North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Hosts Courtyard Midtown Classic
9/1/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 1, 2011
Courtyard Midtown Classic Tournament Central
NC State stats | Gametracker | GoPack All-Access
RALEIGH, N.C. – Kelly Wood has some special responsibilities for the NC State volleyball team.
The senior libero from Yadkinville, N.C., is one of the few North Carolina natives on the 19-player squad, so she has to teach her out-of-state teammates the proper way to see red.
“Being from North Carolina, I feel like I have a certain pride about the school that someone from out of state might not have,” Wood said. “I want to let them all know about that pride and that this is NC State. They’re all learning.”
It’s one of the many lessons that second-year coach Bryan Bunn is teaching his youthful team, which has 17 players in their first or second year with the program. That includes 10 newcomers this season alone.
“Kelly loves State,” Bunn said. “We’ve had a lot of culture changes since we've been here and we’re still developing the overall culture, with a roster full of new players who haven’t been here long enough to get that. That doesn’t happen overnight, but Kelly has been a big part of it.
“She’s doing a good job.”
Wood is one of two players who has been here more than two years. Except for one season in which injuries to teammates forced her to move to outside hitter, she has been a steady contributor as a defensive specialist for the Wolfpack.
“She’s worked so hard over the last year to become a completely different player,” Bunn said. “She has a great attitude and has taken every suggestion we made. She has a great energy for the game. She loves to play, she loves to compete. She’s a gym rat. You like having people like that on the court.”
| 2011 Courtyard Midtown Classic | ||
| | Friday | |
| Time | Game | |
| 10 a.m. | NC State vs. NC A&T | |
| Noon | Campbell vs. Wisconsin | |
| 2 p.m. | NC A&T vs. Western Carolina | |
| 5:30 p.m. | NC State vs. Wisconsin | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Campbell vs. Western Carolina | |
| Saturday | ||
| 10 a.m. | NC A&T vs. Wisconsin | |
| Noon | NC State vs. Western Carolina | |
| 2 p.m. | Campbell vs. NC A&T | |
| 7 p.m. | NC State vs. Campbell | |
Wood has been a steadying influence on the newcomers, a player who has seen a dramatic turnaround in her years in the program. After helping the Pack go 14-16 overall and 4-12 in the ACC, she has even higher expectations for her final college season.
“We’re a new team, skill-wise, but we are still pretty young,” said Wood, who leads the team in digs after three matches. “We do have some experience, so we try to have a good balance.
“It’s so gratifying to be a senior in the program now and see the quality of players and the potential this team has.”
That potential will be on display in four matches this weekend at Reynolds Coliseum, as the Wolfpack hosts the Courtyard Midtown Classic. The other four teams are Wisconsin, Western Carolina, Campbell and North Carolina A&T.
The action begins Friday at 10 a.m. when the Wolfpack hosts North Carolina A&T in the first of five games. Four more games will follow on Saturday.
Each of the Wolfpack’s four matches will be live-streamed on this All-Access link on GoPack.com and fans can follow play-by-play action on Gametracker.
All results will be posted on GoPack.com.
