NC State’s volleyball team has its first two games this Friday against Austin Peay and Kansas State, starting at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively, at Reynolds Coliseum.
The Wolfpack lost some great players from its lineup as setter Kylie Pickrell, libero Makenzie Kuchmaner, middle blocker Keira Moore and outside hitter Teni Sopitan all graduated last season.
Pickrell was a major loss for the Pack not only in setting, but also in serving. The spot will be filled by redshirt freshman Nina Sharpton, freshmen Hannah Reid or freshmen Kristen McDaniel, some of the Pack’s younger players.
Strong returning players for the Pack include senior middle blocker Lauryn Terry, junior opposite hitter Melissa Evans and sophomore outside hitter Jade Parchment to lead at the net in blocking and attacking. Parchment and Evans had similar season highs for kills in a single game, with Parchment’s record being 21 kills at Notre Dame and Evans having 20 against VCU.
The defensive line still has senior libero Grace Irvin to pick up the loose ends. Irvin had a high of 14 digs against Utah Valley last season. Filling in for Kuchmaner full time would be a tall order given that she had a record of 32 digs against Notre Dame, but Irvin is an experienced player who had played alongside Kuchmaner all of last season and will be a good fit as the libero.
The Pack had a chance to test different lineups during its annual Red and White scrimmage this past Saturday in preparation for its match against Austin Peay and Kansas State.
Since head coach Linda Hampton-Keith has taken the reins at NC State in 2016, the Wolfpack has had winning seasons. That doesn’t mean the Pack starts off strong though. In 2017, the Pack lost its first five games before turning around to have a 21-12 winning season.
The Pack will probably struggle against Austin Peay and Kansas State as the team figures out a new dynamic without the leadership of its graduated seniors. Austin Peay will be the more challenging opponent ending last year with 27-5 record but the team has lost four seniors, one of them being a setter, similar to the Wolfpack.
The Wolfpack will begin at 1 p.m. against Austin Peay before taking on Kansas State at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30.
