Nov. 20, 2000

Wake Forest, N.C.--In a tournament filled with upsets, The University of North Carolina volleyball team staked its claim as the best team in the ACC winning its second consecutive ACC Championship Sunday (Nov. 19) at Wake Forest. The finals came down to a #2 Carolina vs. #5 Duke match-up. In a surprising upset, top seeded Georgia Tech and #3 Wake Forest were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter and semifinal rounds.

Freshman Nicole Reis garnered MVP honors and Eve Rackham and Casey Simpson were also named to the All-Tournament team. Going into the tournament, Simpson needed only 42 digs to reach the 1,000 mark and in the final match, her last dig of the game topped 1,000.

In the quarterfinal round, the Heels defeated the Terps 3-1. Greene posted a match high 19 kills and 10 digs. Reis added 17 kills and 14 digs and Rackham tallied 63 assists and a match high 20 digs. Liz Feldman and Lisa Fryer registered 13 and 11 digs respectively. As a team, Carolina outblocked the Terps 6 to 13.

In the semifinal round, Carolina shut down Virginia 15-6, 15-10, 15-10. Greene and Reis posted match high kills with 14 each. Rackham tallied 46 assists and 11 digs and Simpson added eight kills and 10 digs. UNC outhit the Cavaliers .105 to .307.

The final match saw the Tar Heels facing their hometown rivals the Blue Devils for the ACC title. After dropping the first match 10-15, Carolina rallied back to defeat Duke 3-1 and win their second championship in two years and the team's eighth overall. Reis and Simpson led the Heels posting 18 kills apiece. Reis added 20 digs and with her 19th dig, Simpson reached the 1,000-career mark in digs. Simpson also matched a career high four service aces against the Blue Devils. A total of six players posted double-digit digs with Greene adding 12 and Feldman tallying 11 digs.

Carolina improves to 26-7 for the season and with their championship win the Heels earn an automatic bid into the NCAA championships. The NCAA will announce the locations and schedule of the first and second rounds on Nov. 26. The first and second rounds will run from Nov. 30- Dec. 3.