NC State Volleyball Alumni Spotlight: Pam Sumner Bryant

With NC State Volleyball's Alumni Weekend (Nov. 2-4) approaching, each week we will feature an Alumnae of the program. This week's spotlight is focused on Pam Sumner Bryant, who was an All-ACC selection at outside hitter from 1993-96.

She finished her career with 1,358 kills, which still ranks among the top 10 in program history. The Sylva, N.C., native charted 581 kills during her senior season, the second most in a single season in Wolfpack Volleyball history.

GoPack.com recently caught up with her for a brief Q&A.

How would you describe your experience at NC State?
"It was a great experience overall, absolutely. Coming from a very small town and not necessarily getting out to see different places, it was an opportunity for me to travel and get to see the country through different aspects while playing the sport I love. It was a great opportunity to meet so many different people and have a second family.

"It was an overall great experience to grow as a person and learn so much about different cultures and backgrounds."

What did you enjoy most about playing volleyball for the Wolfpack?
"I just loved the grind and the competitiveness. I think it was the opportunity to compete at a high level in the ACC and being able to travel. Every year it was a different team and even if you came in as a freshman, you grew with that group of girls but every year it was different.

"There were different goals and different leaders each year and that aspect of competing at such a high level was awesome."

What was your most memorable moment?
"I can remember playing my very first game as a freshman and the nerves. My most memorable moment was probably my saddest moment because I remember when that last ball dropped at Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament my senior year and that feeling that it was over and never again would I put on that jersey again."

How does it feel to come back to matches now and have your daughter on the team?
"That's probably the most amazing feeling in the world. I never dreamed in a million years that I would be able to watch my daughter in an NC State Volleyball uniform. It's amazing to watch her and it was great to be a player and I loved every minute of it, but there's just a different aspect to be a mom of a player.

"It's an incredible feeling to walk in the gym and see where it has come from the time I played there. There's a ton of pride in knowing that my daughter gets to be a part of that."

How does it feel to rank among the top 10 in program history in career kills?
"I didn't even know I was still there to be honest. It's definitely an awesome moment and I had a great senior year with some great teammates that allowed me to be there, but I'm ready to watch and see what my daughter does."

What piece of advice would you offer to current players on the team and student-athletes at NC State?
"The one thing that I tell every person that I know that's going to play a collegiate sport and that is to get to know people outside of athletics. As a player, it was awesome because you have an instant family and I loved it.

"But what I realized is that there's a lot more to college and a lot more to other people's lives that you can be involved in, granted you don't always have much time. It's great to know people outside of athletics so that if something is going on campus, then you know about it. And there are different things to learn from different people that aren't athletes."

Alumni Weekend will be held in conjunction with NC State's Homecoming, as the football team will host Florida State Saturday, Nov. 3, at Carter-Finley Stadium. The start time for that contest has not been announced. Tickets are available for purchase on GoPack.com/BuyTickets.

NC State Volleyball looks forward to hosting all alumnae of the program. For more information or if you have questions, please contact Associate Head Coach Kevin Maureen Campbell via email (kmcampb7@ncsu.edu).

NC State Volleyball Alumni Spotlight: Pam Sumner Bryant

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