With the volleyball program sitting at 13-2 on the season, including a 13-game winning streak and a streak of 19 sets won, it seems as if it is finally turning its fortune around.
According to head coach Bryan Bunn , when he took over the position in February of 2010, he knew he was walking into the perfect situation to rebuild a struggling team.
“That’s why I took the job,” Bunn said. “It was a great opportunity. When I came in to interview, I couldn’t find any reasons on why they had not been successful. I knew it was a great opportunity to bring the right people in here.”
In Bunn’s previous position as the associate head coach at Baylor University, he led the Bears to their first postseason appearance in nine years in 2009 and a No. 17 ranking in the AVCA national polls. He also led the program to its first appearance in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
After Bunn was hired, he led the team to finish with the largest win total overall and in conference since 1999. The Wolfpack also raised 150 spots in the NCAA volleyball RPI rankings, which is the largest increase by a first-year coach in Division I that year.
Senior Megan Cyr , who has been in the program since the era of the previous head coach Charita Stubbs , believes the Pack now has the right attitude to be competitive in the ACC.
“We never give up,” Cyr said. “We work hard in practice and I think we’re very competitive, so that shows our character. It was a really good preseason and I think we’re ready to show the ACC what we’ve got.”
Bunn also attributes this success in such as short period of time to the work of his assistant coaches, Stevie Mussie and Pete Hoyer.
”I’ve been so fortunate to get [ Mussie ] and [Hoyer] to buy into what we’re doing,” Bunn said. “If you have two good assistants like them, you don’t have to worry about things getting done. They know what they’re doing. It’s just wonderful to have that many great people on your staff to help train the kids that you have.”
But at the core of all the recent success of the program lies the players. According to Bunn , he and his coaches have been able to create the perfect environment to encourage success.
“We have the right kids in here who have the right mentality and they’re getting the idea of the right culture that we want,” Bunn said. “It’s exciting to come in here and build from ground zero, which is what we’re doing. That’s exciting as a coach to be able to come in and do that.”
Despite what the box scores display, the Pack has already had some close calls this season. According to Bunn , those wins were needed to teach this team how to win and create a winning culture.
“You have to learn how to win,” Bunn said. “When you win those close ones, you learn how to win.”
