The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/846301
152 ■ THE WOLFPACKER also in field goal shooting (136 of 240 for 56.7 percent). Nelson registered nine doubles-doubles during the year, including 17 points and 12 rebounds in a victory over No. 6 Florida State on the road. ■ Most Improved Team Unquestionably the honor goes to the women's soccer team that went from an ACC doormat to a Sweet 16 squad in a span of one season, but honorable men- tion goes to the volleyball program, which made considerable progress under first- year head coach Linda Hampton-Keith. Prior to her arrival, the volleyball team had gone just 10-28 in the ACC in its previ- ous two seasons combined. The 2015 squad posted a 16-16 overall mark and a 5-15 ledger in the league. In year one for Hampton-Keith, NCSU went 20-12 overall and 13-7 in the ACC, including a win at No. 10 Florida State — the program's first-ever victory over a top- 10 opponent. The squad also set a school record for most ACC wins in a year. ■ Best Upset Win The NC State and Duke men's basket- ball didn't have the seasons that they had expected. The Blue Devils were the consen- sus preseason No. 1 nation- ally thanks to yet another heralded recruiting class, but when NC State travelled to Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham for a Monday night game which was nationally televised by ESPN, the Devils were ranked No. 17. NCSU was struggling, too, entering the game with a 2-5 ACC record and in dire need of a win. For the first time since 1995, NC State left Cameron a victor, beating the Blue Devils 84-82 thanks to 32 points from freshman point guard Dennis Smith Jr. ■ Best Men's Team Win In football, nothing is sweeter than beat- ing archrival North Carolina, and it is even better when the win is meaningful as it was for the Pack this past fall. After defeating the Tar Heels 28-21 in Chapel Hill on the Friday after Thanksgiving, NC State be- came bowl eligible by securing a sixth win. The Wolfpack used that bowl bid to trounce SEC foe Vanderbilt 41-17 in the Camping World Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., the first win for NCSU over an SEC opponent since 1999 against South Carolina. ■ Best Women's Team Win Notre Dame women's basketball's domi- nance of the ACC since entering the league in 2013-14 mirrored that of Florida State football when they joined the conference in 1991. The Irish had posted a 47-1 mark in regular-season league games before coming to renovated historic Reynolds Coliseum Dec. 29 for the league opener for both teams. Notre Dame, ranked No. 2 in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls at the time, never led in the game. NCSU stunned the Irish with a 70-62 victory, ending ND's 35-game winning streak in ACC games. Freshmen Dennis Smith Jr. scored 32 points to leads NC State to an 84-82 upset victory at Duke — the Pack's first win at Cameron Indoor Stadium since 1995. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN The Wolfpack women's basketball team celebrates its win over No. 2 Notre Dame at Reynolds Coliseum to open ACC play. The Irish entered the game 47-1 all-time in the league. PHOTO BY GREG MINTEL