North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Campbell
Pack Volleyball Sweeps Campbell, 3-0
9/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 3, 2011
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
Courtyard Midtown Classic Central
NC State 3, NC A&T 0 | NC State 3, Wisconsin 2 | NC State 3, WCU 0
Courtyard Midtown Classic All-Tournament Team
Heather Wilson, Campbell
Caitlin Piechota, Western Carolina
Crystal Graff, Wisconsin
Elle Ohlander, Wisconsin
Luciana Shafer, NC State
Most Valuable Player
Brie Merriwether, NC State
RALEIGH, N.C. - As well as NC State's volleyball team played in its four games on Friday and Saturday in the Courtyard Midtown Classic at Reynolds Coliseum, Wolfpack head coach Bryan Bunn still sees plenty of room for improvement, especially in getting consistent play from his youthful squad.
The Wolfpack capped off a perfect 4-0 weekend Saturday night with a 3-0 victory over Campbell, running its overall winning streak to six straight since a season-opening loss at Appalachian State.
Included in that tally was a hard-earned, five-set win over Wisconsin Friday night. Bunn learned more about his team, which has three freshman starters, and who he can expect to step forward as the season progresses.
This weekend, sophomore Brie Merriwether certainly stepped up her game, earning MVP honors for her play in the Pack's four games.
"Brie, she did great the whole tournament," Bunn said. "She's really stepped it up this season. She's always been one of our hardest working players, always in her watching videotape and working to get better.
"She had a really solid tournament."
She was joined on the all-tournament team by teammate Luciana Shafer, a senior outside hitter, who played well throughout the tournament. Also on the team were Campbell's Heather Wilson, Western Carolina's Caitlin Piechota and Wisconsin's Crystal Graff and Elle Ohlander.
Saturday, the Wolfpack scored a pair of wins over Western Carolina and Campbell, both with 3-0 final scores.
In the nightcap, Merriwether and freshman Nicole Glass both had 10 kills for the Wolfpack, while senior Margaret Salata added nine kills and 12.5 points. Senior Kelly Wood had 13 digs, followed closely by freshman Alston Kearns with 12.
Overall, the team had a .396 attack average, led by Shafer, who had nine kills and just one error.
"She's really worked on eliminating errors and taking care of the ball," Bunn said. "That was always an issue she struggled with in the past, too many errors."
Bunn is still experimenting with his rotations and lineups and looking for more consistency from his team. But he's pleased with the way it has performed in its first two tournaments, especially for a team that has 10 newcomers on its 19-player roster.
"When we started off at Appalachian, we had three freshmen on the floor and they were nervous," Bunn said. "We didn't play up to the standards we had been practicing at. It's nice to be able to come back and perform well after a start like that."
The Wolfpack travels to Wilmington next weekend to play four matches in the Hilton Garden Inn Mayfaire Tournament, hosted by UNC Wilmington. Follow the action and see all the results on GoPack.com.
