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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Georgia Tech
Tar Heels Close Final Homestand with GT, Clemson
November 8, 2017 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina hosts its final two home matches of the 2017 regular season this week, welcoming Georgia Tech on Thursday, Nov. 9, followed Clemson on Saturday, Nov. 11. The Tar Heels are coming off a pair of home sweeps and seek to complete their second straight perfect ACC home season. Please join the Tar Heels in celebrating the achievements of the 2017 senior class, including graduating student-athletes Taylor Fricano and Beth Nordhorn, with the annual Senior Night ceremony prior to Saturday's match.
Thursday, Nov. 9 // 6:30 p.m. // 80s Night
North Carolina (12-10, 9-5 ACC) vs. Georgia Tech (12-13, 7-7 ACC)
Where:Â Carmichael Arena
Admission: FREE
Watch:Â ACC Network Extra
Stats:Â UNCLiveStats.com
Saturday, Nov. 11Â // 5Â p.m. // Senior Night
North Carolina (12-10, 9-5) vs. Clemson (7-19, 2-12 ACC)
Where:Â Carmichael Arena
Admission: FREE
Watch:Â ACC Network Extra
Stats:Â UNCLiveStats.com
Promotions
Take a trip down memory lane on #ThrowbackThursday with Carolina Volleyball '80s Night. Enjoy the best music from the 1980s while UNC takes on Georgia Tech. Free 80s-themed t-shirts to the first 150 Carolina Fever members in attendance.
Thursday's match will also be volleyball's night to support the Million Meals Challenge. UNC Athletics and Harris Teeter have teamed up to support local families in need to help curb the North Carolina hunger epidemic. The Million Meals Challenge focuses on generating yearlong support, with all donations going to the North Carolina Food Banks. From now until March 8, 2018, UNC will compete against Duke, NC State and Wake Forest to see which campus community can donate the most. Help UNC win in the pursuit to collect one million meals, but bringing nonperishable food items to Thursday's match. As a thank you, any fan who donates three-or-more items will receive Harris Teeter gift card worth $5.
Prior to Saturday's home finale, North Carolina will host the annual Senior Night ceremony in honor of the 2017 Tar Heel senior class. UNC will recognize senior student-athletes Taylor Fricano and Beth Nordhorn as well as graduating members of the support staff.
Against the Field
Carolina has been successful over the years against both of this weekend's opponents, going 60-16 against Clemson and 37-25 all time against Georgia Tech. UNC split road trip earlier this season, defeating Clemson, 3-1, on Sept. 29 but falling to Georgia Tech, 1-3, on Oct. 1.
UNC saw its five-match winning streak against the Yellow Jackets snapped on Oct. 1, as the Tar Heels dropped a four-setter in Atlanta. Carolina has been much more successful at home against GT, going 20-8 all time in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels have won the past five home matches dating back to 2010, including erasing an 0-2 deficit to defeat the Yellow Jackets, 3-2, on Nov. 12, 2016, to continue their trajectory towards the 2016 ACC title.
The Tar Heels have defeated Clemson in 60 of their 76 meetings and are currently riding an 12-match winning streak over the Tigers. UNC has not lost to CU since 2009 and has gone an impressive 22-7 all time at home against Clemson, including winning 13 of the last 15 home matches going back to 2000.
Happy at Home
North Carolina has been extremely successful in the friendly confines of Carmichael Arena, going 11-1 at home this season (including one match at the Dean E. Smith Center) and a perfect 8-0 during ACC play. The Tar Heels, whose only home loss last season came at the hands of No. 5 Minnesota, have not dropped an ACC match at home since falling 3-2 to No. 18 Florida State on Oct. 16, 2015, bringing a 24-match home ACC winning streak into the final home weekend of 2017. UNC is 62-2 in ACC home matches since October, 2011. UNC has not lost more-than-one ACC home match in a season since 2009, when the Tar Heels dropped back-to-back contests against Clemson and Georgia Tech on Halloween weekend.
UNC has always been strong at home, going 458-140 all time in Chapel Hill, including an impressive 129-18 (.878) mark since 2008. The Tar Heels have recorded eight perfect home seasons, with two over the past six years. UNC has only lost more-than-one home match in one of the past six seasons. Carolina's best home season came back in 2002, when UNC went 18-0 at home en route to its first-ever NCAA Regionals appearance.
Nordhorn Hitting High
Senior middle hitter Beth Nordhorn has exploded offensively this season, recording double-digit kills in 10 matches, while hitting .400 or higher in eight of those 10. Nordhorn has hit at least .500 with double-digit kills six times, including hitting .667 with 10 kills on 15 errorless swings against Wake Forest and .615 with 10 kills on 13 swings (two errors) against LIU Brooklyn. The Tar Heel senior leads the ACC and ranks 13th in the nation with a .424 season hitting percentage—one of just two ACC players hitting above .400 on the year.Â
Nordhorn did not see a lot of playing time over her first 2.5 seasons, but after an injury to Sydnye Fields allowed her to start the final 11 matches of 2016, Nordhorn finished her junior year with an ACC-leading .446 season hitting percentage, while leading the conference with a .403 clip during ACC play. The next-best conference player hit .359 on the year, nearly .100 points lower than Nordhorn. She did not meet the minimum playing requirements to be ranked nationally last season, playing in just 60 percent of UNC's sets (req. 66.7%), but her .446 clip beat 2016 NCAA leader Emma Hagedom (UMKC), who finished with a .439 hitting percentage last season.
Block Party
Carolina's blocking unit has returned to form, posting double-digit blocks in the 15 of 22 matches this season. The Tar Heels, who have ranked in the top six in the nation in blocks per set in each of the past three seasons, are averaging 2.66 blocks per set, which ranks third in the ACC and 26th in the nation.Â
Redshirt freshman Katharine Esterley has burst onto the scene, leading the ACC and ranking 21st in the nation with 1.43 blocks per set. The average is the sixth-highest at UNC all time and the most blocks per set ever by a Carolina freshman. With 90 block assists and 93 total blocks, Esterley ranks seventh and 10th, respectively, among freshmen in each total.
Senior Taylor Fricano ranks 10th in the conference with 1.07 blocks per set on the season. With a career average of 1.04 over three seasons at Carolina, Fricano sits just outside the Tar Heels' top 10 with 278 blocks over 267 sets.
Defense Leads to Weekend of Sweeps
North Carolina used strong defense to take down Boston College (Nov. 3) and Syracuse (Nov. 5) in straight sets to open the final homestand of the season. Sophomore Mia Fradenburg returned to the court against Boston College after missing the first 12 matches of ACC play with a concussion. Fradenburg excelled on the back line, nearing her first career double-double with 16 digs to go with a career-high nine assists in the 3-0 victory over the Eagles. Carolina posted a three-set season-high 57 digs in the match to hold BC to just .104 hitting.
Junior Casey Jacobs returned to the libero position on Sunday, Nov. 5, and went on to have a career day, posting a personal-best 24 digs over just three sets. In addition to tying the team-season high, her performance marked the most digs in a three-set match since Nov. 14, 2015, when Sheila Doyle put up 26 against Virginia Tech. The 24-dig performance ties for ninth at UNC during the rally-scoring era (since 2001) in a three-set match. Brianna Eskola set the record on Nov. 9, 2007, after chipping in an impressive 34 digs in three sets against Virginia.
Statistically Speaking
- Beth Nordhorn leads the ACC and ranks 13th in the nation in hitting percentage (.424), including a league-best .421 during conference play.
- Nordhorn is on pace to set a new all-time Carolina record for single-season hitting percentage, with a significant lead over record-holder Paige Neuenfeldt, who hit .389 in 2013.
- Katharine Esterley leads the ACC and ranks 21st in the nation with 1.43 blocks per set. She has the second-highest average among freshmen nationally. It is the best single-season blocking average ever for a UNC freshman and ranks sixth all time at UNC.
- Esterley ranks seventh all time among Carolina rookies with 90 block assists and 10th with 93 total blocks.
- Holly Carlton ranks 10th in the ACC in service aces per set (0.29) and eighth in ACC matches (0.32).
- Carlton ranks ninth all time among UNC rookies in total assists (493), assists per set (5.94) and service aces per set.
- Taylor Fricano ranks 10th in the ACC in blocks per on the season (1.07), while her career mark of 1.04 is 11th-best in Carolina history.
