Wolfpack Volleyball Hosts Notre Dame Sunday Afternoon

Friday, September 21

Raleigh, N.C.

7 P.M.

NC State

(RV) Louisville

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Photo by: Chris Baird

Wolfpack Volleyball Hosts Notre Dame Sunday Afternoon

9/20/2018 1:59:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

@packvball

NC State to open ACC action against 2017 Co-Champion

Dates: Friday & Sunday, September 21 & 23
Opponents: Louisville (Fri.), Notre Dame (Sun.)
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
Site: Reynolds Coliseum
Times: 7 p.m. (Fri.) | 1 P.M. (Sun.)
Live Video: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: SideArm Stats

RALEIGH, N.C. – For the third consecutive season, the NC State volleyball team will have the luxury of opening Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play on its home court, as the Wolfpack welcomes 2017 Co-Champion Louisville and Notre Dame to Reynolds Coliseum.

First serve of Friday's match against the Cardinals is set for 7 p.m. and Sunday's contest versus the Fighting Irish will begin at 1 p.m. Both matches will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra, accessible through Watch ESPN and the Watch ESPN App.

NC State heads into the weekend with a 6-4 overall record, while Louisville is 7-4 and Notre Dame is also 6-4. The Cardinals are receiving votes for the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 Poll.

"We're looking forward to ACC play," said third-year head coach Linda Hampton-Keith. "We feel like our non-conference schedule helped prepare us. We played a pretty challenging schedule and experienced some success, along with some challenges and we were able to identify what we need to work on.

"Overall, it was a great non-conference and one that was designed to prepare us for conference play."

Match Promotions
Friday, Sept. 21 vs. Louisville
- Student Wolfpack Club Event
- Post-Match autographs with the Juniors & Seniors

Sunday, Sept. 23 vs. Notre Dame
- Camper Reunion Day
- Postmatch serving lines for campers

Last Time Out
In its last outing, NC State dropped its non-conference finale in straight sets against Georgia, a team receiving votes for the top 25. The first two sets were determined by a total of five points and the third was also tightly contested, as a few points late in each set proved to be the difference in the result of the match.

Opening Against the ACC's Co-Champion
NC State will have its hands full Friday night, as the Louisville Cardinals won a share of the ACC Championship last season with an 18-2 record along with Pittsburgh. The last time these two teams met it was a battle for first place during the 2017 season, as both teams owned a 14-2 mark heading into the match with Louisville winning the matchup.

Best Start to ACC Play in 2017
Last season, the Wolfpack turned in the program's best start to ACC play in program history, compiling an 8-0 record before suffering its first conference loss.

14 Consecutive ACC Home Wins
Dating back to the 2016 season, NC State has won 14 consecutive ACC home matches. The Pack completed the program's first-ever unbeaten record in conference home matches with a 10-0 mark.

Louisville and UNC-Chapel Hill were the only other programs to compile a perfect record in ACC home matches last season at 10-0.

Battle Tested
NC State's non-conference schedule featured matchups with three teams that are currently ranked among the AVCA Top 25 or receiving votes. Creighton is ranked No. 10 in the listing, Washington State is No. 22 and Georgia is receiving votes and these teams account for three of the Pack's four losses.

Fighting to the Finish
The Wolfpack has played four five-set matches this season and won three of those contests.

Wolfpack Among the ACC Rankings
Three Wolfpack players rank among the top 10 of the ACC individual rankings, as Lauryn Terry is fourth in the league with a .415 attacking percentage. Senior setter Kylie Pickrell has handed out the third most assists per set in the conference with 10.32, while senior libero Makenzie Kuchmaner has collected 4.45 digs per set to rank fourth in the ACC.

Scouting Louisville
The Louisville Cardinals head to Raleigh with a 7-4 record on the year with each of its losses against a ranked opponent. In their last outing, the Cards swept Chattanooga in straight sets at home last Saturday.

Friday's match will be the first against Louisville since the renovation of Reynolds Coliseum. The Cardinals are the only team that the Wolfpack has not faced at home since the 2016 season. The last meeting between the teams in Raleigh was Nov. 1, 2015, when the Cards earned a 3-0 win in a matchup held inside Carmichael Gym as Reynolds was being renovated that year.

NC State trails Louisville in the all-time series, 4-1, and the Cardinals won last season's lone matchup, 3-0.

Melanie McHenry leads the Cards offensively with 126 kills on the season, an average of 3.41 kills per set. Jasmine Bennett is second on the squad with 97 kills at 2.62 kps. Wilma Rivera coordinates the offense from her setter position and is second in the ACC with 10.49 assists per set. Defensively, libero Molly Sauer has collected 4.51 digs per set to rank third in the conference.

Louisville owns a team attacking percentage of .275 and has limited opponents to a .169 clip, second best in the conference.

Scouting Notre Dame
Notre Dame makes the trip to the state of North Carolina with a 6-4 record on the year. The Fighting Irish came up short in their last outing against No. 19 Michigan, dropping a 3-1 decision at home.

The all-time series with the Irish is tied, 4-4, as the Irish won the last matchup between the teams on their home court, 3-0.

Sophomore outside hitter Jemma Yeadon leads the squad offensively with 104 kills or 3.47 kills per set. At setter, Zoe Nunez is averaging 9.45 assists per set and the Irish's senior libero Ryann DeJarld highlights the defense with 5.74 digs per set, which leads the conference and is tied for ninth in the nation.

Notre Dame has one of the best defenses in the ACC, as they have limited opponents to a conference best .119 attacking percentage. The Irish have compiled a .183 hitting percentage as a team.