Throughout this season, players on the volleyball team have said they see improvement and are positive about their team’s chances to break its 27-match ACC losing streak.
But as the team faces North Carolina at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Reynolds Coliseum, sophomore outside hitter Keshia Raibon said everybody isn’t on the same page as they pursue that goal.
“Unfortunately, the game’s played with six people,” Raibon said. “And it’s still some people out there that I don’t think fully believe or are fully willing to buy into what we’re trying to do here.”
Raibon didn’t name any specific players.
But junior defensive specialist Kasey Rhyne said she can’t quite put her finger on why N.C. State (2-22 overall, 0-15 ACC) has yet to earn a conference win this season.
“Honestly, I can’t answer that [be]cause if I did know, then we probably would have won by now,” Rhyne said. “But you have to stay positive because it’s got to happen sometime. It’s got to happen sometime.”
Meanwhile, first-year coach Charita Stubbs said the team is coming up short of victories because of inconsistent play during matches.
“They’re not used to giving their all on a daily basis, for 30 straight points,” Stubbs said. “And you can see it when you see us play. We’ll do it for 10, and then we’ll go in la-la land for 10.”
But Stubbs said it goes even beyond matches to a day-to-day lack of consistent focus.
“The key for us is to have all of the kids that are our starters and major contributors ready to play every day,” Stubbs said. “And that’s been the drawback as of late.”
Despite these struggles, the team still remains optimistic. Raibon said some players made improvements in Friday’s 3-0 loss at Wake Forest, and the team needs those positive changes to carry through its upcoming matches.
“Everybody’s upbeat about their improvement and just waiting for a win,” Raibon said. “We’ve got to take care of our game out there on the court, just pick up our game and don’t break down — we’ll be alright.”
Also, senior setter Melissa Rabe, who started last season, but has been used only sparingly as a backup this season, saw increased playing time on Friday. She took advantage by scoring 16 assists. Stubbs said she was pleased to see the senior have success.
“The kids actually played harder than I had seen them play in a long time. And it was nice because it was her out there. And we talked about that. It’s just due to her — she’s put in her time. She’s sacrificing a lot,” Stubbs said. “It’s hard not being a starter and going from being a player to a nonplayer, so it was nice to kind of see the kids just rally together and play as one.”
Raibon also said she was impressed with Rabe’s effort.
“Mel stepped in and made a great effort at being setter. She did a good job,” Raibon said. “And the team worked harder for her coming in as a senior setter.”
While Rabe saw increased playing time at Wake, sophomore middle blocker Jessica Williams, second on the team with 188 kills, didn’t play. Neither she nor Stubbs would comment on why she didn’t play. But Stubbs indicated Williams would dress out.
As for whether Rabe’s play over the weekend would give her more playing time in upcoming matches, Stubbs said she wasn’t yet sure. Due to the unpredictable nature of her players’ efforts at a given time, she said she can never be sure who will earn playing time from one match to the next.
“You can label it as youth. You can label it as not very competitive. You can label it as never did that position before. You can label it as bad day. I mean, there’s a bazillion excuses you can put behind it,” Stubbs said. “And I’m the type of person, I can’t put an excuse behind it. It is what it is.”
But Stubbs said there is a common thread in every playing time decision she makes.
“At this point in time, it’s the best people [that] will play,” Stubbs said. “If you’re giving your all and you’re trying to be the best you can be, those are the kids that are going to play.”
