North Carolina
Blue and White Game
Fans Get First Glimpse Of 2017 Heels At Blue & White Scrimmage
August 19, 2017 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL – Carolina volleyball fans got their first look at the 2017 Tar Heels on Saturday evening in the annual Blue & White Match, held at Carmichael Arena. No. 11 North Carolina, fresh off winning its league-leading 13th ACC title and making its third NCAA Regionals appearance, showcased its young talent at the annual intrasquad scrimmage, in front of a an excited crowd of dedicated Tar Heel supporters.
The Tar Heels split into two teams, Blue and White, for the first two sets, then mixed up the teams and played two more. In addition to the players on the roster, assistant coach Tyler Adams and volunteer assistant Gavin Watt played for the Blue team. All four teams won one set, as the night ended in a 2-2 tie.
"We have been training all preseason with giving everybody equal opportunities," said head coach Joe Sagula. "What we've been very cognizant of is making sure we haven't overplayed anyone who might be considered a veteran starter. We give everyone equal amount of time so they can develop equally."
The Tar Heels return a majority of their starters from 2016, including All-ACC players Taylor Leath, Julia Scoles and Taylor Fricano, but the team also has a new look, with three freshmen, two redshirt freshmen and a junior transfer. Leath and Scoles are expected to once again anchor the Heels on the left side, while Taylor Borup, who was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team is expected to see a much larger role this season, and Madison Laufenberg has made great strides to compete for playing time as well.
"Right behind them, we have Madison, who I thought did a really good job today," said Sagula. "We're going to be different. Everybody's going to bring a different style to their game."
Carolina's most consistent position is in the middle, where the Tar Heels return all three starters from a 2016 season where the Heels ranked sixth in the nation in blocks per set. Fricano, Beth Nordhorn and Sydnye Fields all saw significant action last season, while Katherine Esterley (redshirt freshman) and junior Keimaya Hunter have both made notable progress and true freshman Raleigh Clark rounds out the six-player core.
"I love being part of this group," said Fricano, one of the team's two senior middles. "We're so all together and we have fun. It's so energetic, we all want each other to do well, and we're all good friends. I feel like sometimes (a position group can) get really competitive, but in this group, all the middles want the other middles to do well and that creates a really good environment. We're so tight-knit, even with six people. It's really cool to be part of a group like that."
"It's so much fun," added Fields. "It's great playing alongside them. They bring a lot of energy. I think we do a great job of hyping each other up. That's one thing about Carolina Volleyball, we play excited, and I give (the middles) a lot of credit for that."
Despite the consistency on the attack, Carolina will have brand new faces at setter and on defense. Redshirt freshman Holly Carlton, a 6-foot-7 setter and opposite hitter who spent the summer playing for the U.S. Women's Junior National Team, has grown immensely since her arrival on campus last fall, as expectations are extremely high for the Sterling, Virginia, native.
"She played great in the spring," said Sagula. "By the third and the fourth tournaments, she took huge jumps forwards, and my feeling was that she now felt like she belonged. And now I feel like this is a lot of her team. She's established her presence and her determination with this team. Even though she was a redshirt, she has connected well with the veteran leaders of this team, so people very much look up to her—literally (at 6-foot-7) and figuratively," he added with a laugh. "But they do look up to her, because they know her heart is very invested in this program. To see her out there tonight was very rewarding. You're going to see a lot of her this year; she's an essential figure to the program."
Carlton is not alone at the position, as she is joined by sophomore Mariah Evans, who played in every match last season as part of a 6-2, and junior transfer Kendra Koetter, a talented server who set a 6-2 at Georgia Southern last season. While Carlton is expected to see the most action, Evans and Koetter will play key roles in directing UNC's offense.
"It's going to be tactical, game-management," said Sagula. "We've changed our minds so many times. It's going to depend on their health and how everyone develops. Holly's going to be on the court for six rotations. Whether she's setting in six of them or hitting in three remains to be seen. We think she's our strongest setter and when she's healthy, she could be one of our best hitters."
The Tar Heels will see a new face wearing a contrasting jersey as well this season, after the graduation of libero Sheila Doyle. Sophomore Mia Fradenburg has stepped up this offseason as the frontrunner for the job, but junior Casey Jacobs and freshmen Sehrena Hull and Maddie Grace Hough will all compete for playing time in the back row.
"Mia covers our hitters really well," said Fricano. "Sehrena is so athletic. You watch her move on the court and it's incredible. All four of them, they all have their own sort of play. I would be comfortable with anyone back there. They're just so talented."
With expectations high and a difficult slate on the horizon—Carolina opens the season on Aug. 25-26 against No. 4 Minnesota and No. 7 Wisconsin—Sagula has stressed the importance of staying in the here and now and not letting the past or the future define the present.
"We've talked to them a lot about expectations," said Sagula. "Don't get caught up in rankings and what people are saying, because this team hasn't done anything yet. Yes, we've positioned ourselves well, we've earned some great recognition and respect, but they need to earn it and do everything themselves. We learned the hard way, after 2014, that you still have to go out there and play well. So, we've talked to the team a lot about that.
"We've set some goals, we know what are expectations are, but it's all about now. How to be good now and how that will set us up for where we want to be at the end of the season. We can't think about the end of the season, we have to invest everything we've got into what we're trying to do today. If you ask what our purpose or our mission is, it's to be present. That means giving our focus every day and going hard to earn what this team is going to be. Not to compare to last year or next year. Every season is going to be different, with different personalities and different leadership."
The 2017 Tar Heels have a hard road ahead, but one thing is for certain—they have all the pieces to be successful.
"This team is very talented," said Fricano. "Very young, but there's so much raw talent. With such a young group, we're still feeling it out. We're starting to get to know each other and tapping into that potential. I think right now, we have potential, and we just need to start clicking as a team. We just need to get it rolling and get our team chemistry all together."
