University of North Carolina Athletics
Seven-Seeded Tar Heels Start NCAA Tournament at Home
December 4, 2014 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The North Carolina volleyball program will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament this weekend for the first time since 2005. The No. 7-seeded Tar Heels will kick-off the NCAA tournament with a match against Hampton at 6:30 p.m. this Friday.
Carolina finished the regular season on a 17-match winning streak to clinch the ACC Championship. The title is UNC's first since 2008, and the program's 12th overall. The Tar Heels dropped only eight sets during the win streak and 11 sets overall in conference.
Before the Tar Heels face the Lady Pirates Friday night, Southern California and Coastal Carolina will battle it out at 4:30 p.m. for the right to advance to the second round. The winner of the USC vs. Coastal Carolina match will face the winner of the UNC vs. Hampton match on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. in Carmichael Arena.
To access the Tournament Central, with parking, ticket and bracket information, please click here.
PREVIEWING THE HAMPTON LADY PIRATES
The Hampton Lady Pirates won the MEAC for the second-straight year after defeating Howard 3-0 in the title game. Tatyana Thomas had six kills and four blocks for Hampton, while MEAC Player of the Year Vendula Strakova added 27 kills on a .449 hitting percentage against the Howard Bison.
Strakova, who is an All-MEAC and AVCA All-America performer, leads all Division I players in total kills this season with 678. The senior rightside knocks down 5.84 kills/set on an efficient .340 hitting percentage, and she adds .70 blocks/set.
Hampton's head coach, Karen Weatherington, is already one of the most successful coaches in program history in just two seasons, as she has compiled a 40-21 record and two MEAC championships. In 2013, Weatherington's first season, the Lady Pirates matched a program record for wins in a season with 19 and went undefeated at home for the first time in program history.
The Tar Heels and Lady Pirates will face each other for the first time this Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Carmichael Arena. Live stats will be provided through CBS GameTracker and the match will be broadcast on ESPN3.
PREVIEWING THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TROJANS
The Women of Troy are in the NCAA Tournament for the 24th-straight year after earning an at-large bid from the Pac-12 conference. USC's .500 record is deceptive, as the Women of Troy have defeated several tournaments teams this season, including Kentucky, Creighton and Arizona.
Southern California is paced by all-everything outside hitter Samantha Bricio, who possesses one of the most lethal serves in the game. She knocks down 4.27 kills/set while attacking at a .262 hitting percentage and she averages .69 aces/set. Bricio was named to the All-Pac-12 team for her outstanding season, her third All-Pac-12 award for her career.
USC Head Coach Mick Haley is a legend in NCAA volleyball, as he has won two national championships at Southern California in addition to two NCAA titles at Texas. Haley's overall record at USC stands at 358 wins against only 91 losses for a .797 win percentage.
PREVIEWING THE COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS
In its last match, Coastal Carolina defeated Radford in a five-set thriller, 16-14 in the fifth, to claim the Big South tournament title and the league's automatic bid for the NCAA tournament. Senior middle blocker Katie Martin was named the MVP of the tournament after knocking down a career-high 24 kills against Radford.
Martin paces the Chanticleers with 2.12 kills/set while adding .68 blocks/set. Leah Hardeman, a 5-10 freshman outside hitter, averages 4.03 kills/set to lead Coastal Carolina offensive effort. Setter Sam Skyrd directs the offense to a .243 hitting percentage on the season while she averages 9.50 assists/set.
Head Coach Jozsef Forman claimed his first conference championship during his three seasons in Conway with the win over Radford. Forman has guided Coastal Carolina to three-straight Big South Championship games and a 58-32 record during his time with the Chanticleers.
The Chanticleers and the Women of Troy will face off for the first time this Friday at 4:30 p.m. in Carmichael Arena. Live stats will be provided through GameTracker and the match will be broadcast on ESPN3.