Taylor Leath Named ACC Player of the Week
September 11, 2017 | Volleyball
GREENSBORO – North Carolina outside hitter Taylor Leath was named ACC Player of the Week on Monday, as selected by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Leath put on a spectacular display at Carmichael Arena over the weekend, leading the Tar Heels to wins over LIU Brooklyn (3-0) and LSU (3-1) at the Carolina Classic.
The redshirt junior is the first Tar Heel to win a weekly award this season and earns the honor for the fourth time in her career. Leath is the fourth Tar Heel to earn four or more career ACC Player of the Week awards and the first since 1999, following Sharon German '89 (7), Tori Seibert '99 (5) and Amy Peistrup '92 (4).
Leath began the weekend with a match-high 16 kills to go with six digs and a block in a three-set victory over LIU Brooklyn—UNC's first win of the season. She then put together a career performance on Sunday afternoon, slamming a career-high 27 kills with 12 digs, three assists and two blocks, hitting .404 from the left pin.
A 25-point rally-scoring record, Leath slammed the most kills for a Tar Heel since 2005 against LSU. Tied for 11th in the rally-scoring era (since 2001), it marked just the fourth time a Tar Heel has registered more than 25 kills in a four-set match. Leath posted three 20-kill matches last season—all vs. top-10 teams—as she moves into sixth in Carolina rally-scoring history with four career 20-kill matches. Her 27 kills are tied for fifth-most in the nation in a four-set match this season and rank second in the ACC in any-length match.
In total, the 2016 ACC Player of the Year racked up 43 kills and 18 digs, averaging 6.14 kills and 2.57 digs per set while hitting .360 on the week. Her impressive play moved her into fourth in the ACC in both kills and points per set on the season and into the top 100 in the nation in kills, points and attacks per set.
In addition to Leath, Duke freshman Payton Schwantz was named ACC Freshman of the Week. Schwantz was key in Duke's undefeated weekend, helping the Blue Devils claim the Fight in the Fort at TCU title with wins over TCU, Utah Valley and Lehigh. The rookie outside hitter from Frisco, Texas, recorded double-digit kills in all three matches and added 17 digs and six blocks. Schwantz was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts.
