The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/368728
62 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY RYAN TICE O nly three ACC volleyball pro- grams have posted at least 20 wins in each of the last three years, and NC State is one of them. How- ever, after earning an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since 1987 two years ago, a five-game losing streak to close the campaign prevented a return trip in 2013. "Overall, I thought the season was suc- cessful," fourth-year head coach Bryan Bunn said. "We were in the top third of the conference until [the losing streak], we had 20 wins and barely missed out on the NCAA Tournament." That squandered opportunity has left the squad striving for more. Bunn estimated that if the team had won just two of those final five contests, they would have punched their ticket to the Big Dance in consecutive years for the first time in program history. "I think that they took it for granted," he admitted. "We made it in 2012 and they de- served it; they worked hard. Then we were playing so well for the first 25 games of the season that they took it for granted and didn't really push when it was time to push. "The last five games, we didn't play well. We had a couple of kids get dinged up and we didn't respond the way we should have. We should have the talent to be able to handle that and we didn't." ■ PREVIEW VOLLEYBALL ■ Key Games To Watch • NC State Courtyard Midtown Classic, Sept. 5‑6 — The Pack opens its season at a tourna‑ ment in Wilmington, then the team returns to Reynolds Coliseum to host Rice, Toledo and Connecticut in their annual event. The Wolfpack also hosts a tournament Sept. 19‑20 in Raleigh, featuring Coastal Carolina, William & Mary and Howard. • Vs. Florida State, Oct. 31 — The Pack travels to the perennial top‑25 program earlier in October, and the Seminoles travel to Reynolds Coliseum later in the month. Knocking off the Seminoles, which the Pack has done just five times in 47 chances and not since 1995, would truly show how far the program has come. • Vs. Duke, Nov. 29 — The regular‑season finale comes against the defending ACC champions at home. The squads split the series last year with the home team winning both times, and the Pack is focused on finishing stronger this fall. Senior Rachel Buckley served as a team captain in 2013, and she tied for second on the squad with 238 kills last year despite missing time with an injury. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP HUNGRY FOR MORE NC State Had A Successful Season Last Year, But The Pack Is Not Satisfied