© 2011 Student Media
Freshmen Rachel Buckley and Alston Kearns listen to head coach Bryan Bunn between sets at the Wolfpack Challenge inside Reynolds Colliseum Aug. 20, 2011. Kearns decommitted to the University of Tennessee to play for Bunn and the Wolfpack. Photo by Alex Sanchez.
After an 11th place finish in the ACC for the 2010 season, the volleyball team may have finally caught its lucky break.
After an initial verbal commit to Tennessee, the team landed a highly touted recruit in Alson Kearns. Kearns, a local product from Apex, N.C ., has donned the accolades of being an Under Armour All-American and a top-10 ranking from ESPN. With all of these recognitions , it’s easy to see why N.C . State is very lucky to have her, but coach Bryan Bunn said he truly understands how fortunate the Wolfpack is, being that all of that talent came without much effort from Bunn .
“We really didn’t recruit her,” Bunn said. “She had committed to go to Tennessee. I had seen her play before and I thought ‘that’s a good player, Tennessee has a really good player.’ Last April her club coach called me and said ‘Alston doesn’t want to go to Tennessee anymore, she wants to stay closer to home. Are you guys interested?’ and I said, ‘of course.’ She came and visited and it turned out to be a good fit for both of us.”
According to Bunn , the selling point brought her to State was its proximity to the town of Apex, which is located 12 miles southwest of campus.
“I don’t know if she wanted to go out of state anymore,” Bunn said. “Sometimes they make a decision early in their junior year and then all of the sudden they don’t want to be that far from home.”
In the midst of the Pack’s season, Kearns already has an understanding of what her role will be on this year’s roster as well as some goals she set for herself and the team. According to Bunn , she has all of the tools to make these ambitions come to life.
“I hope that I can bring more energy to the court, make everything more lively and bring better communication,” Kearns said. “I really hope that our team finishes in the first half and that I start as a freshman.”
With the remaining practices before its opener in the Appalachian State Tournament, Bunn is still searching for Kearns’ place in the rotation.
“As far as starting, it just depends,” Bunn said. “We still have a couple more days of practice. She’s going to contribute whether she starts the game or comes off the bench. Sometimes as a defensive specialist you only play through rotations, so it all depends on what rotation we start in.”
With all of the recent struggles of the program, Bunn believes that her addition to the program could serve as the perfect opportunity to turn the program around and become a contender in the ACC.
When it comes to reshaping the face of a program, Bunn notices that a big talent can make anything possible.
“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good,” Bunn said.