University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Minnesota
No. 11 Volleyball To Face Big Test In Season Opener
August 21, 2017 | Volleyball
| ACC/Big Ten Challenge | |
| Match 1: No. 4 Minnesota |
Friday, Aug. 25 | 5:30 PM ET | Watch | Stats Series: UNC trails, 1-8; Last: L, 1-3, on 9/10/16; Streak: Lost 2 |
| Match 2: No. 7 Wisconsin |
Saturday, Aug. 26 | 8 PM ET | Watch | Listen | Stats Series: UNC trails, 2-5; Last: W, 3-2, on 9/9/16; Streak: Won 1 |
| Where: | UW Field House |
| Tickets: | SOLD OUT |
| Match Notes: | No. 11 North Carolina | No. 4 Minnesota | No. 7 Wisconsin | Louisville |
| Statistics: | North Carolina | Minnesota | Wisconsin | Louisville |
Heels Open 2017 With Annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge
No. 11 North Carolina will not ease into 2017, facing No. 4 Minnesota and No. 7 Wisconsin on opening weekend at the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. In the third year of this Challenge iteration, Carolina and Louisville will take on the Golden Gophers and Badgers in Madison, Wisconsin, in a battle for conference bragging rights. The Challenge moves to Big Ten country for the first time, after Louisville (2015) and North Carolina (2016) hosted the first two.
The Tar Heels struggled in their first go-around, falling 3-0 to both Big Ten powerhouses in early 2015. However, Carolina used a 3-2 victory over then-No. 2 Wisconsin on Sept. 9, 2016, to explode into the national conversation. The highest-ranked victory in UNC history was the second of a program-record three victories over ranked opponents last season.
UNC has a total of 31 wins over ranked teams, including going 9-30 all time against top-10 programs. Five of those nine wins have come in the past three years, including victories over No. 9 Penn State, No. 2 Wisconsin and No. 10 Florida State in 2016.
Against the Field
North Carolina has just three total wins against this weekend's competition, going 1-8 all time against Minnesota and 2-5 against the host Wisconsin. However, all three of the Heels' wins came when the opponent was ranked in the top 10. The Tar Heels picked up one of their biggest wins in program history in last year's ACC/Big Ten Challenge, defeating then-No. 2 Wisconsin, 3-2, for their first-ever win over a top-two team. UNC fell 3-0 to Wisconsin at the first Challenge in 2015, but won the previous meeting, 13 years earlier, taking down then-No. 10 Wisconsin, 3-1, at home on Aug. 31, 2002.
UNC's sole victory over Minnesota came against the No. 8 Golden Gophers on Sept. 20, 2008, in Minneapolis. Carolina came back from down, 2-1, to win the fourth set 31-29 and capture the victory with a 15-12 final in the fifth.
The Tar Heels outlasted Wisconsin's relentless defense on Sept. 9, 2016, to mark their third straight season with a top-three victory. Taylor Leath was a driving force for Carolina, recording the most kills for a Tar Heel since 2011 and nearing a 20-20 with career highs of 23 kills and 19 digs. Freshman Julia Scoles totaled 18 kills and 15 digs, while former Badger Taylor Fricano posted then-career highs with 15 kills and seven blocks, hitting .407. The Tar Heels tallied a total of 17.0 blocks in the match, holding No. 2 Wisconsin to a .139 attack percentage, while libero Sheila Doyle put up an impressive 27 digs.
Carolina was unable to keep the magic going the following night, falling to then-No. 5 Minnesota, 3-1. Freshman Taylor Borup provided pivotal offense off the bench, putting up 17 kills over the final three sets.
UNC has been to Madison, Wisconsin, twice in program history and is 1-2 all time in the Badger state. UNC fell to No. 6 Florida on Sept. 10, 1999, then beat Dayton, 3-1, the following day at the Inntowner Invitational. Carolina returned in 2013 for the NCAA Tournament, but fell in straight sets to California in the opening round.
A Homecoming for Fricano
Redshirt senior Taylor Fricano returns to Madison, Wisconsin, this weekend after spending the first two seasons of her college career as a member of the Wisconsin Badgers. A right-side hitter for the Big Ten powerhouse, Fricano redshirted as a true freshman in 2013 then played in six matches in 2014. She then transferred to Carolina, where she has improved immensely, earning Second-Team All-ACC honors last season after transitioning to middle blocker.
Fricano has stepped up against her former team, serving as a driving force in Carolina's historic 3-2 victory over then-No. 2 Wisconsin last season. Fricano stuffed five blocks against the Badgers in 2015, a season high, then hit .407 with a career-high 15 kills and seven blocks in the five-set victory as a junior.
Heels Unanimous Favorite To Win ACC
North Carolina swept the ballots in the 2017 ACC Preseason Poll, as all 14 opposing head coaches picked the Tar Heels to repeat as conference champion in 2017. The Tar Heels, who have won two of the last three ACC titles, earn the top spot in the poll for the third consecutive season.
Carolina (196 points) holds a sizable lead over the next team, as Florida State (169) narrowly beat out Pittsburgh (168) for second place. Notre Dame (149) follows in fourth and NC State (140) rounds out the top five.
UNC is the first team to be picked as the unanimous favorite since 2013, when Florida State swept the coaches ballots after winning back-to-back conference titles.
Trio Of Tar Heels Earn Preseason Recognition
Returning All-ACC honorees Taylor Leath, Julia Scoles and Taylor Fricano were all named Preseason All-ACC, as elected by the conference coaches. The defending conference champions led all teams with three honorees on the 18-person list, while four teams had two honorees.
Leath, an AVCA All-American and the 2016 ACC Player of the Year, and Scoles, the ACC and AVCA East Coast Region Freshman of the Year, were both named among PrepVolleyball.com's 12 candidates for Preseason Player of the Year, while Leath was also listed as one of FloVolleyball's 10 bids for National Player of the Year.
Carolina Ranks No. 11 In AVCA Preseason Poll
After winning its 13th ACC title and advancing to the 2016 NCAA Regional Semifinals, North Carolina opens 2017 ranked No. 11 in the nation in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll. It marks the fourth consecutive season and fifth time overall that the Tar Heels begin the year ranked in the top 25.
UNC's highest preseason rank came in 2015, when the Tar Heels opened the year at No. 7. Carolina ranked No. 20 in the 2003 and 2014 Preseason Polls and began last season at No. 19 before rapidly climbing into the top 10, peaking at a program-high No. 6.
Carolina will face five teams that appear in the AVCA Preseason Poll, seeing three teams in the top 12 over the first two weekends of play. The Heels open the season by taking on No. 4 Minnesota and No. 7 Wisconsin, then face No. 12 Florida next Sunday in Puerto Rico. ACC foe Florida State is ranked No. 15, while Pittsburgh is receiving votes, coming in at #32.
Carlton, Scoles Play for Team USA
In March, 2017, five Tar Heels participated in a tryout for the U.S. Women's National Team, held in Colorado Springs. Holly Carlton and Julia Scoles both returned home with an invitation to join Team USA, as Carlton was named to the U.S. Women's Junior National Team roster and Scoles made the Collegiate National Team.
Carlton, who redshirted for the Heels last fall as a true freshman, helped the WJNT win gold at the U20 Pan American Cup in May, then participated at FIVB U20 Women's World Championship in Mexico in July. Carlton turned in her best performance against China, leading the Stars & Stripes with 21 points, before suffering an ankle injury against that sidelined her for the rest of the trip.
Scoles returned to Minneapolis, the site of UNC's final match of 2016, NCAA Regionals, to participate in a tournament in conjunction with the USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships. The Collegiate National Team was split into three 12-player teams that faced off in a round robin tournament.
Carlton and Scoles were the sixth and seventh players to represent UNC on the WJNT or CNT since 2012.
2016 in Review
North Carolina enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in program history in 2016, achieving its highest AVCA and RPI rankings in program history, winning its 13th ACC title, advancing to NCAA Regionals for the third time ever, while taking down a program-record three top-10 teams during the season.
The Tar Heels went an unprecedented 19-1 in ACC play, while defeating No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 9 Penn State and No. 10 Florida State. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Leath became Carolina's fourth AVCA All-American after taking home ACC Player of the Year honors, while freshman Julia Scoles collected ACC and AVCA East Coast Region Freshman of the Year nods. Following his league-leading seventh conference title, head coach Joe Sagula won ACC and AVCA East Coast Region Coach of the Year.
The Tar Heels were ranked as high as No. 6 in the AVCA Coaches Poll and #5 in the RPI during the season, both school records. UNC took home a school-record 10 ACC weekly awards to go with three National Player of the Week awards.
Carolina led a balanced attack throughout the season, with seven players tallying 100+ kills, and had three players with at least 250 kills for the first time since 2012. The Tar Heels posted the highest team hitting percentage since 1983 (.273), tops in the ACC and 14th in the nation. Junior middle hitter Beth Nordhorn led the ACC with a .446 overall hitting percentage, the only ACC player to hit above .400 for the year.
UNC's defense was on point once again, as the Tar Heels ranked in the top six in the nation in blocks for the third straight season. Carolina held its opponents to an ACC-low .165 hitting, good for 20th in the NCAA. Despite averaging 2.99 blocks per set, libero Sheila Doyle posted a total of 584 digs and finished her career with the fourth-highest career average at 3.54 digs per set.
