Tar Heels Begin 2018 Season at ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Friday, August 24

Minneapolis

5:30 PM

North Carolina

Wisconsin

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Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

August 23, 2018 | Volleyball

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CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina Volleyball opens its 48th season at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, hosted by Minnesota Aug. 24-25 at the Target Center – the site of the 2018 National Championship. With eight returners on the 17-person roster, the young squad will be tested during opening weekend, facing No. 9 Wisconsin and host, No. 4 Minnesota.

The Tar Heels take on the Badgers Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET and the Golden Gophers Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Fans can watch Friday's match on the Big Ten Network Plus and Saturday's on the Big Ten Network. Live stats are available at GopherSports.com.

About the Tar Heels

The 2018 Tar Heels are a young team with only three seniors and six true freshmen. Only seven student-athletes return to the court in 2018 while welcoming nine newcomers, including three transfers.
Carolina added three transfer student-athletes to the 2018 squad: R-So. Hunter Atherton (Nebraska), So. Aristea Tontai (Coastal Carolina) and Jr. Skylar Wine (Pacific).
The Tar Heels traveled to Italy, France & Spain as part of 2018 Foreign Tour in May. Carolina played four matches throughout the trip: three in Italy, two in France and one in Spain. All but one of the 2018 Tar Heels were able to make the trip from May 16-28.
Freshman Destiny Cox won a gold medal with the USA Junior National Volleyball team at the NORCECA Women's U20 Continental Championship. Cox traveled to Aguascalientes, Mexico for eight days in June to compete for the title.

Series History
Wisconsin leads the all-time series 6-2 and Minnesota leads 9-1. The Tar Heels have faced the Badgers and Golden Gophers each of the past three seasons in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Carolina's most recent win over UW came in 2016 in five sets. Similarly, UNC's lone win over Minnesota occurred in five sets in 2008.

About the Badgers
Ranked No. 9 nationally and picked second in the Big Ten Preseason Poll, Wisconsin travels to Minnesota to open the 2018 season before the Badgers' home opener Sept. 1 as part of the HotelRED Invitational. With only one newcomer, the veteran Badgers return four starters from 2018, including AVCA Freshman of the Year, Dana Rettke and two AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans.

Ranked No. 9 in AVCA Preseason Poll
Picked second in Big Ten Preseason Poll, behind 2017 Big Ten and NCAA Champion, Nebraska
Returns the AVCA Freshman of the Year, MB Dana Rettke
Finished 2017 season in the third round of the NCAA Tournament with a loss to Stanford (L, 1-3)

About the Gophers
Opening the 2018 season at the Target Center, rather than their home court - the Maturi Pavilion, the Minnesota Golden Gophers are ranked as one of the top teams nationally coming in at No. 4. Selected to finish third in the Big Ten preseason poll and ranked fourth in the nation, the Gophers return five starters and all three of their 2017 all-Americans to their lineup. Minnesota welcomes six newcomers to their 2018 squad.

Ranked No. 4 in AVCA Preseason Poll
Picked third in Big Ten Preseason Poll
Returns three AVCA All-Americans who were all named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team: Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Stephanie Samedy and Alexis Hart.
Finished 2017 season at the NCAA Quarterfinals with a loss to Southern California (L, 0-3)

Sagula Milestones
Beginning his 38th season, head coach Joe Sagula is six wins away from 800 career wins with a record of 794-446. Sagula owns a 591-323 (.647) record in 28 completed seasons - nine away from 600. Sagula is the sixth winningest active Division I coach (11th in all divisions) and is the16th winningest coach of all-time by victories.

ACC Preseason Poll
With seven returners, the young North Carolina volleyball squad was selected sixth in the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches. Reigning ACC co-champions Pittsburgh and Louisville came in first and second, respectively. The Panthers secured 196 points with 14 first-place votes while the Cardinals collected 180 points and one top vote. Florida State fell narrowly behind with 171 points for third. Three points separated Notre Dame and Duke in fourth and fifth, respectively. In addition to North Carolina, Miami, NC State and Syracuse each received over 100 points to sit seventh, eighth and ninth.

New Look for 2018
With more newcomers than returners, Carolina will have room to grow and rebuild with predominantly young team. Nine newcomers come to UNC in 2018, including transfers Hunter Atherton, Aristea Tontai and Skylar Wine. Four new freshman started this fall, in addition to two who enrolled at UNC in January: Annabelle Archer, Ava Bell (January), Erin Boone, Destiny Cox, Lauren Harrison and Hadden LaGarde (January). Raleigh Clark finalizes the group of freshmen after redshirting in 2017.

The Tar Heels return Katharine Esterley who ranked second in the ACC and 19th nationally in 2017 with 1.44 blocks per set. The redshirt-sophomore reset Carolina's freshman records for block assists and blocks per set. Carolina welcomes back a quartet of defensive specialists in Mia Fradenburg, Casey Jacobs, Greer Moseman and Maddie Grace Hough who all saw time as libero during 2017. In addition to Jacobs, setter Kendra Koetter and outside hitter Madison Laufenberg lead the young 2018 squad as the three seniors.

In addition to the changes on the court, Carolina welcomes assistant coaches Mike Schall, Susan Clements and Jeremy Young (volunteer) to the 2018 staff. Schall comes to Chapel Hill after spending the past seven years at Triangle Volleyball Club as an associate director. Clements joins the Tar Heel staff after serving as head coach at Wright State for the past six seasons beginning in 2012. Young completes the staff after spending the past six seasons at Triangle Volleyball Club in Morrisville, North Carolina.

The Tar Heels return home Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 to host UNCG, Maryland-Eastern Shore and Michigan State for the Carolina Classic, played in Carmichael Arena.

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