Volleyball Opens Season At Home Friday

Friday, August 30

Chapel Hill, N.C.

6 P.M.

North Carolina

Cleveland State

Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI

August 28, 2024 | Volleyball

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Under second-year head coach Mike Schall, the 2024 North Carolina volleyball team kicks off the 2024 season this Friday at 6 p.m., hosting Cleveland State in Carmichael Arena.

The Tar Heels will play three games over the course of its three-day tournament, starting with the Vikings on Friday, College of Charleston on Saturday at 6 p.m. and Western Carolina on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Carolina will also host three neutral site matches.

Admission is free for all matches, but for those unable to attend in person, all three UNC matches will be streamed on ACCNX with Kyle Straub and Corey Carlin on the call.

FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Aug. 30, 2024
Match 1: Charleston vs. Western Carolina – 3 p.m.

Live Stats
No Broadcast

Match 2: UNC vs. Cleveland State – 6 p.m.
Series: First matchup between the two programs

Aug. 31, 2024
Match 3: Western Carolina vs. Cleveland State – 3 p.m.

Live Stats

No Broadcast

Match 4: UNC vs. College of Charleston – 6 p.m.
Series: UNC leads the all-time series 3-2
Last Matchup: College of Charleston won 3-1 on Sep. 9, 2006, in Chapel Hill
In Chapel Hill: UNC is 0-2 at home against the Cougars

Sep. 1, 2024
Match 5: College of Charleston vs. Cleveland St. – 11 a.m.

Live Stats
No Broadcast

Match 6: UNC vs. Western Carolina – 2 p.m.
Series: UNC leads the series 2-1
Last Time: Last matchup was in 1982 in Charlotte, Western Carolina won 2-1
In Chapel Hill: All three previous matchups have been at neutral sites

This year's roster, made up of 17 players, includes seven new faces, including three true freshmen and four transfers:

Erin Curtis, a freshman outsider hitter from Los Altos, Calif., who will wear No. 4
Julia Bohlinger, a freshman defensive specialist from Windsor, Colo., who will wear No. 6
Peyman Yardimci, a senior opposite hitter from Istanbul, Turkey, who transferred from Miami and will wear No. 11
Alexis Engelbrecht, a graduate middle blocker from Durham, N.C, who transferred from Iowa State and will wear No. 12
Jackie Taylor, a freshman middle blocker from Miami, Fla., who will wear No. 21
Taylor Eisert, a graduate setter from Louisville, Ky., who will wear No. 23
Chelsea Thorpe, a redshirt sophomore from Chicago, Ill., who transferred from Ohio State and will wear No. 77

Notables:

For the third season in a row, senior Mabrey Shaffmaster was named to the All-ACC Preseason team. The three-time All-ACC selection and 2021 ACC Freshman of the Year led the Tar Heel offense once again in 2023, led the team with 364 kills, averaging 3.71 kills per set, which ranked third in the ACC
Shaffmaster enters the season with enters her final season with 1,160 career kills, the thirteenth-most in program history. Shaffmaster's sister Melani, a setter on the Minnesota volleyball team, also earned Big 10 Preseason Honors
Highlighted by 15 home matches inside Carmichael Arena, Carolina's 2024 schedule includes eight contests against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, including matches against national semifinalist Pittsburgh, Elite Eight participate Louisville and regional finalist Stanford
The Tar Heels were picked to finish tenth in the preseason ACC poll, as voted on by the league's coaches
Both Emani' Foster (Charlotte) and Taylor Eisert (Middle Tennessee) played in Conference USA during their careers and were both C-USA First Team selections during their time at their previous schools
Peyman Yardimci is the first Turkish player on Carolina's roster since Ece Taner, who graduated in 2014