Heather Henry sparks UNC volleyball on senior night

Senior captain Emily McGee has said from the beginning of the season that one of North Carolina volleyball’s greatest assets is its ability to keep everyone guessing.

“You really don’t know where it’s going to come from,” McGee said. “You don’t really know who’s going to get the ball.”

And Saturday’s senior night matchup against Virginia featured an unfamiliar face in senior Heather Henry, who made a rare start.

“We knew the seniors were going to be out there,” head coach Joe Sagula said. “Tia’s been playing all year — the only really new addition was Heather Henry, and she’s been practicing all year in that spot so it was a simple transition for her to step up.”

Henry had nine kills, more than any Virginia player.

But her play was no shock to her teammates.

“That just shows you the depth that we have,” McGee said. “Really, anyone can be ready to go on any given night.

“It’s not really a surprise to any of us that she played so well, because we see that every day. It was really exciting to see her on the court.”

Sagula credited senior Cora Harms for setting Henry up for her kills, as the seniors set the tone for the match from the very first point, a service ace by Harms.

“You hope that your seniors are a little more focused, want it a little more,” Sagula said. “When they do that, everyone else looks really good.”

The Tar Heels went on to sweep Virginia, a team that took them to five sets in their last matchup.

“We had to come out strong in order to make it to the NCAA in the top 16, hopefully to host,” Henry said. “So it was a really big weekend.”

But the weekend was not only important for Henry and her teammates.

Because Brian and Sherry Henry live in New York, getting to watch their daughter perform is a rarity that they cherish. They saw her play for the first time all season Saturday night.

Though Brian Henry said his family was a little bit shocked when North Carolina recruited his daughter, Heather Henry proved Saturday that her competitive spirit merited Division I play.

“She started playing in sixth grade, and it just seemed like whatever sport she played, she excelled in — swimming, softball, volleyball,” Sherry Henry said. “She was just really competitive, but she always had fun doing it.”

And Brian and Sherry Henry have certainly had fun watching their daughter develop.

“Tonight she had an awesome game,” Brian Henry said.

“Proud mom and dad.”

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.