GoHeels Exclusive: Carlton, Scoles Build Off USA Volleyball Experiences
August 18, 2017 | Volleyball
By Pat James
Holly Carlton didn't believe she had a chance.
From March 3-5, Carlton joined four of her North Carolina teammates for the U.S. Women's National Team Tryout in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There, they competed for roster spots with the U.S. Women's National Team, Collegiate National Teams program or Junior National Team (WJNT) – which seemed like Carlton's most likely fit.
At that time, they received a timetable for when roster decisions would be made. But with the deadline approaching for the WJNT and still no update, Carlton assumed she hadn't been selected.
Then, at 2 o'clock one morning, she woke up. An email was in her inbox. And with it came the news that she'd made the WJNT.
"I read the email, and I was like, 'Really?'" Carlton recalled. "But I couldn't really tell anyone. My roommate was asleep, my family was asleep. So I just sat there, like, 'Wow.'"
That moment marked the beginning of Carlton's WJNT experience this summer, which she spent playing in the U20 Women's Pan American Cup in May and then the FIVB Volleyball Women's U20 World Championship in July.
Julia Scoles also earned a chance to participate in a USA Volleyball program. As one of 36 members of the Collegiate National Team-Minneapolis (CNT-Minneapolis) program, she trained from June 22-26 at the University of Minnesota. The group was then split into three teams that competed in a round-robin tournament held in conjunction with the USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
Together, Carlton and Scoles became the sixth and seventh players to represent UNC on either the WJNT or CNT since 2012.
"When you have people like that in the program," coach Joe Sagula said, "no matter what happens or what the competition is, the fact that they're getting to be selected and seen is just a really great accomplishment because it's something we haven't had in quite a long time. To have it on a consistent basis is even more rewarding."
Carlton gains confidence
Both players were appreciative of their respective opportunities. But Carlton's might have been the most fulfilling.
As the Tar Heels collected 29 wins and their league-leading 13th ACC title, Carlton watched from the bench last season as she redshirted. The year granted her more time to develop. However, she said she never could receive the gratification that comes from playing in a game.
Carlton said she often needed to reassure herself throughout the season. But nothing she could say provided as much encouragement as making the WJNT.
"Making the team was just kind of a positive way of me coming off the redshirt," she said. "I worked really hard throughout the year, even though I wasn't playing. Just for that to benefit me this summer was really cool."
In the U20 Women's Pan American Cup in San Jose, Costa Rica, Carlton played in three of five matches – six total sets – and tallied six kills. The WJNT won gold, qualifying it for the FIVB Volleyball Women's U20 World Championship in Boca del Rio and Cordoba, Mexico.
However, Carlton's spot on the World Championship roster wasn't guaranteed.
Part of a 16-player training group, Carlton was evaluated from July 2-11 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. She ultimately earned one of the two opposite hitter spots on the 12-player roster.
From there, Sagula said, Carlton's confidence grew.
Carlton played in the WJNT's first five matches before an ankle injury sidelined her. In those matches, she registered 35 kills, 28 digs, nine blocks and four aces, continuing the progression she'd shown since the spring.
"By the last three weeks of the (exhibition) season, she took like five steps forward and felt so much more comfortable on the court," Sagula said. "I think that then lent itself to a good situation for the tryouts with the national team program.
"For me as a coach, it's great to see her beginning to fulfill that potential we all see in her. And she's starting to just become more comfortable as a top-notch player."
Scoles improves
Scoles already proved she's a high-caliber player during her first season in Chapel Hill. En route to earning ACC and AVCA East Coast Region Freshman of the Year honors, she hit .276 with 305 kills, 259 digs, 54 blocks, a team-high 32 aces and 18 assists.Â
That momentum only continued at the CNT tournament.
Across three matches, in which she played nine of 11 sets, Scoles recorded 26 kills and an ace. A primary passer, she received a majority of the serves in the final match. Â
Although her USA Volleyball experience wasn't quite as lengthy as Carlton's, Scoles said she expanded her game by learning how to play at an accelerated rate.Â
"USA Volleyball was definitely a much faster pace that I wasn't used to and I adjusted to through that week," she said. "Just knowing that I can have the ability to run the game at a quicker speed is more beneficial and something I didn't think about before."
Entering her sophomore season – which will begin against No. 4 Minnesota on Aug. 25 in Madison, Wisconsin – one could believe the burden of expectations might weigh heavily on Scoles following her stellar freshman campaign and summer.Â
However, Sagula said he's not worried.
If anything, Sagula said Scoles' success will make her the focus of opposing teams. But with the return of reigning ACC Player of the Year Taylor Leath and the addition of Carlton – a 6-foot-7 setter/hitter who might be one of the country's most versatile players – focusing on just Scoles could be costly.
"Sometimes when you're a freshman," Sagula said, "you can kind of slip by and people don't notice you until they realize, 'Oh, my gosh, that player just had a great match against us.' But when you're (freshman) of the year, you've got a reputation.Â
"People are going to come after you and people are going to game and prepare to stop your best players. And they're going to try to stop Julia Scoles."
