Chrissy Zirpolo plays volleyball in a region known more for its college basketball than any other sport. But it wasn’t always that way for the freshman outside hitter, who grew up on the West coast and played high school volleyball in Mountain View, Calif. “It’s still very competitive [in North Carolina], you know, but it’s just [that] the size of the girls [isn’t] as big. And there’s not as many of them,” Zirpolo said. “Out in California, volleyball is the sport to play for girls.”

The experience she gained playing high school and club volleyball in California is something she said prepared her for the transition to collegiate volleyball.

“It’s really helped me a lot, I’ve noticed, because some of the girls that I played against or with in high school and in club are All-Americans, are playing at USC or Stanford,” Zirpolo said. “And I played with all of them, and I played against all of them.”

Zirpolo was one of the initial recruits for first-year volleyball coach Charita Stubbs. Stubbs noted Zirpolo’s prior experiences have made an impact on N.C. State.

“She comes from a winning program in high school and club,” Stubbs said. “So it doesn’t quite show in regards to our win-loss column, but she’s brought a winning attitude, and, you know, she’s always upbeat.”

The freshman started the first 16 matches for the Wolfpack this season and played in all 54 games of those matches — racking up 148 kills, second-most on the team. But she didn’t play in either of the team’s two matches this past weekend at Clemson and Georgia Tech. Stubbs said it wasn’t because of an injury.

Neither Zirpolo nor Stubbs would comment on why she didn’t play in those matches. Zirpolo said she hoped she would be back in the lineup this coming weekend, indicating she didn’t know whether or not she will play. Meanwhile, Stubbs said in a phone interview on Tuesday that she is unsure whether or not Zirpolo will play this weekend.

But teammates still spoke highly of what Zirpolo has brought to the team this season, saying she has a good all-around game.

“She’s got a little bit of everything,” junior outside hitter Ashley Wallace said.

Sophomore outside hitter Kelley Blakewood noted Zirpolo’s strength at placing the ball when she hits it.

“She has a really good idea of where the ball is in relationship to her,” Blakewood said. “And as a result, she can put the ball where it needs to be.”

But Zirpolo and her teammates said she can still improve certain areas of her game. Blakewood said some of that improvement will come with time. “Some of Rita’s techniques she hasn’t had time to really learn yet or grasp yet because she hasn’t had a spring for Rita to really break her down and teach her the way that she’d like things to be done,” Blakewood said.

Freshman setter Allison Davis, who called Zirpolo a “power hitter,” said Zirpolo can still get better with her serves. But she said her classmate is on the right track.

“That’s just mental because [in] warm-ups, she’ll have killer serves,” Davis said.

Stubbs said she has seen improvement in her freshman’s shot selection and that she hopes it continues, saying Zirpolo should incorporate more tips of the ball into her game.

“Her shot selection has gotten better,” Stubbs said. “But it’s something that she’s working on on a daily basis.” But Zirpolo said she’s not one to tip, that she prefers to swing more aggressively at balls.

“I expect myself to do everything right all the time, and I will never go down tipping. I will always go down swinging because I’m very aggressive,” Zirpolo said. “And if I’ve got to go down, that’s how I’m going to go down.”

Even so, Zirpolo said she understands her hitting needs to improve.

“I really want to get better on my hitting. With my size, it’s hard for me to get as many kills as I want to as opposed to someone who’s 6-[foot]-5, for example. That’s just plain facts. If you’re 6-[foot]-5, you can hit over a block usually,” Zirpolo said. “So even though I’m smaller in stature, I still want to be able to play like I’m 6-[foot]-5.”

And so she’ll continue working on her own game and watching what she said has been great improvement in her team. But Zirpolo said North Carolina is a place she is enjoying for more than just volleyball.

“I like the atmosphere. I like how everyone out here is extremely nice and willing to go out of their way for you. And, I don’t know, it’s just different,” Zirpolo said. “It’s fun to get to see another part of the country that I wouldn’t normally go to.”

Meanwhile, Blakewood said she’s also encouraged by what she sees from the freshman.

“She’s always smiling, always having a good time,” Blakewood said. “And I really like that. That helps me.”