The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/157974
Key Players To Watch Sophomore setter Tanna Aljoe Aljoe transferred into NC State after spending one season at San Diego State. She recorded 91 assists in 22 sets for the Aztecs, who won the Mountain West Conference last season and like NCSU lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. She is being counted on to help replace NC State's star setter, Megan Cyr. In four spring tournaments, Aljoe collected 292 assists in 32 sets. Junior outside hitter Nikki Glass Glass was a player that head coach Bryan Bunn singled out for having a good spring. She was second on the squad in kills last year with 278 and led the Pack in service aces with 46. Glass also led all outside hitters and middle blockers in assists with 31, the only one to reach double digits in the category. Senior middle blocker Brie Merriwether Merriwether led NC State with 96 blocks last season and was third on the squad with 271 kills. She had 10 double-digit kill matches during the year. An All-ACC Academic Team and Capital One Academic All-District Team honoree in 2012, Merriwether has been named one of the team captains for the 2013 season. ■ By The Numbers 451 1,278 Digs by Alston Kearns last season when she was a sophomore, the ninth-best singleseason total in school history. Assists Megan Cyr would have needed to break the school record for most ever. Cyr played three years at State after transferring in from Colorado and had 1,293 assists last season. The last year NC State capped a streak of at least three consecutive years with 20 or more victories. The Pack won 20 matches in 2011 and 22 last season. State had eight straight 20-win campaigns ending after 1983. 1983 Noting The Pack • Junior outside hitter Dariyan Hopper had a unique summer experience. She participated in an international service-learning program known as Coach for College. Coach for College's purpose is to promote higher education through sports by providing a series of role models for children that will encourage them to attend college. The camps teach academics, sports and life skills to children in rural areas of Vietnam, where only 2.8 percent of middle school children attend colleges. "I received an email from the academic staff, and I was drawn to the email because it discussed traveling abroad," Hopper said. "I just went on a whim, but I'm so glad that I decided to go because of all the things I learned and experienced on the trip. I think it's a great experience for student-athletes and I would do it every year now if I could." • Volleyball's success last season was well received on campus. The Pack was honored as the Co-Female Team of the Year at NC State's annual "Wolfie Awards," a gala event to showcase the best and brightest of Wolfpack athletics each year. Gymnastics was also honored in that category. • The ACC adds three new volleyball programs: Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Syracuse. Notre Dame went 20-10 (13-2 in Big East action) last year and reached the NCAA Tournament before falling in the first round. Pittsburgh went 17‑14 overall and 7-8 in Big East play. The Orange struggled, though, going 12-18 with just a 4‑11 conference mark. September 2013 ■ 77 76-77.Volleyball Preview.indd 77 8/23/13 1:06 PM