Nov. 18, 2009

Match Notes

ACC Standings

2009 NCAA Weekly RPI

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina volleyball team is 15-13 overall and 11-6 in league play entering play this weekend. Carolina will finish the regular season with three games on the road, all in the state of North Carolina, with the season finale set for November 25th at N.C. State at 1:00 p.m. This weekend the Tar Heels will play at Wake Forest (9-19, 7-10 ACC) Friday and at rival Duke (24-5, 14-3 ACC) Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Series Notes - The Tar Heels are 34-12 all-time against Wake Forest, including a 3-1 victory earlier this season. Carolina is 3-2 in their last five meetings in Winston-Salem.

Carolina is 50-41 all-time against rival Duke with a 3-1 win October 16th of this year in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels have not won in Cameron Indoor Stadium since 2004, when head coach Joe Sagula won his 500th career game. Coincidentally, Sagula is only one victory away from his 600th career win entering this weekend. Carlye Cup points (0.5) will also be on the line this weekend, as Carolina currently owns a 3.5 point advantage entering Saturday's match.

Talented Newcomers - Freshman Emily McGee and Cora Harms have contributed stellar play as of late. McGee has notched 65 kills in her last five matches good for an impressive 3.61 kills per set. The Naperville, Ill. product uncorked 17 kills in a win over Virginia Tech over that stretch, just one shy of her career-high 18 against Oklahoma earlier this season.

Harms has notched ten double-doubles, in assists and digs, in 16 conference matches played this year. The Placerville, Calif. native has boasted 30 or more assists in every conference match played, reeling off a career-high 64 assists against Boston College earlier in the year. Harms has supplemented libero Kaylie Gibson, who ranks second in the league with 4.82 digs per set, averaging 3.52 digs per set over her last six matches.

Craving Consistency - Carolina is now 4-8 on the road this season and has yet to string together two wins on the road all year. This past weekend Carolina split matches at Maryland and Boston College. Carolina's longest winning streak of the year is four-games, which was spearheaded with a 3-1 win over then ACC leader Duke, from October 11th to October 23rd.

Despite registering their largest margin of victory in a set (25-8) since 2007 Friday night, Carolina still fell 3-1 to Maryland. The Terps notched seven service aces to the Tar Heels zero, as Maryland improved to 4-1 against Carolina in College Park. The zero service aces Friday was only the second time this season Carolina has not recorded an ace, the Heels also went ace-less against Southern Cal on August 29th.

Carolina rebounded Saturday with their sixth 3-0 sweep of the season at Boston College. The Tar Heels notched 43 kills to only eight attack errors en route to remaining undefeated all-time (10-0) against the Eagles. Seniors Branagan Fuller and Heather Brooks combined for 17 kills and a .483 hitting percentage, while Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland ripped a team-high 13 kills and five block assists.