NC State Volleyball Adds Highly-Touted Transfer Taylor Rowland

RALEIGH, N.C. – Third-year NC State volleyball head coach Linda Hampton-Keith is excited to announce the addition of Taylor Rowland, who has transferred into the program after spending her freshman season at Auburn.

Rowland is a 6-3 outside hitter with three years of eligibility remaining and will be eligible to play during the upcoming 2019 season.

"We're absolutely thrilled that Taylor has chosen to return to her home state and continue her career as part of the Wolfpack," said Hampton-Keith. "We were excited to go through the process with her knowing her talent level and volleyball resume, however the most important discovery was getting to know who she is as a person and what a great fit she will be for our culture.

"I fully expect her experience level and leadership skills to make an immediate impact on and off the court for us when she arrives this summer."

Hailing from Charlotte, N.C., Rowland played in 21 matches as a freshman at Auburn before missing the remainder of the season with an injury. She tallied the third-most kills on the team with 189, highlighted by nine matches with double-digit kills.

She earned Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Week following a strong weekend at the Kansas Invitational to earn all-tournament team honors. Rowland charted 48 kills over three matches, averaging 4.36 kills per set. She put down a career-high 23 kills in a five-set win against Kansas, a team receiving votes for the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 Poll at the start of the season.

Rowland also compiled a stellar performance in the Tigers win against Eastern Illinois, as she logged 14 kills on 26 swings with only one error to record a .500 attacking percentage.

As a prep standout at Cox Mill High School, Rowland was ranked No. 30 on the 2018 Prep Volleyball Senior Aces list, which recognizes the nation's top recruits. She also earned the Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year honor as a senior in 2017 and junior in 2016.

Rowland garnered MaxPreps First Team All-America honors following her senior season and also achieved AVCA Under Armour All-America distinction. She finished her career with 1,840 kills and her No. 12 jersey number was retired by the program.

The high-flying outside hitter notched 520 kills as a senior at Cox Mill to go along with 227 digs and 55 service aces en route to claiming the 2017 Independent Tribune Player of the year for the second consecutive year.

As a junior, Rowland led the Chargers to a perfect 34-0 record and the Class 3A State Championship. She achieved MaxPreps Underclass First Team All-America, Prep Volleyball Top 35 Juniors List and Prep Volleyball All-American after tallying 451 kills, 179 digs and 43 service aces.

Additionally, Rowland was a member of the 2016 USA Volleyball Girls' Youth National Team, which placed second at the North, Central American and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Girls' U18 Continental Championship.

She is the daughter of Neill and Melissa Rowland and her father played soccer at Wake Forest; she also has two brothers, Jacob and Brady.

NC State ended the 2018 season with a 15-13 overall record and a 9-9 mark in ACC play. The Wolfpack finished the year strong by winning five of its six matches during the month of November.

Three members of the Pack earned All-ACC honors at the conclusion of the season: Melissa Evans, Kylie Pickrell and Teni Sopitan. Click here for a recap of the 2018 season.

North Carolina State University Athletics

NC State Volleyball Adds Highly-Touted Transfer Taylor Rowland

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