NC State’s Pickrell, Evans Tabbed Preseason All-ACC

GREENSBORO, N.C. – NC State volleyball’s Kylie Pickrell and Melissa Evans have been named to the 2018 Preseason All-ACC Team, as announced Friday by the league office. The ACC also released its predicted order of finish, and the Wolfpack was ranked in a tie for seventh among the conference’s 15 teams.

Pickrell, an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American last year, made an instant impact running the Wolfpack offense from her setter position in her first season with the program. The rising senior led the ACC in total assists, finishing 2017 with 1,301 assists, which ranked among the top 25 in the nation.

A native of Coppell, Texas, Pickrell recorded the program’s first triple-double in the rally-scoring era with 47 assists, 19 digs and 13 kills in NC State’s match against Missouri State last season. The performance made her one of just three players in the ACC to notch a triple-double in 2017.

She also set the rally-scoring era program record with 70 assists in NC State’s thrilling five-set victory at Florida State, which was the third most by an individual in the NCAA last season. Pickrell ended the year by securing a First Team All-ACC selection in addition to claiming AVCA All-East Region honors and AVCA All-America.

Evans comes off of an impressive rookie campaign during which she was selected as a member of the All-ACC Freshman Team. Despite missing more than a month of the season due to an ankle injury, Evans tallied 202 kills and 53 blocks in 2017.

The Lone Tree, Colo., native logged double-digit kills on 10 occasions and recorded a career-best 20 kills in three matches last season.

The preseason All-ACC honors are the first for both Pickrell and Evans.

NC State was ranked in a tie for seventh as a team by the conference’s head coaches, but the Pack has finished better than its preseason projection in both seasons under third-year head coach Linda Hampton-Keith. Last year, NC State ended the season tied for third after the league’s coaches projected the team to finish fifth. In 2016, the squad was picked to finish 12thand finished tied for sixth.

The Wolfpack completed a record-breaking 2017 season during which it earned a program-best 15 ACC wins and compiled a perfect 10-0 mark in home ACC matches for the first time in program history.

Hampton-Keith and her staff led the Pack to the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012 and its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, a 3-2 victory against Oregon State. The team was one of just three ACC programs to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2017.

The Wolfpack opens its 2018 campaign at home as it welcomes VCU, the Atlantic 10 champion, on Friday, Aug. 24. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. from Reynolds Coliseum.

Single-match tickets are ON SALE NOW at the price of $7 for adults, $5 for youth (17 and younger) and $3 for groups of 15 or more. Children age two or younger will be admitted free.

Season tickets are also ON SALE NOW and cost $50 for adults and $25 for seniors/youth.

2018 ACC Volleyball Preseason All-ACC Team
Kaylin Korte, Sr., OH/RS, Clemson
Leah Meyer, Jr., MB, Duke
Payton Caffrey, Jr., OH, Florida State
Taryn Knuth, So., MB, Florida State
Jasmine Bennett, Sr., MB, Louisville
Melanie McHenry, Jr., OH, Louisville
Wilma Rivera, Sr., S, Louisville
Molly Sauer, Sr., L, Louisville
Haley Templeton, R-Sr., S, Miami
Melissa Evans, So., OPP, NC State
Kylie Pickrell, Sr., S, NC State
Ryann DeJarld, Sr., L, Notre Dame
Jemma Yeadon, Jr., OH, Notre Dame
Kamalani Akeo, Sr., S, Pitt
Nika Markovic, Jr., RS, Pitt
Stephanie Williams, R-Jr., OH, Pitt
Santita Ebangwese, Sr., MB, Syracuse
Jaila Tolbert, Sr., RS, Virginia Tech

2018 ACC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Pittsburgh
2. Louisville
3. Florida State
4. Notre Dame
5. Duke
6. North Carolina
7. Miami
8. NC State
9. Syracuse
10. Georgia Tech
11. Virginia Tech
12. Clemson
13. Wake Forest
14. Virginia
15. Boston College