North Carolina State University Athletics
Volleyball to Host No. 13 Duke on Thursday
10/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
RALEIGH, N.C. NC State will host No. 13 Duke in ACC volleyball action on Thursday, Oct. 4 at historic Reynolds Coliseum on the NC State campus. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. The Pack enters the contest at 3-12 (0-5 ACC), while the nationally ranked Blue Devils come to town at 10-3 (5-0 ACC) sitting at the top of the conference standings.
Live coverage of the match will be provided online via ACC Select. Click here for more information.
State will look to capture its first conference victory, and will no doubt count on heavy contributions from its underclassmen. Freshmen Lauren Zaniboni leads the team with 170 kills, while sophomore Keri DeMar stands second with 106. Alex Smith, another freshman, has 440 assists, 10th-best in the league. Freshman Nikki Sweet tops the roster in digs with 160. Sophomore Chrissy Zirpolo has added 13 services aces and 91 kills, while senior Ashley Wallace has a team-best 33 total blocks. Zaniboni stands one mark shy of Wallace’s clip with 32.
Duke has won its last five matches, as well as its last 15 league contests. Thus far the Blue Devils have lived up to its No. 1 ACC preseason ranking, dropping only three matches to No. 4 Southern California, No. 1 Nebraska and Louisville. They lead the conference in hitting percentage (.281), assists per game (16.50), kills per game (17.70) and digs per game (18.96). Individually, Carrie DeMange stands first in the league for points per game (5.67) and kills per game (5.09), while Ali Hausfeld ranks first in assists (633 total, 14.07 per game). DeMange has also been named ACC Player of the Week on two occasions this season.
Following Thursday night’s showdown, State will return to the courts on Saturday, Oct. 6. The Pack will host Wake Forest at 6 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum.
NC State Volleyball Promotions - Oct. 4
- Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day
- Free T-shirts with Fac/Staff ID (while supplies last)
- Free Ice Cream with Fac/Staff ID (while supplies last)
- Jimmy John's "Dress Like the Pack Contest"
- Wolfpack Volleyball Trivia Contest
