How NC State volleyball used a late-season surge to earn first NCAA Tournament bid since 2017

Amanda Rice watched NC State make the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in program history as she went through the recruiting process — and later committed — during her high school career at Lemont (Ill.) in 2017. 

The Pack earned an at-large bid in 2017, its first appearance since 2012, and it quickly became her mission to play on college volleyball’s biggest stage. But the team hadn’t made the tournament since Rice watched NC State qualify seven years ago.

“Obviously, as a recruit when you come in, that’s the expectation,” Rice said this week. “The goal is to make the tournament at the end of the day.”

Rice focused on it. It was at the top of her paper during each preseason meeting with NC State’s coaching staff. But as she went through her first three years in Raleigh, it was left unfulfilled. 

The Wolfpack had its best case for an at-large bid last season, but NC State found itself on the wrong side of the bubble. Was that going to be the Pack’s best chance of accomplishing that goal while its star opposite hitter was on campus? She hoped not. 

And, well, it wasn’t.

NC State closed this season on the bubble, but a win at No. 10 SMU in the regular season finale seemed to be enough to vault the Wolfpack into the NCAA Tournament field. Now, the team is preparing to take on No. 6-seeded Florida in the first round Friday at 5 p.m. ET in Lawrence, Kan.

Although the Wolfpack found a way to make the tournament field for the first time under fourth-year coach Luka Slabe, who has been along for the ride since Rice arrived on campus, it wasn’t a given NC State would have enough in the tank. 

A team meeting paired with momentum helped the Wolfpack back into the postseason, the first step on its way of continuing the program’s upward trajectory. 

‘Do-or-die mentality’

Slabe didn’t think there was a particular moment where his team looked like it was bound for the NCAA Tournament this season. The Wolfpack was up and down in ACC play without a ranked win as the calendar flipped into November. By the time the middle of the month rolled around, NC State prepared for its final stretch. 

No. 1 Pitt, No. 10 SMU and a quality Miami team were set to visit Reynolds Coliseum before the Wolfpack hit the road to close the year against the Mustangs. This was an opportunity for NC State to build its last-second at-large resume — but wins were imperative. 

The Pack held a team meeting and laid out its goals to make the NCAA Tournament, graduate setter Naomi Cabello said. It was a “now or never” approach to the season, but the effort needed to be there. Soon enough, it showed. The Pack took SMU to five sets at home before it had its “butts handed to us” against top-ranked Pitt. 

But there was progress, and that was important. The Wolfpack, which sustained injuries to Sophie Groom and redshirt freshman setter Kate Peterson in back-to-back matches, relied on its own resilience to make something happen. That showed up in a 3-1 win over Miami in the home finale before a reverse sweep on the road at SMU, a marquee win. 

“We kind of came in with a do-or-die mentality,” Rice said. “We were going to give it our best shot because we wanted so badly to be in the tournament. … We wanted it so bad that we were out for blood.”

Cabello, who started her career at perennial NCAA Tournament contender Texas, believed the Wolfpack’s mentality shift showed late in the season. 

“We proved that to each other,” Cabello said. “I think it’s just getting better and better every practice. We’re getting more comfortable to show up for each other and hold each other accountable to keep that standard high.”

For Slabe, his team bounced back. It wasn’t something he thought, in all honesty, was going to happen. But the Wolfpack was able to complete the 180-degree turnaround to position itself for the NCAA Tournament. 

Slabe said his team’s resilience didn’t show early or halfway through the year, but the final stretch was where things changed and it clicked for NC State.

“I don’t think early on we had that determination, that we had enough. I don’t think we had what it takes,” Slabe said. “They were able to turn it around through a lot of hard work. I’m not talking about the gym or the weight room, but everything that’s going on in the locker room or around the court. That’s really hard to turn around. They did it — five minutes before midnight.”

NC State’s surge through the final two matches helped set itself up on the bubble. It rose to No. 37 in the RPI, which helped put the Wolfpack firmly into the NCAA Tournament. 

Not only did the Pack find a way to shift its culture and mentality in the middle of a grueling ACC schedule, but victories followed through consistent play on the court. 

“Winning takes care of many things in life, and it especially takes care of feeling good about what you’re doing. Volleyball, it’s a game of momentum,” Slabe said. ““They didn’t quit. They’re still fighting. Culture is very fragile and you’ve gotta work on it every day. We’re not shying back from that responsibility. It’s a testament that we’re resilient.”

Up Next: Florida

NC State’s NCAA Tournament debut under Slabe comes against one of the giants in the sport: Florida. The Gators, which recruit at the top of the country year in and year out, present nearly the polar opposite of the Wolfpack program, which is up-and-coming on the national stage. 

The Pack isn’t naive about it either. Everyone knows that Florida is among the top in the sport, but that doesn’t mean NC State is just going to roll over on the court Friday evening. 

“It’s the postseason. Are they favorites? Absolutely. Are they going to win it by just showing up? I don’t think so,” Slabe said. “I think as long as we compete hard, as long as we do NC State stuff, we’re going to be just fine. Does that mean win? I don’t know. Does that mean lose? I don’t know. But we’re not afraid of anyone.”

Florida enters the NCAA Tournament with a 21-7, which features a battle-tested 11-5 mark in SEC play. But the Gators’ No. 22 ranking isn’t intimidating to the Wolfpack, especially after its come-from-behind win at No. 10 SMU less than a week ago. 

“I believe the momentum is in our hands right now,” Rice said. “Obviously, we’re riding the high of beating a ranked team. … I don’t believe that there is any team that we can’t take down. That’s going to start with Florida.”

Slabe made it clear in the preseason that he wanted to continue the team’s rise through the national landscape. After being among the first four out last season, the Wolfpack punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament this fall — a start on his quest of building a national-championship winning program in Raleigh. 

But to reach the pinnacle, his team needed a chance. It was denied that last time around, but the Wolfpack has its opportunity now with the Gators up first with NC State’s second all-time NCAA Tournament win on the line. 

“There’s no hiding on the volleyball court,” Slabe said. “It’s going to be a battle. We have to win as a team. They will need an individual to be really good over there to beat us. Our advantage is to win as a team.”

But for Rice, who envisioned this moment every time she stepped onto the court during her four-year career with the Wolfpack, making the NCAA Tournament in her final year seemed almost storybook. 

“It’s just a little extra special to finally be able to say, ‘Yeah, I was a part of a program that I helped, along with my team, make it to the tournament,’” Rice said. “Hopefully, we have some really great results this weekend and the next few weekends. But just knowing that my freshman year self was hoping for this kind of moment, it’s just a little different for me.”