Oct. 13, 2009

ACC Standings

2009 Carolina Statistics

2009-10 NCAA RPI

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina volleyball team is 8-9 overall and 4-2 in league play in the midst of the conference season. The Tar Heels defeated Virginia 3-0 last Sunday and lost 3-2 to Virginia Tech last Friday, both on the road. Carolina is set to host ACC leader Duke Friday and third place Wake Forest Sunday. Check tarheelblue.com throughout the week for more information regarding the volleyball team's upcoming match against Duke.

The match between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils will be at 5:00 p.m. Friday at the Dean E. Smith Center. Volleyball action will precede Late Night with Roy, an event showcasing the 2009-2010 women's and men's basketball teams, often creating a heathly contingent of Carolina faithful. In previous years North Carolina volleyball has played before the Late Night event, the Heels have played in front of the two largest crowds ever to witness a collegiate regular season NCAA volleyball match. The Heels hosted16,126 fans in 2003 to set the record and 13, 797 fans a year ago against Clemson.

Magnificient Middles - The Tar Heels own two of the top middle hitters in the country in All-ACC performers Heather Brooks and Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland. Brooks leads the team in kills (161) and blocks (50) en route to surpassing 700 career kills and 400 career blocks in two wins this past weekend. Brooks now ranks third all-time in career block assists with 349 and needs only 22 more to rank second all-time. Hanson-Tuntland is not far behind with 159 kills (661 career) and 44 blocks (278 career) this season.

Balanced Attack - Carolina posts three players in the top-ten in league hitting percentage, more
than any other ACC team. Heather Brooks (.411, 5th), Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland (.381, 8th) and Courtney Johnston (.347, 10th). In her last four matches, right-side hitter Courtney Johnston is hitting .347 with 43 kills and nine blocks. In her previous 13 matches Johnston posted 48 kills. Branagan Fuller and Suzanne Haydel supplement the Carolina attack each averaging over two kills per set. Freshman setter Cora Harms has posted 30 or more assists in every conference game. Harms is third in the league with 11.09 assists per set in six matches, while sophomore Erica Behm is averaging 7.70 assists per set on the season.

Dynamic Defense - The Tar Heels lead the ACC in digs per set at 16.91 in six league matches. Libero Kaylie Gibson ranks second in the league with 4.83 digs per set. Aleksandra Georgieva, Branagan Fuller and Suzanne Haydel all help solidy the defense each averaging two or more digs per set.

Scouting the Blue Devils - Duke is 16-3 overall and 6-1 in the ACC, to lead the league. The Blue Devils sit atop the ACC in a three-way tie with Florida State and Georgia Tech. Their only league loss is to Florida State last Saturday. The 3-2 loss to the Seminoles snapped the Blue Devils eight-game winning streak. Jolene Nagel's club registers three players with 170 or more kills, led by Becci Burling (184) and Rachael Moss (174). Duke is 16-3, posting impressive out-of-conference wins over Wisconsin, Georgia and Colorado State. The Blue Devils fell to two-time defending national champion #1 Penn State 3-0 September 12.Their match against North Carolina will be the first of a four-game road trip against UNC, NC State, Clemson and Georgia Tech.

Scouting the Demon Deacons - Wake Forest is 6-12 overall and 4-3 entering this weekend, with two matches on tap against the Tar Heels and NC State Friday. The Demon Deacons are third in the league tied with Clemson, with identical 4-3 league records. The Deacons have won six of their last eight matches, four of which have been league matches, after dropping their first 10 matches of the season. Heather Kahl Holmes' club is led by Kadija Fornah's 167 kills and Kelsey Jones' 567 assists. The Demon Deacons have defeated Virginia, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Maryland in league play. Their match with the Tar Heels will be the second match of a four-game road trip that includes NC State, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Clemson.