Wolfpack Volleyball to Battle Demon Deacons Wednesday Evening

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RALEIGH, N.C. – A pair of first-year head coaches will meet Wednesday evening when the Wake Forest Demon Deacons head to Raleigh to take on the NC State Wolfpack volleyball team. First serve is set for 6 p.m. inside Reynolds Coliseum and the contest will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra.

NC State's Linda Hampton-Keith and Wake Forest's Bill Ferguson are the only first-year head coaches in the ACC and the programs they lead will clash Wednesday. The Wolfpack enters the matchup with an 18-12 overall record and a 11-7 mark in conference action, while the Demon Deacons are 9-20 and 5-13 against league opponents.

Last Time Out
In its most recent outing of the season, NC State earned a five-set victory against the Virginia Cavaliers inside Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday. The Wolfpack led 2-0 in the match, before the Cavs put together a furious comeback but the Pack won the fifth set to clinch the win.

Eppley Breaks Program Record
On Sunday, senior Rachel Eppley set the program record for service aces in an ACC match during the rally-scoring era with six. The Wolfpack's libero had one ace in the first and second sets before exploding with four aces in the third set.

Her six aces are tied for the most by an individual in the conference this season and brings her career total to 113, just eight shy of the rally-scoring era of 121 held by Nikki Glass.

With A Win Wednesday NC State Would Earn…
- Its 690^th victory in program history
- Its 19^th win of the season and 12^th in conference play, having surpassed its total from the previous two seasons in both categories
- Its fourth consecutive win versus Wake Forest in the all-time series, following a 3-1 win against the squad last season

Scouting Wake Forest
Wake Forest has been adjusting to a new system under Coach Ferguson and has compiled a 9-20 overall record, which includes a 5-13 clip in ACC play. The Demon Deacons came up short against No. 17 Florida State in their most recent outing on Sunday, 3-1.

The Deacs' lead the all-time series versus NC State, 31-25, but the Wolfpack has won the last three meetings.

Kylie Long paces the Wake Forest offense with 3.68 kills per set, while Caroline Rassenfoss is second on the team with 3.48 kps. At the setter position, Bailey Shurbet has handed out 9.90 assists per set for a total of 1,039 for the season. Defensively, libero Caroline Wolf headlines the group with 4.23 digs per set.

As a team, WFU owns a .194 attacking percentage with 13.10 kills per set and opponents have been limited to a .210 mark with 12.01 kps.

Among the ACC Ranks
NC State is among the top five of the ACC in three team categories. The Wolfpack is fourth with 12.65 assists per set, fourth in digs per set with 15.50 and fifth in kills per set (13.30).

Julia Brown is third in the ACC with 3.94 kills per set, while Maggie Speaks is fifth in the league with 10.42 assists per set.

Rachel Eppley, the squad's senior libero, leads the Wolfpack and is sixth in the conference with 0.31 aces per set. She is also ninth in the league with 4.08 digs per set, which is highest for any NC State player.

Lucky Number Two
NC State has won the second set in 21 of its 30 matches this season. The Wolfpack has scored 689 points in the frame, the most in any set in 2016, and has allowed 624 points, the largest margin in a set.

The Pack has won the second set in 17 of its 18 wins in 2016.

Tale of the Tape
The Wolfpack has posted an 11-2 record this season when recording more blocks than its opponent. In contrast, NC State has lost nine of 14 matches when being out-blocked and is 1-0 when blocks are equal.

The Higher, The Better
NC State has tallied more kills or had the same amount as its opponent in 16 of its 18 wins this season. The Pack has lost just four matches when recording more kills.

In addition, NCSU's hitting percentage has been higher than opponents in 16 of its 18 victories.

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Wolfpack Volleyball to Battle Demon Deacons Wednesday Evening

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Players Mentioned

Julia Brown

Rachel Eppley

Maggie Speaks