N.C. State’s volleyball team doesn’t frequently match up against teams from Texas, but that doesn’t mean the players and coaches are unfamiliar with the Lone Star State.

The Wolfpack (22-9) arrived on Wednesday morning to begin preparations for the program’s second appearance in the NCAA championship and its first since 1987. The Wolfpack will place Texas A&M (24-5) on Thursday at 5 p.m. at Texas’ Gregory Gymnasium.

Texas native Bryan Bunn, in his third season as N.C. State’s coach, is familiar with volleyball in his home state. Bunn was born in San Antonio and went to both high school and college there. He graduated from Texas-San Antonio in 1988 with degrees in kinesiology and English and took his first coaching job as an assistant at Stephen F. Austin.