Wolfpack Volleyball Opens 2015 Season at Gamecock Invitational

Friday, Aug. 28
NC State vs. NC Central - 4:30 p.m. - Live Stats

Saturday, Aug. 29
NC State vs. Southeastern Louisiana - 10 a.m. - Live Stats
NC State vs. South Carolina - 7 p.m. - Live Stats

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State women's volleyball team will open the 2015 season this weekend at the Gamecock Invitational hosted by the University of South Carolina. The Wolfpack will play North Carolina Central in its first contest of the year on Friday at 4:30 p.m. inside the Carolina Volleyball Center.

On Saturday, NC State will take on Southeastern Louisiana at 10 a.m. before returning to the court later that evening to face host South Carolina at 7 p.m. in a contest that will air live on the SEC Network + (Digital platform accessible via Watch ESPN).

Bunn's Beat
"Everything's been good so far," said head coach Bryan Bunn. "We have a bunch of terrific young ladies and they're all very goal oriented, so they're working hard and want to succeed.

"It's been a fun preseason. We're a very young team, as we'll probably only have two upperclassmen on the floor at the same time. We'll have to see how that turns out, but we're excited about the energy that we have."

Young, but Talented
The 2015 squad will be one of the youngest teams Coach Bunn has had in his six-year tenure as head coach, with 11 of the 15 players on the roster underclassmen. This year's team features two seniors, two juniors, five sophomores and six freshmen.

Bunn in Season Openers
Now entering his sixth season with the Wolfpack women's volleyball team, Bunn is 3-2 in season openers. All three of the wins have come in 3-0 sweeps and have either been road matches or neutral site contests.

Last year, NC State dropped a hard-fought 3-2 decision to Eastern Washington in the season opener.

Kearney Looking for More in 2015
After leading NC State in points scored, kills and blocks in her freshman season, Kaitlyn Kearney is looking to have an even greater impact on the squad in 2015. The Frisco, Texas, native was named to the 2014 All-ACC Freshman Team after garnering Freshman of the Week honors three times during the year.

Scouting North Carolina Central
Friday's contest will be the third meeting between the NC State Wolfpack and the NC Central Eagles. The teams split the previous two matchups, with the Eagles winning the most recent meeting in 2007, 3-2.

NC Central struggled last season, finishing the year with a 4-25 record. Outside hitter Kelsey Murphy returns to the squad for her junior season after leading the Eagles in kills per set a season ago with 3.53.

A member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), NC Central was picked to finish fourth in the MEAC Southern Division in a preseason poll by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.

Scouting Southeastern Louisiana
Saturday's matchup will be the first meeting between NC State and Southeastern Louisiana. In 2014, the Lions compiled an 11-18 record.

Tiffany Thomas, the team's leader in kills during the 2014 campaign, returns to the squad for her senior season. She put down 215 kills and was second on the team in blocks with 61.

Southeastern Louisiana was picked to finish seventh in the Southland Conference in a preseason poll by league's head coaches and sports information directors.

Scouting South Carolina
The South Carolina Gamecocks are a very familiar opponent for the NC State Wolfpack, as the squads have met 25 times in the history of the programs. Ironically, the last matchup was in 1997 when the Gamecocks won, 3-0.

Last season, South Carolina ended with a 17-14 record and a 7-11 mark in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gamecocks were predicted to finish 11^th out of 13 teams in the SEC preseason poll by the league's head coaches.

Junior Koko Atoa-Williams is the team's top returner, after finishing second on the team in kills last season with 304, an average of 2.51 kills per set.

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Wolfpack Volleyball Opens 2015 Season at Gamecock Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Kaitlyn Kearney