Tar Heels Welcome NC State, Travel to Virginia Tech

CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina wraps up its ACC home stand with a midweek clash against travel partner, NC State, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. before traveling to Virginia Tech Friday.

Wednesday's 6:30 match vs. NC State is social media night. Friday's match at Virginia Tech's Cassel Coliseum begins at 6 p.m. Admission is free to both Carmichael Arena and Cassel Coliseum. Fans can watch both matches on the ACC Network Extra and follow live stats Wednesday at UNClivestats.com and Friday at HokieSports.com.

Last week, Carolina swept Elon on the road before dropping ACC matches to Notre Dame and Louisville. Ava Bell stood out for the Tar Heels last week, hitting .391 with 32 kills. Skylar Wine averaged a team-best 3.11 kills per set for Carolina.

About the Tar Heels (4-7, 0-2 ACC)

After Hurricane Florence forced a pair of nonconference cancellations, the Tar Heels traveled to Elon Tuesday, coming away with a three-set win at the Schar Center before beginning ACC play.
With a 26-match home ACC winning streak on the line that dated back to Oct. 15, 2016, the Tar Heels hosted Notre Dame and Louisville but were unable to keep the streak alive. After falling in straight sets to Notre Dame, UNC battled the Cardinals through five sets but could not clinch the win.
Head coach Joe Sagula is two wins away from 800 career wins and 5 away from 600 with the Tar Heels.
Destiny Cox leads UNC's attack with 138 kills, followed by Skylar Wine with 86. Katharine Esterley paces the Tar Heels' block with 40. Hunter Atherton runs the offense, averaging 9.00 assists per set. Starting libero Mia Fradenburg tacks on 31 assists with a team-best 139 digs, good for 3.47 digs per set.
Each of UNC's preseason losses were against either ranked teams or teams receiving votes in the AVCA poll.

About the Wolfpack (7-5, 1-1 ACC)
Following a split weekend to begin ACC play, NC State hits the road for four road matches over the next two weeks. Prior to conference play, the Wolfpack went 1-1 at the ACC-SEC Challenge, topping Arkansas in five sets before falling to Georgia in straight sets. UNC is 11-1 in the past 12 meetings against NC State.

Finished nonconference play with a 6-5 record, including an SEC win over Arkansas.
Primarily runs a 5-1 with Kylie Pickrell who ranks 42nd in the country with 10.67 assists/set.
Libero Makenzie Kuchmaner leads the ACC with 238 digs and ranks 74th nationally.
With Friday's 1-3 setback to RV Louisville, NC State had its 14-match home ACC winning streak snapped.
Offense is led by Melissa Evans (3.46 K/S) and Teni Sopitan (3.23 K/S)
Finished 2017 with a 21-12 overall record, 15-5 in conference
Topped Oregon State, 3-2, in the First Round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament before falling to Texas, 0-3.

About the Hokies (10-4, 1-1 ACC)
In the middle of a four-match homestand, Virginia Tech plays host to North Carolina Friday and NC State Sunday. The Hokies split the opening weekend of ACC play, falling to No. 9 Pitt before topping Virginia in straight sets. The Tar Heels are 13-2 in the past 10 seasons against the Hokies.

After beginning the season 8-0, the Hokies are 2-4 in their past six matches with two losses against ranked opponents, No. 9 Pitt and No. 18 Baylor.
VT ranks third in the ACC as a team with 1.58 aces per set, while Ester Talamazzi owns an ACC-best 18 aces.
Offense is led by Kaity Smith (3.52 K/S) and Jaila Tolbert (3.15 K/S)
Primary setter is Rhegan Mitchell (8.75 A/S) with Talyn Jackson (4.96 A/S)
In head coach Jill Wilson's first season, VT finished 2017 with a 10-21 overall record, 4-16 in conference.
UNC has won the past 10 meetings against the Hokies dating back to Oct. 14, 2012.

Carolina continues its road trip in the Sunshine State to face Miami and Florida State Oct. 5 and 7, respectively.

Stay up to date with Carolina Volleyball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hunter Atherton

Ava Bell

Destiny Cox

Katharine Esterley

Mia Fradenburg

Skylar Wine

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics