The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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18 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK LINDA HAMPTON-KEITH HIRED AS NEW VOLLEYBALL COACH NC State hired Linda Hampton-Keith on Dec. 23 to be its new volleyball coach. Hampton-Keith came to NC State after 14 years as an assistant coach at the Division I level, 12 years with the USA Volleyball Development Program and three as a head coach of a varsity program on the high school level. "I would like to thank Chancellor Randy Woodson and director of athletics Debbie Yow for this wonder- ful opportunity to become the next head coach of NC State volleyball," Hampton-Keith said. "It became evident throughout this process that there is a commit- ment to excellence and a culture of teamwork through- out NC State and the athletic department, and I am humbled and honored to lead the volleyball program during this exciting time. "From the moment I stepped on campus, it became clear that under Dr. Yow's leadership NC State athletics has moved in a direction that supports success at the highest levels. I am looking forward to partnering with the administration, our staff and our team to move our volleyball program in a direction befitting of the NC State vision." NC State went 16-16 overall and 5-15 in the ACC under former coach Bryan Bunn in 2015. The Wolfpack last reached the NCAA Tournament in 2012. "We believe Coach Hampton-Keith is the right ar - chitect to build our volleyball program for sustainable success," Yow said. "Her collegiate coaching experience and work with the USA Volleyball Youth Development Program has prepared her well to lead our program." Hampton-Keith joins the Pack following a five-year stint at Arizona State, where she served as associate head coach in her final three seasons. She helped guide the Sun Devils to NCAA Tournament appearances in each of the past four seasons, and they reached as high as No. 5 in the national rankings in 2015 after a 15-0 start. Prior to joining Arizona State, Hampton-Keith spent six seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordi - nator at Texas Christian. She also was an assistant coach at North Texas in 2005 after spending the previous two years at her alma mater, Florida International, as an as- sistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Hampton-Keith hired Kevin Maureen Campbell and Nicki Holmes as assistant coaches. Campbell arrives from San Diego State, where she was an associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. Holmes spent the past two years as head coach at North Carolina Central, and he previously worked at Central Florida and Stetson. NC STATE SENT THREE TO U.S. NATIONAL TEAM TRYOUTS Three members of the NC State volleyball team participated in the U.S. Women's National Team tryouts held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center Feb. 19-21 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Rising juniors Kaitlyn Kearney and Perry Ramsey and rising sophomore Blayke Hranicka represented the Wolfpack at the tryout that included more than 200 student-athletes from around the country. They are competing for spots on the U.S. Women's National Team and the U.S. Collegiate National Team. "We're really excited to send three of our student- athletes to the USA volleyball tryouts to represent NC State and our program," head coach Linda Hamp - ton-Keith said. "They'll be in an environment where they get to play and compete at a really high level, so it's exciting." Kearney started all 32 matches last season and led the team with 149 blocks, which ranked fourth in the conference and 32nd nationally. The 6-2 middle blocker from Frisco, Texas, also tallied 302 kills — the second most on the squad — and notched double-digit kills in 14 matches. Ramsey, a 6-0 outside hitter from Carrboro, N.C., was one of two players to play in all 119 of the team's sets. She swatted 300 kills, third best for the Wolfpack, and tallied four double-double performances of 10 or more kills and digs in the same match. Hranicka set the program record for most points by a freshman with 409.5 to lead NC State in that category and was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team. The Denver native was fourth in kills with 299 and second in blocks with 139. The 6-0 middle blocker ended the year with a .356 attack percentage, which was fifth best in the ACC. TIMOTHY RABAS RETURNS TO FOOTBALL STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING STAFF NC State director of football strength and conditioning Dantonio Burnette brought back Timothy Rabas as as- sociate director. Rabas spent three seasons at NC State before spending 2015 at Nebraska, where he was the associate football strength and conditioning coach. "We are excited to have Tim back with the Pack," Burnette said. "He is great with correctives and under- standing the body, and the way it moves and bends. He's going to be a great resource for our team." Prior to his first stint in Raleigh, Rabas spent six years as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Or- egon State. He worked with the football program there and was the director of strength and conditioning for men's basketball, volleyball, baseball, wrestling, swimming and performance camps. Rabas worked with football, wrestling and women's basketball at Northern Illinois from 2004-06. He has also served as a graduate assistant at The Citadel and completed a strength and conditioning internship with the Chicago Bulls. Rabas graduated from Wisconsin-Steven Point with a degree in health promotion and a minor in nutrition. He was a four-year letter winner for the Pointers in football. ULRICK EDMONDS HIRED BY CHARLOTTE Charlotte has hired Ulrick Edmonds as its linebackers coach according to a report by Thayer Evans of Sports Illustrated. Edmonds served as NC State's director of quality control the last two years. His wife, Lindsay, is an as- sistant coach for the Wolfpack women's basketball team. Edmonds previously had been the linebackers coach at Old Dominion, and he was also on the staff at his alma mater, James Madison, from 2001-13 in a variety of roles. NC State offensive line graduate assistant Ty Howle was hired as the offensive line coach at Western Illinois. The Bunn, N.C., native earned his master's degree in liberal studies while at NC State, following his playing career at Penn State. Howle will be working for new Western Illinois coach Charlie Fisher, who is a former NC State wide receivers coach. He coached both Torry Holt and Koren Robin - son, a pair of NFL first-round draft choices. MACKY MACPHERSON NAMED FOOT- BALL GRADUATE ASSISTANT Former Syracuse center Macky MacPherson was hired as a graduate assistant at NC State on Jan. 23. The grandson of legendary Syracuse coach Dick MacPherson was a three-year starter for the Orange. Current NC State wide receivers coach George Mc- Donald was part of the Syracuse staff during MacPher- son's senior year in 2013. The four-year letter winner was named second-team All-ACC and Capital One Academic all-district team in 2013. He finished with 38 career starts and played in 50 games. MacPherson was a graduate assistant at Louisiana Tech last year under head coach Skip Holtz, the son of former NCSU head coach Lou Holtz. NC State plays at Syracuse Nov. 12. ■ Red And White Notebook Hampton-Keith comes to NCSU after spending five years as an assistant volleyball coach at Arizona State. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS