UNC's Joe Sagula becomes first coach inducted into N.C. Volleyball Hall of Fame

With 336 ACC wins — the most of any ACC volleyball coach — North Carolina head coach Joe Sagula is now the fourth person and only coach to be inducted into the N.C. Volleyball Hall of Fame.

Entering his 31st season at UNC, Sagula has led the Tar Heels to over 600 wins, making him the winningest coach in UNC volleyball history. In his time in Chapel Hill, Sagula has won seven ACC titles and coached UNC to 14 NCAA tournament appearances.

The longtime coach attributes part of his success in the volleyball profession to the Tar Heel coaching greats he's worked with.

“I've been very fortunate at UNC to learn from my peers," Sagula said. "I’ve had coaches from Anson Dorrance, Karen Shelton, Dean Smith, Jenny Levy, Roy Williams — people have been so willing to share thoughts and ideas that have helped make me a better coach. I've had such great friendships in the sport and I'm just so fortunate to be doing this for as long as I have at UNC for 30 years.” 

Mike Schall, an assistant coach under Sagula, said Sagula's passion for volleyball and developing future mentors throughout the state earned him the position in the hall of fame.

“He's worked very hard to grow volleyball in the state of North Carolina, not just at UNC. The camps that he runs bring kids in all over the state of North Carolina,” Schall said. “He cares a lot about coaching and also developing coaches. We have teams that have come to our camps here year after year. That doesn't happen by accident.”

Susan Clements, the other assistant coach on the team, first met Sagula when she was in seventh grade. To her, Sagula isn't just a coach, but a friend and a mentor. Clements said Sagula’s honesty and his ability to stick to his principles throughout his career led him to grow the sport of volleyball in North Carolina.

“He's never going to compromise his principles, and I think that is a major reason he's been so successful," Clements said. "He understands the value of doing what's right. In sports and in coaching, sometimes you can get the mentality of ‘win at all costs,’ you know? He's never been about that. Joe is a good person and a good man, and that is the type of person anyone wants in the hall of fame.”

Both Schall and Clements mentioned how important alumni relationships are to Sagula. He regularly calls past players to congratulate them on their anniversaries, texts past players to wish them well on their birthdays or chats with alumni to catch up with them. Remembering important events in past and present players’ lives is one way in which Sagula creates the family atmosphere for the team.

While he was honored as a hall of fame inductee in a public match last October, Sagula's induction was officially inducted into the hall of fame in July.

Sagula first found out he was going to be inducted during a volleyball practice before the match. Surrounded by friends, faculty and players, it was a small but touching moment for Sagula's volleyball family.

“I think the meaningful part for him was that the players were surprised as well,” Schall said. “It became this family celebration where there weren't a lot of cameras around or anything like that, but he got to share that moment with people he cared about the most.”

Heading into his 40th year as a collegiate coach, Sagula says he plans to continue training the volleyball team to strive to work at the highest level. He said he will continue growing as a coach and learning from his peers.

“I'm lucky to have so many friendships because of the sport of volleyball and so many great relationships, you know?" Sagula said. "I appreciate way back in 1990 when UNC took a chance on me and here I am still doing this and I feel very blessed to do so."

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