The volleyball team returned to the hardwood of Reynolds Coliseum Saturday as it hosted its spring tournament. Area teams visited to play in the seven-hour round robin to gauge their teams’ progress during spring workouts and to scrimmage other teams.

N.C. State entertained Elon, Campbell, UNC-Pembroke and UNC-Wilmington to culminate the spring conditioning season.

Mary Tendler, Elon’s coach, said the tournament was just a chance for the teams to get some action before spring practices end, and stressed it didn’t matter who the teams faced, as long as it was competitive.

“We just want to play,” Tendler said. “It doesn’t matter who is here.”

Elon defeated the Wolfpack in the final match of the day, though State won all of its other contests.

Pack sophomore Kelly Wood, who a year ago was attending camp as a recruit, said the spring tournament was also a great opportunity for recruits to see how the teams they’re interested in play.

“If they come to a conference game, they see us play once,” Wood said. “For me, it helped seeing a team play all day so I could see how the team worked.”

Coach Charita Stubbs refused to comment following the tournament.

“As long as I’m at N.C. State, you guys are never talking to me again,” Stubbs said.

Stubbs has not spoken to Technician since mid-October due to an editorial cartoon about the volleyball team which ran Oct. 14.

UNC-Pembroke coach Jeff Billington said playing against Division I and ACC competition was a good opportunity for his Braves to see how bigger, more athletic teams run their offenses.

“For us, the spring is about development and individual training,” Billington said.

Billington even took a few pointers from State’s offense as he called out to his players during their match against the Pack, “See how they use the middle? That’s how we’re going to do it in the fall.”

Billington said his teams don’t get to see offenses like State’s that often as a Division II team, and he hopes to make waves in the Peach Belt Conference this season with a new offensive scheme.

Senior Arlee Tamietti said hosting area teams in Reynolds was a matter of proximity, but said the benefits for the program will help the Pack finish off its spring season.

“Teams within the region come mostly because of convenience,” Tamietti said. “But the most important thing is that it’s competitive play.”