University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Blue and White Game
Volleyball to Host Blue & White Scrimmage Saturday
August 15, 2017 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL – Carolina Volleyball will host the annual Blue & White Scrimmage at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19, at Carmichael Arena. The event, like all regular-season home matches, is free and open to the public. The annual intrasquad scrimmage will provide Tar Heel fans with a first look at the defending ACC Champion Tar Heels who enter the season ranked No. 11 in the nation.
The Tar Heels return to action this fall after putting together one of their best seasons in program history last year. In 2016, Carolina went an unprecedented 19-1 in ACC play to win its league-leading 13th ACC title. The talented Tar Heels knocked off three top-10 programs—a school record—and advanced to NCAA Regionals for just the third time in program history. Carolina posted a 29-4 overall record in 2016, with just two losses to teams ranked outside the top 10.
Carolina returns All-America outside hitters Taylor Leath and Julia Scoles, the ACC Player and Freshman of the Year, respectively. All three of UNC's starting middle blockers, Taylor Fricano, Beth Nordhorn and Sydnye Fields, who led UNC to rank in the top six in the nation in blocks per set for the third consecutive year, return for 2017.
Also returning in 2017 are defensive specialists Mia Fradenburg and Casey Jacobs, setter Mariah Evans, middle hitter Keimaya Hunter, ACC All-Freshman outside Taylor Borup and fellow outside Madison Laufenberg.
6-foot-7 setter/hitter Holly Carlton, fresh off a stint with the U.S. Women's Junior National Team, seeks her first collegiate action after redshirting last fall as a true freshman, along with classmate Katharine Esterley, a 6-foot-2 middle from Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels welcome three true freshmen and a transfer in 2017. Kendra Koetter, a setter from Tampa, Florida, matriculated this summer after two seasons at Georgia Southern, along with middle Raleigh Clark and defensive specialists Maddie Grace Hough and Sehrena Hull.
The 2017 regular season opens on Friday, Aug. 25, when Carolina travels to Madison, Wisconsin, for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The No. 11 Tar Heels will have their work cut out for them early, facing No. 4 Minnesota and No. 7 Wisconsin on opening weekend, as well as a neutral match against No. 12 Florida on Sept. 3 in Puerto Rico.
The Tar Heels open the home season on Sept. 8 with the return of the Carolina Classic, featuring LIU Brooklyn and LSU. UNC opens ACC play on Friday, Sept. 22, at NC State. Every home and ACC match will be available to watch online on WatchESPN, including a pair of matches on ESPNU.
