North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Volleyball Travels to Georgia Benson Hospitality Invitational
9/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Tournament Website | Match Notes
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State women’s volleyball team will take to the road this weekend to compete in the Benson Hospitality Invitational hosted by the University of Georgia in Athens.
The Wolfpack will compete against the Harvard Crimson in its first match of the tournament on Friday at 4 p.m. in the Ramsey Center, where all matches will be played. Saturday the squad will play two matches, with the first against UNC Asheville at 10 a.m. and the second versus the host Georgia Bulldogs at 7 p.m. State's contest against Georgia will be broadcast live on the SEC Network +/Watch ESPN (ESPN3).
Last Time Out
In its last outing, NC State had an impressive showing at the Courtyard Midtown Classic in the squad’s first home appearance of the year. The Pack went 3-0 in the event with wins against Rice (3-2), Toledo (3-0) and UConn (3-1) to claim the tournament title.
Receiving Recognition
Three members of the Wolfpack were rewarded for their performances at the Courtyard Midtown Classic by earning a spot on the all-tournament team. Senior Rachel Buckley claimed MVP honors for the second year in a row, after collecting 36 kills and recording a .329 hitting percentage for the weekend.
Classmate Alesha Wilson also garnered a place on the all-tournament team, as did redshirt sophomore Morgan Cormier. Wilson contributed the second-most kills last weekend with 29 to go along with a .407 hitting percentage. Cormier tallied the best attacking percentage for the Pack with a .588 clip, 11 kills and seven blocks.
Lucky Number Two
In six matches this season, NC State has won the second set of every match. The Wolfpack is outscoring opponents in that frame, 150-111.
Defensive Minded
Through the first two weekends of the 2014 season, the Wolfpack has limited its opponents to a mere .133 attacking percentage, which is the second-best in the ACC.
Last season, NC State finished the season with the second-best opponent hitting percentage in the league with a .168 clip. In 2014, the Pack has held opponents below .200 in four of the six matches.
Scouting Harvard
Friday’s contest will be the first meeting between NC State and Harvard. The Crimson enter the match with a 2-1 record on the year, following a successful showing at the Harvard Invitational earning wins against Santa Clara and Central Connecticut State, before a straight-set loss to Delaware.
Junior middle blocker Caroline Holte leads the Crimson offensively with 28 kills, an average of 2.55 kills per set (kps). Classmate Hannah Schmidt is the team’s setter and has dished out 44 assists, while senior Sindhu Vegesena serves as the libero with 65 digs on the season.
Scouting UNC Asheville
Although the two schools hail from the state of North Carolina, NC State and UNC Asheville have not faced each other in five years. Saturday’s match will be the fifth overall meeting between the teams, with the Bulldogs winning the last meeting in 2009, 3-1, to knot the series at two apiece.
Asheville owns a 2-5 mark in 2014, following wins in its last two contests against Elon and N.C. Central.
Shelby Erickson, a sophomore outside hitter, paces the Bulldogs’ offensive output with 67 kills on the year, an average of 2.58 kps. Junior Katie Davis and freshman Amanda Powers have split the team’s setter duties with the prior handing out 123 assists and the latter 103. The squad’s libero is junior Bryn Pfieffer, who has 68 digs.
Scouting Georgia
The Georgia Bulldogs have compiled a 4-2 record in 2014, after a perfect weekend at home with wins against Chattanooga, Belmont and College of Charleston. Saturday’s nightcap will be the 13 all-time meeting between the Wolfpack and Bulldogs.
Georgia and NC State have not met on the volleyball court in 24 years, with the Bulldogs winning the last contest, 3-0 in 1990.
Senior right side hitter Tirah Le’au leads the team with 57 kills on the season or 2.71 kps. The Bulldogs’ setter is senior Kaylee Kehoe who has passed out 211 assists. Classmate Gaby Smiley paces the squad defensively with 70 digs.
