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University of North Carolina Athletics
Heels Open Six-Match Homestand Against Clemson, GT
November 9, 2016 | Volleyball
| Clemson (6-20, 1-13 ACC) |
| When: Nov. 11, 2016 - 7:30 PM |
| Where: Carmichael Arena |
| Admission: Free |
| Watch: ACC Network Extra |
| Live Stats: UNCLiveStats.com |
| Series: UNC leads 58-16; Streak: Won 10 |
| Georgia Tech (20-6, 11-3 ACC) |
| When: Nov. 12, 2016 - 6 PM |
| Where: Carmichael Arena |
| Admission: Free |
| Watch: ACC Network Extra |
| Live Stats: UNCLiveStats.com |
| Series: UNC leads 36-24; Streak: Won 4 |
After playing 10 of their first 14 ACC matches on the road, the Tar Heels return home for the final six matches of the season, kicking off the homestand on Friday, Nov. 11 against Clemson. The Tar Heels are coming off a thrilling five-set victory at No. 10 Florida State on Sunday, in which Carolina fought back after dropping the first two sets to knock off the Seminoles in five sets. The exhilarating win helped the Tar Heels maintain sole possession of first place in the ACC standings at 13-1. Duke is one match behind UNC at 12-2 and Florida State and Saturday's opponent Georgia Tech are both 11-3.
Friday's match carries a later start time than usual, because it is the second half of a Carolina doubleheader at Carmichael Arena. Don't miss UNC women's basketball's season opener against Alabama State at 4 p.m. on Friday prior to the 7:30 p.m. volleyball match. It is also a Carolina Fever match, so students who check in will receive three Fever points.
WEAR WHITE on Saturday for a WHITE OUT event against Georgia Tech. Free food will be available to students, while the first 300 fans in attendance will get a free white Carolina t-shirt. Stick around after the game for postgame autographs with the team up on the concourse by the main entrance.
Against The Field
Carolina has been successful over the years against both of this weekend's opponents, going 36-24 all time against Georgia Tech and 58-16 against Clemson, including a pair of wins on the road earlier this season.
The Tar Heels have defeated Clemson in 58 of their 74 meetings and are currently riding a 10-match winning streak over the Tigers. UNC has not lost to CU since 2009 and has gone an impressive 21-8 all time against Clemson at home.
The Tar Heels have played strong against Yellow Jackets at home as well, winning 19 of 27 matchups in Chapel Hill. UNC has won five of the last six home matches against Georgia Tech, with its last home loss to the Yellow Jackets back in 2009.
Tar Heels Storm Back to Stun No. 10 Florida State
Carolina found itself in an 0-2 hole in Tallahassee on Nov. 6, dropping the first two sets 25-13 and 25-21 to No. 10 Florida State, a team the Tar Heels had swept at home just one month earlier. The Tar Heels never backed down, exploding out of the break to win the third set, 25-11, and take a dominating 8-1 lead in the fourth. FSU battled back to overtake the lead late, 21-18, but UNC rattled off seven of the final eight points of the set to win it 25-22 and force a fifth set. It was the Seminoles who had the late lead again in the fifth, pulling ahead 9-5 and 13-10, but the Tar Heels rallied together to win five straight points and knock off No. 10 Florida State, 15-13, in the fifth.
The win marked UNC's program-record third over a top-10 team in 2016 and snapped a six-match losing streak in Tallahassee. UNC had not defeated FSU in Tully Gym since 2008 and had gone a meager 1-12 in Tallahassee since 2002. Additionally, Carolina swept the season series against Florida State for the first time since 2000. Sophomore Taylor Leath was named Sports Imports/AVCA and espnW National Player of the Week after posting 26 kills and 13 digs in the win.
Taylor Leath Named AVCA, espnW National Player of the Week
After collecting her second ACC Player of the Week award on Nov. 7, redshirt sophomore Taylor Leath was named National Player of the Week by both Sports Imports/AVCA and espnW, marking the first time in program history that a Tar Heel has earned the national honor from the AVCA. Leath spearheaded the Carolina comeback against No. 10 Florida State, posting a double-double with a career-high 26 kills and 13 digs. She recorded the most kills for a Tar Heels since 2005 while leading Carolina to its first victory at FSU since 2008. Leath led UNC in kills and posted a double-double in all three wins over top-10 opponents this season, averaging 22.3 kills and 16 digs per match.
Hot Streak
UNC got off to its best start to ACC play in program history, opening the conference slate with 11 straight wins. The final team in a Power 5 conference to remain undefeated in conference play, the Tar Heels are alone in first place at 13-1 in the ACC.
Carolina began the 2001 ACC slate 9-0 before falling in five sets to Maryland with a heartbreaking 16-14 fifth-set score. Carolina has opened the conference campaign at 8-0 twice before, in 1999 and 2002. All three times, the Tar Heels won either the regular season or the ACC Tournament.
The Tar Heels have gone undefeated in conference play three times, all back in the 80s when the ACC slate featured a single round robin against the much smaller ACC field. UNC went 7-0 in 1986 and 6-0 in both 1982 and 1989.
Despite an extremely challenging nonconference slate, the Tar Heels rank seventh in the nation with an .875 winning percentage at 21-3. Opening the year at 18-2, it marks the fourth time in school history that UNC has won at least 18 of the first 20 matches of the season. UNC began 2014 at 18-2 and started the 2002 and 2013 campaigns at 19-1.
The 11-0 start to ACC play includes an 11-match overall winning streak, marking the third straight season that UNC has posted a double-digit winning streak and the 13th time in program history. Carolina won 12 straight matches in ACC play last season before dropping the final match of the regular season to Duke. After losing the 2014 ACC opener at Florida State, the Tar Heels rattled off a school-record 20 straight victories to win the ACC title and make their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight.
