Safi Hampton propels UNC volleyball past undefeated Michigan with 22 kills

In the fourth set against Michigan, UNC was down 12 points with the Wolverines on a tear. 

But just like she had been doing all night, sophomore outside hitter Safi Hampton worked to stop it.

After first-year middle blocker Jackie Taylor lofted the ball to Hampton, the sophomore smacked the ball over the net, putting it between the Michigan lines. Point North Carolina.

“I was like, ‘Okay, literally put your back into this swing right now,’” Hampton said. “I [was] like, ‘I'm putting this ball away. This is done now.’”

And even though the Tar Heels lost the fourth set 25-13, little did Hampton know, the hit broke her career record. The outside hitter recorded a career-high 22 kills against Michigan on Friday night at Carmichael Arena to push the Tar Heels to a 3-2 victory during the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The performance broke her previous record of 18 kills set against Miami in October 2023. After only starting nine games last season and appearing in 46 sets, Hampton has become a regular starter for the team. 

With an undefeated Michigan next up on the schedule, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Chelsea Thorpe was looking forward to rewriting a misstep from last year. While playing for Ohio State in the 2022 season, Thorpe admitted she had a rough game. For North Carolina, the last time the two teams met, the Tar Heels lost in straight sets, and Hampton only recorded one kill in two sets. 

Prior to Friday, Thorpe told Hampton that there was no one she would rather be on the court with. Thorpe emphasized that she loved Hampton and reaffirmed that she was going to do amazing.

And following the speech, Thorpe noticed something different as the sophomore took the floor. 

“I could just see so much confidence in her,” Thorpe said.

Hampton confessed she had no specific game plan, just to avoid overthinking. 

Having to play until the fifth set and tied 2-2 for the game, Hampton remained composed heading into the tiebreaker, even when the Tar Heels were down 10-8 in the final set. 

Working to get back into the game, North Carolina eventually found itself with an 11-10 lead, as Michigan committed back-to-back errors. Hampton took advantage.

To make the lead larger, junior libero Maddy May served the ball cross-court to Michigan who went straight into an attack. Michigan outside hitter Allison Jacobs made the kill but May was prepared, saving the ball with a dig.

With the save, sophomore setter Zoe Behrendt called the ball, sending it from the right side of the court to where Hampton was on the left line. The outside hitter jumped up and hit the ball across the floor to give UNC its 12th point.

Hampton's aggressive ball-calling along with her close connection with Behrendt, who posted a season-high 34 assists, helped push North Carolina through the match.

“I call her my twin because we're besties like that,” Behrendt said, crossing her fingers. “She's super easy to play with.”

Hampton and Behrendt were recruited together, strengthening their connection on and off the court. As a result, the two know each other well. Setting and communicating with Hampton has become easy for Behrendt because they have been doing it since day one.

“She trusts me because I was putting the ball away,” Hampton said. “Like, ‘Give me the ball right now,’ even when it got hard and I was messing up, ‘Give me the ball.’” 

So, with this relationship and Hampton's confidence, the sophomore did something similar to end the game. 

May served the ball cross-court to Michigan who sent it back over to UNC. Behrendt floated the ball to Hampton who aggressively spiked it into Michigan territory. 

With the help of Hampton, the Tar Heels went on a 7-0 scoring run that secured the final set with a 15-10 win.

“She's just an incredible athlete who, as you see, she has a lot of fun out there playing,” head coach Mike Schall said. “She just really energizes our group.”

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