UNC volleyball to go ‘one game at a time’

When Suzanne Haydel and Courtney Johnston graduated in May, the North Carolina volleyball team lost its most explosive offensive players.

To make up for that loss the 2011 team will rely on defensive strength, leadership from returning players and a new focus.

“The key for us is to take things one game at a time,” coach Joe Sagula said.

And his players seem to have gotten the message — senior libero Kaylie Gibson repeated his words almost verbatim.

“We need to take it one weekend at a time, one match at a time,” she said.

Senior middle blocker Shelbey Bleke also echoed Sagula.

“We have our ultimate goal of making it further than we did last year,” Bleke said. “But our mindset is to go one goal at a time.”

Gibson was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2010. This season, she will anchor a UNC team that prides itself on its defense.

“We’ve got a great defensive team,” Sagula said. “That’s the backbone of what we’re about.”

Coming off her career-defining junior season, Gibson, who is one of two Preseason All-ACC Tar Heels, said she is ready to step in even more as a leader.

“I have to come back and be a rock as a senior,” Gibson said. “We have high expectations, and there’s pressure there, but I’m not worried.”

The UNC defense will likely be in good hands this season, but it’s on the offensive side where Johnston and former team captain Haydel’s departure will be felt.

To have any chance at equaling or improving on its 2010 season, North Carolina needs outside hitters like junior Emily McGee to fill the hole left by Haydel and Johnston.

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“The key offensive players will be Tia Gaffen, who is dynamic and scores in different ways, Chaniel Nelson, who is extremely athletic and a good blocker and will get a lot of sets, and Emily McGee, who is a proven strong offensive player who can handle the load,” Sagula said.

The Tar Heels will be tested in their second match when they play No. 9 Florida. Two weeks later, UNC will play No. 20 San Diego.

Overall, North Carolina will play 12 2010 NCAA Tournament teams during the 2011 season.

Seven of those twelve opponents come from within the ACC. But Sagula said that although ACC play is always challenging, the difficulty of UNC’s matches outside the conference is as important a factor as any in preparing the team for the NCAA tournament.

“The ACC is wide open with six or seven teams competing for the title, and we train at a high level,” Sagula said.

“But the first thing we try to do is play a challenging non-conference schedule. That helps us prepare for the rest of the season, and how we do at the beginning can determine where we are at the end.”

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