University of North Carolina Athletics
October 22, 2015 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - After six straight matches in the Triangle, Carolina heads south this weekend to take on Georgia Tech and Clemson. Carolina is tied for third in the ACC standings with a 6-2 conference record. Georgia Tech is in the middle of the pack at 4-4, while Clemson is still looking for its first win in ACC play.
At a Glance
• Records: North Carolina (9-8, 6-2 ACC), Georgia Tech (13-7, 4-4 ACC), Clemson (5-15, 0-8 ACC).
• Rankings: North Carolina is once again receiving votes in the AVCA Poll and ranks #29 in the RPI. Georgia Tech is #81 and Clemson is #178 in the RPI.
• Coverage: Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN3: Georgia Tech | Clemson. Fans can also follow along on the live stats: Georgia Tech | Clemson.
Series Notes
• North Carolina is 34-24 all time against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have been tough to beat on their home court, as Carolina trails 10-14 in Atlanta.
• Carolina fell behind 0-2 in Atlanta last season, but came all the way back to sting the Yellow Jackets as part of a 16-match ACC winning streak that lead to the Tar Heels' 2014 conference title.
• The Tar Heels have traditionally had success against the Clemson Tigers, going 56-16 all time in 72 historical matchups. Carolina is 19-6 all time in Clemson and brings an eight-match winning streak against the Tigers into Sunday's contest.
• UNC's last loss to Clemson was in five sets on Oct. 31, 2009, and their last road loss came back on Oct. 26, 2007.
Block Party
• North Carolina has been a force to be reckoned with at the net, ranking second in the nation and tops in the ACC by averaging 3.33 blocks per set. Victoria McPherson and Paige Neuenfeldt are ranked first and second in the ACC with 1.54 and 1.43 blocks per set, respectively, and both are among the nation's top 20.
• Carolina has put up at least seven blocks in every match this season, posting 11 double-digit performances, including three matches with 15 or more.
• UNC has faced some tough net defense as well, as opponents Stanford (7), BYU (11), UNCW (14), Minnesota (17) and USC (20) all rank among the nation's top 20.
Carolina Hits Stride in ACC Play
• After struggling to find their rhythm during an extremely challenging nonconference slate, the Tar Heels have put it all together to start ACC play, sitting in third place at 6-2 including five sweeps.
• The Tar Heels cut down on the errors, further solidified their dominant blocking unit, and upped their serving game to propel themselves to six early conference victories.
• Carolina sits in the top half of the conference in nearly every statistical category during ACC play, leading the league in blocks (3.59/s), ranking second in hitting percentage (.284) and opponent hitting percentage (.153), fifth in kills (13.96) and sixth in assists (12.67).
• The Tar Heel upperclassmen have been shouldering the load for Carolina, led by senior middle hitters Victoria McPherson and Paige Neuenfeldt. The pair lead all other ACC players in blocks, Neuenfeldt has the best ACC hitting percentage (.461) and McPherson is also in the top five (.419).
• Right side Taylor Treacy is the third Tar Heel in the top 10 in both hitting percentage (.35) and blocks (1.19/s).
• Tatiana Durr has been influential in the Tar Heels' aggressive serving, ranking fifth in aces, while libero Sheila Doyle ranks sixth in digs (4.07/s) after putting up 24 against Florida State.
Tar Heels Take On One of Nation's Toughest Schedules
• According to the NCAA's Strength of Schedule rankings, Carolina has played the fourth-most-difficult schedule in the nation this season, including the second-hardest nonconference slate in the country.
• The Tar Heels have a total of eight opponents ranked in this week's top 25, including No. 1 USC and No. 9 Minnesota. UNC also has No. 11 Stanford, No. 12 BYU, No. 16 Wisconsin, No. 17 Florida State, No. 23 Michigan and No. 24 Louisville on the schedule.
• Additionally, Michigan State is receiving votes this week.
• The Tar Heels have two wins over top-25 teams this season, having swept then-No. 3 Stanford and then-No. 20 Michigan in nonconference play.
• USC, ranked No. 22 in the preseason, is up to No. 1 nationally. After dropping the second set to UNC on opening night, the Trojans went on to win the next 29 straight and are one of just two teams in the nation to remain undefeated.
• Of Carolina's eight losses, five were to teams that are currently in the top 20 in the RPI and all-but one came against teams ranked in the top 50.
Neuenfeldt Selected as Senior CLASS Award Candidate
• Middle hitter Paige Neuenfeldt was selected as one of 30 national candidates for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award. The honor is given to one senior Division I student-athlete in each participating sport who excels both on and off the court. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award focuses on the total student-athlete, highlighting those who best exemplify excellence in the “four Cs”: community, classroom, character and competition.
• The list will be narrowed down to 10 finalists on Oct. 29, at which point a national fan vote will help decide the individual winner.
• Director of Operations Chaniel Nelson was named a top-10 finalist for the 2014 Senior CLASS Award, while libero Kaylie Gibson was a top-10 finalist in 2011. Both Tar Heels made the First Team (top-5), but a UNC player has yet to win the award since its inception in 2010.
