs also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Junior National team that qualified for the 2001 World Championships in Mexico.
While her coaching credentials are indeed impressive, her success might not come as a surprise after analyzing what she accomplished as a player. A 1994 Arizona graduate, Stubbs was the first player in school history to record 300 kills and digs, as well as 100 blocks in a season. A four-year starter at middle blocker from 1990-94, she helped guide the Wildcats to consecutive Sweet 16 appearances in the 1993 and 1994 NCAA Tournaments. A highly respected player around the conference, the former Charita Johnson collected All-West Region and All-Pac-10 honors as a senior. Her school records for career (117) and single-match (8) solo blocks still stand to this day.
Armed with coaching and playing success, Stubbs wasted no time getting to work for the Pack. For her first order of business, Stubbs acquired Keisha J. Demps as her top assistant on the same day that her hiring was announced. Demps had been working as the assistant coach at Boise State following a stint at the University of Nevada. Demps, who played for Stubbs at Arizona and also lettered in basketball for the Wildcats, collected All-Pac-10 volleyball accolades before playing professionally for two years.
Stubbs completed her staff on June 18, with the hiring of Eduardo Fiallos as an assistant coach. With exceptional prep coaching experience, Fiallos came aboard after working with several club outfits, as well as Cal State - Dominguez Hills and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Since assembling her staff, Stubbs and company have been hard at work, totally revamping the program. A quick glance at the roster shows nine new faces and just six letterwinners from last season. Most of the returning players have either switched positions or accepted new roles for the team.
In addition to the lineup, all other facets of Wolfpack volleyball have changed, from lifting weights to the practice regimen. One thing that Stubbs has worked very hard at changing is the culture of the team.
“The kids have to feel that they have a chance to win and they are getting better with every practice and match,” said Stubbs. “You have to give tangible examples. I try and point out things that they are improving on each step of the way because this is a process. Turning this thing around isn’t something that’s going to happen overnight, but we are working on getting it done.”
A change is already evident to fans of Wolfpack volleyball that have watched the team this season. Heading into the start of the ACC slate, the Pack held a 2-7 record with victories over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Chicago State. While everyone would like to see more tallies in the win column, the proof is in the pudding. The team’s play has improved with each weekend as players become accustomed to their roles and gradually obtain more experience. Even more important, the team is beginning to come together as a cohesive unit and play together, something that has plagued the Pack in the past. Anyone who has watched the team compete this season can tell that the wheels are in motion and things are headed in the right direction.
For leadership, Stubbs calls on captains Allison Davis and Keshia Raibon. Davis, a freshman setter, was named to the Wolfpack Classic All-Tournament team for her play at the Pack’s home event, amassing 102 assists, 30 digs and 11 blocks over the course of the three-day affair. Raibon, an outside hitter sophomore transfer, joined NC State after a year at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She grabbed all-tournament accolades at the Spring Hill Suites Classic in Charlotte, N.C., putting up 28 kills and 19 digs.
Aside from the captains, several other players have stepped up this season and are offering solid performances for the Pack. Sophomore middle blocker Aiwane Iboaya was named to the all-tournament team at the Kent State University Invitational after posting 28 kills and nine blocks throughout the competition. Highly touted freshman outside hitter Chrissy Zirpolo leads the squad with 82 digs and stands second on the team with 94 kills, averaging 2.76 per game. Sophomore outside hitter / libero Kelley Blakewood has drilled 14 service aces.
Stubbs orchestrates the team from the sidelines with a ferociousness and competitive fire that have been missing for some time now. She instructs her players and leads the team as if she were a seventh player on the court. Her hunger to turn the Wolfpack program into a winner is a breath of fresh air to fans of NC State volleyball.
“We can and will succeed here,” said Stubbs. “There is no doubt in my mind. It is going to take some time, but we are going to right the ship. We are working on getting everyone involved on the same page. We have to stay tough mentally and take responsibility for our mistakes, but at the same time, we have to learn to move along to the next play if we foul up. These girls have to be mentally tough and they have to know that they can win.
“Each day we sit down and talk about our challenges. We talk about mental challenges, physical challenges, and the challenges that we present to ourselves. I tell my players to treat every single practice like a match. If you can walk out of that gym and say you got better then you won that match for that day. We’re winning a lot of battles right now, but we have a lot of fighting ahead of us.”
It’s that type of fight that Pack volleyball fans have been hoping for. With Stubbs leading the brigade, it’s more of a guarantee than a promise.
