The NC State volleyball team continues its road trips this weekend for the 2019 ACC-SEC Challenge at Stegeman Coliseum. Beginning this Thursday the Wolfpack will play against Georgia at 7 p.m. followed by Arkansas on Friday at 4 p.m.

The Wolfpack (4-5) broke its losing streak last weekend at the 2019 Appalachian Invitational, going 2-1 on the weekend, but the team has yet to turn itself around from a completely losing season. This weekend will be a good opportunity for the team to see how well it’s doing. The Georgia Bulldogs (6-3) are currently having a strong season and the Arkansas Razorbacks (5-5) are breaking even so far.

Last season, the Wolfpack defeated the Razorbacks 3-2 in a close five-set match, only to be swept 3-0 by the Bulldogs in the following game. All three sets against the Bulldogs were very close.

Returning this season for the ACC-SEC Challenge, the Wolfpack still has junior opposite hitter Melissa Evans and senior middle blocker Lauryn Terry as offensive pillars. This duo, along with senior defensive specialist Grace Irvin and sophomore outside hitter Jade Parchment make for a strong defensive line.

The Razorbacks, similar to the Pack, lost key players to graduation. Veteran players returning for the Razorbacks are junior outside hitter Hailey Dirrigl and senior setter Rachel Rippee. Dirrigl had 16 kills and two aces against the Pack while Rippee had 51 assists and 10 digs. 

The Bulldogs were able to retain quite a few of their players including sophomore outside hitter Mallory Hernandez who scored 13 kills on the Pack along with three blocks. Senior setter Meghan Donovan had 42 assists, two aces, and eight digs while junior defensive specialist Kendall Glover led the Bulldogs with 26 digs.

Both the Razorbacks and the Bulldogs have something that the Wolfpack has been struggling to develop this season: a seasoned setter.

The Wolfpack will have a tough weekend, but it will be a good challenge to make the Pack grow even further before the start of the ACC season.