University of North Carolina Athletics
Friday, September 18
Lincoln, Neb.
7 PM CT/8 PM ET
North Carolina
at
#1 Nebraska
Photo by: DALTON WAINSCOTT
No. 25 Volleyball Hits The Road For Two In Nebraska
September 17, 2026 | Volleyball
LINCOLN, NEB. – No. 25 Carolina volleyball (4-2) hits the road to take on No. 1 Nebraska and FGCU on Friday and Saturday.
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No. 25 Carolina at No. 1 Nebraska
Sept. 18 | 8 PM ET
LIVE STATS | WATCH | LISTEN
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No. 25 Carolina vs. FGCU
Sept 19 | 1 PM ET
LIVE STATS
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NEWS & NOTES
A WIN WOULD...
- Be better than a loss
- Be Carolina's first ever win against the No. 1 ranked team in the country (currently 0-4)
- Mark the first top five road win in program history
- Be the first ever win at Nebraska
- Mark the first win over a Big 10 program since beating Michigan State on Sep. 22, 2024
- Be the first ever win vs. FGCU
THE SAFI AND JACKIE SHOW
- Through six matches Safi Hampton leads the Tar Heels with 65 kills and 3.10 points per set, she also sets the pace with 46 digs
- Jackie Taylor leads in both blocks and service aces with 25 and 9 respectively
- Taylor is just eight block assists away from entering the top 10 in program history
- The Miami native is nearing the top 10 in total blocks as well just six games into her third season
OPENING WEEKEND MASTERCLASS
- Carolina swept opening weekend while being extremely efficient on offense and
lockdown on defense
- The Tar Heels hit an insane .470 against UNCW on Sunday which is the most efficient offensive performance since Nov. 11, 2016
- UNC also shut down the UNCW offense, holding them to a -.010 hitting percentage, the lowest since Boston College hit -.010 on Oct. 21, 2016
- Through two matches the UNC defense is holding opponents to a stellar .055 hitting percentage which is second best in the nation early on
BIG RED. BIG IMPACT.
- Bridget Malone had the match of her career against Colorado State on Sept. 4
- She had a career-high 23 kills and she tacked on four blocks to carry the Tar Heels to a five set win
LUCKY NUMBER... 19?
- Carolina has been ranked No. 19 for five consecutive AVCA polls dating back to Nov. 24, 2025
- Before this stretch the Tar Heels had only been ranked No. 19 twice in the history of the AVCA Top 25 (Nov. 4, 2013, Aug. 10, 2016)
- Five straight polls at the same ranking is the longest stretch since Carolina was ranked No. 7 in five consecutive polls between Nov. 17, 2014-Aug. 12, 2015
RETURNING FIREPOWER
- Carolina didn't lose anyone to the transfer portal for the second consecutive year and it's allowing a lot of production to return
- Out of the 1536 kills last season, 1535 (99.9%) of those are back on the 2026 roster, 100% of the 342 blocks are back, 90.2% of aces are returning, and 69.7% of digs
- Safi Hampton and Chelsea Thorpe were both named to the Preseason All-ACC Team ahead of the 2026 season
O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
- The 2026 leadership team consists of Zoe Behrendt, Chelsea Thrope, and Sadie Swift
BEHIND THE SCHEDULE
- The Tar Heels will square off with eight different teams who made the NCAA Tournament last season
- They will face National Runner-Up Kentucky, National Semi-Finalist Pitt, and 2025 overall No. 1 seed Nebraska all on the road this season.
- UNC will also travel to SMU, host Stanford and Georgia Tech, and play Louisville and Miami both home and away.
- Carolina will square off against six teams in the AVCA Preseason Top-11 over the course of seven matches throughout the season, five on the road and two at home
THE CLUB CONNECTION
- Laynie Smith and Emily Bobbitt will have a connection before they ever play in Carolina blue together
- The two played together at Triangle Volleyball Club
- Triangle is also where Erin Curtis, Lindley Miller, and Carly Markham played club prior to college
- Erin Curtis' father, Jason, co-founded the club
- Head coach Mike Schall served as an associate director at Triangle before arriving in Chapel Hill
YEAR FOUR OF THE SCHALL ERA
- Entering year four, Coach Schall looks to build off the momentum of the first three seasons
- Carolina is ranked in the preseason AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll for the first time since 2017 and was picked fifth in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll
- In year one he went 13-14 and turned that around with a 23-8 record in 2024 with the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021, followed by a 22-9 campaign in 2025 with another first round victory in the NCAA Tournament
- UNC is now chasing three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since it went to seven in a row between 2010-16
ATHLETIC PEDIGREE
- Jackie Taylor's father, Sean, played football for the University of Miami from 2001-2003 and was a member of the 2001 BCS National Championship team. He was the No. 5 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft to the Washington Redskins where he was a two-time Pro-Bowl Selection (2006, 2007)
-Her mom, Jackie García, was a midfielder on the women's soccer team at the University of Miami
- Erin Curtis', father Jason was a captain on the Santa Clara men's volleyball team, sister Emily was a setter at Villanova and sister Maggie was a defensive specialist at Santa Clara
- Julia Bohlinger: Father Rob played football at the University of Wyoming (1993-98) and professionally in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers as a left tackle
- Carson Overbeck's mom, Carla, was a three-time All-America and four-time NCAA Champion on the UNC soccer team from 1986-89. She captained the 1995 U.S. World Cup squad that advanced to the semifinals and also served as captain of the 1996 U.S. Women's Soccer Olympic Team that won the gold medal. She is currently an assistant coach for the Duke women's soccer team
Â
No. 25 Carolina at No. 1 Nebraska
Sept. 18 | 8 PM ET
LIVE STATS | WATCH | LISTEN
Â
No. 25 Carolina vs. FGCU
Sept 19 | 1 PM ET
LIVE STATS
Â
NEWS & NOTES
A WIN WOULD...
- Be better than a loss
- Be Carolina's first ever win against the No. 1 ranked team in the country (currently 0-4)
- Mark the first top five road win in program history
- Be the first ever win at Nebraska
- Mark the first win over a Big 10 program since beating Michigan State on Sep. 22, 2024
- Be the first ever win vs. FGCU
THE SAFI AND JACKIE SHOW
- Through six matches Safi Hampton leads the Tar Heels with 65 kills and 3.10 points per set, she also sets the pace with 46 digs
- Jackie Taylor leads in both blocks and service aces with 25 and 9 respectively
- Taylor is just eight block assists away from entering the top 10 in program history
- The Miami native is nearing the top 10 in total blocks as well just six games into her third season
OPENING WEEKEND MASTERCLASS
- Carolina swept opening weekend while being extremely efficient on offense and
lockdown on defense
- The Tar Heels hit an insane .470 against UNCW on Sunday which is the most efficient offensive performance since Nov. 11, 2016
- UNC also shut down the UNCW offense, holding them to a -.010 hitting percentage, the lowest since Boston College hit -.010 on Oct. 21, 2016
- Through two matches the UNC defense is holding opponents to a stellar .055 hitting percentage which is second best in the nation early on
BIG RED. BIG IMPACT.
- Bridget Malone had the match of her career against Colorado State on Sept. 4
- She had a career-high 23 kills and she tacked on four blocks to carry the Tar Heels to a five set win
LUCKY NUMBER... 19?
- Carolina has been ranked No. 19 for five consecutive AVCA polls dating back to Nov. 24, 2025
- Before this stretch the Tar Heels had only been ranked No. 19 twice in the history of the AVCA Top 25 (Nov. 4, 2013, Aug. 10, 2016)
- Five straight polls at the same ranking is the longest stretch since Carolina was ranked No. 7 in five consecutive polls between Nov. 17, 2014-Aug. 12, 2015
RETURNING FIREPOWER
- Carolina didn't lose anyone to the transfer portal for the second consecutive year and it's allowing a lot of production to return
- Out of the 1536 kills last season, 1535 (99.9%) of those are back on the 2026 roster, 100% of the 342 blocks are back, 90.2% of aces are returning, and 69.7% of digs
- Safi Hampton and Chelsea Thorpe were both named to the Preseason All-ACC Team ahead of the 2026 season
O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
- The 2026 leadership team consists of Zoe Behrendt, Chelsea Thrope, and Sadie Swift
BEHIND THE SCHEDULE
- The Tar Heels will square off with eight different teams who made the NCAA Tournament last season
- They will face National Runner-Up Kentucky, National Semi-Finalist Pitt, and 2025 overall No. 1 seed Nebraska all on the road this season.
- UNC will also travel to SMU, host Stanford and Georgia Tech, and play Louisville and Miami both home and away.
- Carolina will square off against six teams in the AVCA Preseason Top-11 over the course of seven matches throughout the season, five on the road and two at home
THE CLUB CONNECTION
- Laynie Smith and Emily Bobbitt will have a connection before they ever play in Carolina blue together
- The two played together at Triangle Volleyball Club
- Triangle is also where Erin Curtis, Lindley Miller, and Carly Markham played club prior to college
- Erin Curtis' father, Jason, co-founded the club
- Head coach Mike Schall served as an associate director at Triangle before arriving in Chapel Hill
YEAR FOUR OF THE SCHALL ERA
- Entering year four, Coach Schall looks to build off the momentum of the first three seasons
- Carolina is ranked in the preseason AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll for the first time since 2017 and was picked fifth in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll
- In year one he went 13-14 and turned that around with a 23-8 record in 2024 with the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021, followed by a 22-9 campaign in 2025 with another first round victory in the NCAA Tournament
- UNC is now chasing three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since it went to seven in a row between 2010-16
ATHLETIC PEDIGREE
- Jackie Taylor's father, Sean, played football for the University of Miami from 2001-2003 and was a member of the 2001 BCS National Championship team. He was the No. 5 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft to the Washington Redskins where he was a two-time Pro-Bowl Selection (2006, 2007)
-Her mom, Jackie García, was a midfielder on the women's soccer team at the University of Miami
- Erin Curtis', father Jason was a captain on the Santa Clara men's volleyball team, sister Emily was a setter at Villanova and sister Maggie was a defensive specialist at Santa Clara
- Julia Bohlinger: Father Rob played football at the University of Wyoming (1993-98) and professionally in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers as a left tackle
- Carson Overbeck's mom, Carla, was a three-time All-America and four-time NCAA Champion on the UNC soccer team from 1986-89. She captained the 1995 U.S. World Cup squad that advanced to the semifinals and also served as captain of the 1996 U.S. Women's Soccer Olympic Team that won the gold medal. She is currently an assistant coach for the Duke women's soccer team
Players Mentioned
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OH
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OH
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MB
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OH/OPP
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