With sweat rolling down her face, physical evidence of her hard work over the last three hours of practice, and after having four matches and two practices over the past five days, sophomore outside hitter Keshia Raibon still had the energy and enthusiasm to push teammates during team stretches at the conclusion of practice Tuesday.
Displays of dedication and leadership such as this have earned Raibon the respect of teammates, as she was elected by her teammates to be one of the team’s two captains.
Raibon, a native of Longview, Texas, joined the team during the summer, transferring from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, where she played her freshman year.
At ULM, Raibon tallied the third-most kills on the team with 275 and also had 25 service aces as she helped the team to a 15-16 record overall and an 8-10 mark in the conference. The year before she arrived, the Warhawks had an overall record of 6-25 and an 0-19 conference mark.
After having a successful freshman year, Raibon said she decided to transfer to N.C. State because there was a lack of team closeness at ULM.
“I just didn’t feel [like] a home environment, and the team wasn’t a family,” Raibon said. “There was more of an ‘I hate you because you’re a freshman and you’re getting playing time over me’ type atmosphere.”
Raibon said the team chemistry with the Wolfpack has been the opposite.
“Everyone is a unit here,” Raibon said. “If someone is down, then we pick them up instead of letting them stay down. We’re friends, not enemies.”
She also said communication with coach Charita Stubbs and assistant coach Keisha Demps during her transfer attracted her to State.
“Just from talking to Rita and Keisha on the phone, I could tell that the atmosphere was going to be better,” Raibon said.
Through six matches this season, Raibon leads the team with 2.86 kills per game and 52 digs, and she is tied for third on the team with four service aces.
Freshman outside hitter Chrissy Zirpolo said she has been impressed by Raibon’s performance this season.
“She is a really aggressive player,” Zirpolo said. “She is one of our go-to hitters. When we need her to put the ball down, that is exactly what she does.”
Stubbs said Raibon has brought a lot of skill to the team and performed well under the pressure of being a team captain in her first year with the team.
“Her biggest strength at this point in time has been her athleticism,” Stubbs said. “She has a lot of pressure on her as she is passing and swinging out of the back, which she did last year at her other school. But this is a different level of competition, and expectations are higher.”
Not expecting to be a team captain when she transferred to State, Raibon said she has faced challenges in the leadership position.
“When things aren’t going my way or I do something wrong, I’ll go into that shell,” Raibon said. “But I’ve had to come out of my shell and prevent myself from going into it because it will bring the team down.”
Sophomore middle blocker Jessica Williams said Raibon has been a great leader for the team and that she knows how to motivate teammates.
“She is vocal when she needs to be and isn’t [vocal] when she needs to [not] be,” Williams said. “She is more vocal than quiet, though.”
After being a part of the Warhawks’ turnaround season her freshman year, Raibon said she is expecting to have a similar experience at State.
“It is our goal and motivation,” Raibon said. “Anything is possible. You have to believe in something.”