Pack to Host Summit Hospitality Group Open

RALEIGH -- The NC State Volleyball team is set to host Howard, Rutgers, and Winthrop for the Summit Hospitality Group Open starting on Thursday Aug. 31. The Pack will play Howard in the home opener, before facing Rutgers on Friday Sept. 1 and Winthrop on Saturday Sept. 2. All three matches will be broadcast on ACCNX.

The Match Up

The Pack will meet with the Bison for the first time in nine years and hold a 1-0 record
NC State defeated Howard in straight sets in 2014
Rutgers and the Pack have never played less than five sets in their previous meetings
NC State lost the first meeting in 2009 at Reynolds, but won the 2021 rematch in New Jersey
The last time Winthrop and NC State met, Nebraska was still in the Big 12
The Eagles hold a 1-0 advantage over the Wolfpack as they won 3-1

Don't Count Them Out

The Wolfpack rallied back from a 2-0 deficit in the second meeting with Utah Valley
After struggling to gain a lead in the first two sets, they went into set three with a fire under them
Juniors Amanda Rice and Jada Allen were impact players in the final three sets
The last time the Pack rallied back from a 2-0 deficit and won was in 2015 when they defeated Notre Dame 23-25, 22-25, 25-18, 25-19, 16-14
The Pack is 11-15 in games it forces a fifth set after trailing 2-0

How the Table Has Turned

A year ago, sophomore libero/defensive specialist Sydney Daniels was playing against the Pack at Elon
Now, she started in her first game for the Pack as libero in the win over Utah Valley on Aug. 26
She felt she has something to prove her and she's starting to make her presence known

Nearing 50

Head coach Luka Slabe has started the countdown to 50 career wins as a head coach
Entering the 2023 season, he sits at a 42-35 record overall, with 27 wins over ACC opponents
He would be only the sixth coach in program history to hit the 50 win mark

Bigger Than the Game

Senior setter Skye Stokes lost her father in May 2023
When she was young, he started a club program for her to be able to participate in
Volleyball has always been important for the two and she has her favorite picture of them tattooed on her outer left calf
She continues her volleyball career for him and reminds herself daily that it is much "bigger than the game" these days
She has "DAD" written on the outer sole of her shoe and wears a blue (his favorite color) ribbon in his honor

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jada Allen

Sydney Daniels

Amanda Rice

Skye Stokes