On Tuesday at Reynolds Coliseum at 7 p.m., the NC State volleyball team will serve the ball to East Carolina for the eighth time in Pack volleyball history.

The Pirates are currently having a strong start to the season with a 4-1 record with every game on the road. The Wolfpack (2-3) has hit a slump after the 2019 VCU Invitational, going 0-3. The two wins the Pack has accumulated were both home games, but with the Pirates’ experience on the road, it may not be as much of an advantage as the Pack is used to having.

History has proven that the home court is the best chance for the Pack to defeat the Pirates. The Pack holds a 2-1 winning record on its home court but a 0-2 losing record on the Pirates home turf.

The last time the Wolfpack competed against the Pirates was in 2011, when the Pack swept a 3-0 victory after a hard-earned 3-2 victory in 2008, leaving NC State with a 4-3 record against the Pirates that dates back to 2001. Both the Pack and the Pirates are coming off a loss heading into the game on Tuesday night.

Players on the Pirates that the Pack may need to look out for are junior right side Bri Wood and junior outside hitter Sydney Kleinman. Both lead the Pirates offensively with an average of 13.2 kills each. Kleinman also has an average of two aces and 9.4 digs a game, making her a strong all-around player for the Pirates.

The Wolfpack doesn’t rely on a single player to lead all-around. Junior opposite hitter Melissa Evans consistently leads in offensive attacks with an average of 13.4 kills per game, senior middle blocker Lauryn Terry has the highest average in blocking at 3.2 and redshirt sophomore libero Kaylee Frazier covers the back half of the court with an average of 19.4 digs a game.

Returning to Reynolds Coliseum will be the most beneficial factor for a Wolfpack hoping for a victory against the Pirates, given that the Pirates have had a successful start to the season.