No. 7 Tar Heels Open 2015 At No. 22 USC
August 28, 2015 | Volleyball
LOS ANGELES --- Fresh off the best season in school history, the No. 7 North Carolina volleyball team will open its 2015 campaign Friday at the Women of Troy Baden Invitational at USC's Galen Center. The Tar Heels will face Southern Cal at 11 p.m. EDT in a rematch of a 2014 NCAA second round match to open the event. UNC will conclude play on Saturday with matches against 2014 NCAA finalist BYU at 3:30 p.m. EDT and Chicago State at 8 p.m. EDT. Friday's match against the Women of Troy will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network.
AT A GLANCE
Records: North Carolina 0-0, USC 0-0, BYU 0-0, Chicago State 0-0
Rankings: North Carolina is ranked No. 7 in the AVCA Top 25. USC is ranked No. 22, BYU is ranked No. 11 and Chicago State is unranked.
TV: Friday night's match will be carried live on the Pac-12 Network. Both of Saturday's matches will be streamed live on Pac-12.com.
On The Web: GoHeels.com • Twitter: @UNCVolleyball • Instagram: @UNCVolleyball
Tar Heels Reach New Heights In '14
The 2014 Tar Heels finished 29-3, claimed the outright Atlantic Coast Conference title and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in program history. On their way to the NCAA Minneapolis Regional final, Carolina won a school-record 20 consecutive matches. After defeating Oregon in the regional semifinals, UNC fell to second-seeded Texas in four sets. The Tar Heels finished 17-1 in ACC play to establish a school record for conference wins.
Series Notes Vs. Women of Troy Baden Invitational Field
• North Carolina is 1-2 all-time against Southern California.
• The Tar Heels scored their first win over the Women of Troy in last season's NCAA second round in Chapel Hill. UNC dropped the opening set 25-23 before taking the next three, 27-25, 25-23, 25-15. Prior to 2014, Carolina had never won a set vs. USC.
• North Carolina is 0-2 all-time against BYU. UNC and BYU have not met since Joe Sagula's first season in Chapel Hill. The Cougars were 3-0 winners at the 1990 FirsTier Invitational in Lincoln, Nebraska.
• North Carolina is 1-0 all-time against Chicago State. Carolina swept the lone meeting over the Cougars at the 2003 Wildcat Classic in Evanston, Illinois.
Veteran Tar Heels Set To Face Loaded Schedule In 2015
• UNC returns five seniors to a veteran 2015 squad, and the Tar Heels will be thoroughly tested early in the campaign.
• Five of Carolina's non-conference opponents are ranked in the Preseason AVCA Coaches Poll - No. 2 Stanford, No. 5 Wisconsin, No. 11 BYU, No. 19 Michigan State and No. 22 Southern Cal. Minnesota and Michigan received votes in the preseason poll.
• The schedule will continue to be challenging once the Tar Heels enter league play as Florida State (No. 11) and Duke (No. 25) are ranked and Miami is receiving votes.
Carolina Tabbed To Repeat As ACC Volleyball Champs
• Carolina was chosen to repeat as the Atlantic Coast Conference volleyball champion in a vote by the league's 15 head coaches.
• The Tar Heels accumulated a total of 190 out of a possible 196 points. UNC surpassed second place Florida State (189) by the narrowest of margins, while Duke (167), Miami (156) and Louisville (135) rounded out the top five. Virginia's 125 points were enough to edge Pitt (124) for sixth place, while Virginia Tech's 108 points placed it ahead of Notre Dame (79), Georgia Tech (74) and Syracuse (68). NC State (48), Clemson (41), Boston College (38) and Wake Forest (33) completed the poll.
Three Tar Heels Named All-ACC
• A total of 10 teams are represented on the 2015 Preseason All-ACC Team. North Carolina, Florida State and Duke lead all schools with three selections apiece, followed by Louisville and Miami with two selections each. Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia Tech all have one selection.
• Senior middle hitters Victoria McPherson and Paige Neuenfeldt were named to the 18-player team, as was junior right-side hitter Taylor Treacy.
Carolina Opens Season At No. 7
• Coming off the most successful season in program history, the North Carolina volleyball team was ranked No. 7 in the 2015 AVCA Division I Coaches Preseason Poll. The ranking matches the highest in school history and marks the first time the Tar Heels will start a season in the top 10 nationally.
• Last year's squad, which advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time and finished the season 29-3, reached the No. 7 spot in November after defeating No. 3 Florida State in the first top-10 matchup in ACC history. The Tar Heels would stay at No. 7 in the final poll after defeating Oregon in the Minneapolis Regional semifinals.
UNC Volleyball To Be Featured On Eight ESPN Broadcasts
• Carolina volleyballwill be featured on eight ESPN broadcasts during the 2015 regular season.
• The Tar Heels are slated for seven ESPN3 matches, including the home opener against perennial powerhouse and 2014 NCAA semifinalist Stanford on Sept. 10. The regular season finale at crosstown rival Duke will also be broadcast on ESPN3 on Nov. 28 at 1 p.m.
• Carolina's home matchup against the Blue Devils is scheduled as the Tar Heels' lone regular season appearance on ESPNU. The primetime match featuring two of the ACC's best will be shown on Oct. 2 at 6 p.m.
