Bailey, Kearney Named to All-ACC Academic Volleyball Team

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Following one of the best seasons in program history highlighted by earning the first NCAA Tournament victory, NC State volleyball has placed two student-athletes on the 2017 All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Academic Volleyball Team as Bree Bailey and Kaitlyn Kearney secured the honor Wednesday morning.

Kearney collects the award for the fourth time in as many years and becomes the first four-time recipient in program history. After transferring into the Wolfpack program, Bailey garners the honor following her lone season at NC State.

Both were also Second Team All-ACC Selections in their final seasons with the Pack.

To be eligible for consideration for the All-ACC Academic Team, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) for the previous semester and maintained a 3.0 cumulative average during her academic career. The selection is also based on a student-athlete's athletic performance, as well as national and conference accolades.

Kearney turned in a stellar senior season with NC State, headlined by breaking the program record for career blocks. The Frisco, Texas, native ended the year with 556 career blocks, which was the most by an active player in the ACC and 10^th nationally.

Her 160 blocks during the 2017 campaign was the fourth most in the conference and ranked 21^st in the NCAA. Offensively, Kearney surpassed 1,000 career kills at Miami to become the first player in program history with 1,000 or more career kills and at least 500 career blocks. She was also one of just eight players in the NCAA to accomplish the feat last season.

Kearney was third on the team in kills with 259, averaging 2.06 kills per set. She tallied double-digit kills in seven matches as a senior and recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 10 blocks at Wake Forest.

She graduated in December with a degree in business administration.

Bailey made an instant impact in her lone season at NC State, as she was second on the team with 351 kills to rank among the top 10 of the ACC. She notched double-digit kills in 20 matches in 2017, highlighted by tying her career high with 24 kills in the Wolfpack's thrilling five-set win at Florida State.

The Salt Lake City, Utah, native eclipsed 1,000 career kills in the Pack's match against No. 21 Michigan in Ann Arbor. She finished her career with 1,259 kills to her credit.

Bailey was one of two players on the 2017 NC State squad that had been to the NCAA Tournament prior to last season and showed her experience in the Wolfpack's first round match against Oregon State, as she led NCSU to a five-set victory with a game-high 22 kills. That total set the program record for most kills by an individual in an NCAA Tournament match.

Prior to joining the Wolfpack, Bailey was a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic Selection to compile three for her career with the ACC All-Academic mention. She earned her undergraduate degree in business communications at Arizona State and took graduate classes in professional communication and management skills at NC State.

NC State's record-breaking season came to a close in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against second-ranked Texas after the Wolfpack defeated Oregon State in the first round for the program's first victory in the NCAA Tournament.

The Pack finished the year with a 21-12 overall record, highlighted by a program record 15 ACC wins. NC State also compiled a perfect 10-0 mark in home ACC matches for the first time in program history.

Bailey, Kearney Named to All-ACC Academic Volleyball Team

Players Mentioned

Bree Bailey

Kaitlyn Kearney

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