UNC volleyball focuses on the basics during 3-0 sweep in Carolina Classic

Graduate setter Taylor Eisert threw the ball up and a little outward.

In their third set against Western Carolina, UNC led 9-6. As Eisert's serve aimed for the middle of the line, the Catamount libero's return hit out of bounds. Point UNC. A three-ace run for the Tar Heels. 

These types of plays were common for North Carolina throughout the weekend. 

UNC hosted the Carolina Classic from Friday to Sunday at Carmichael Arena. In the three-day tournament, North Carolina played Cleveland State, College of Charleston and Western Carolina. The Tar Heels breezed through each game, sweeping all three teams 3-0.

In the third game alone, North Carolina racked up 12 aces — five by senior outside hitter Mabrey Shaffmaster, three by Eisert, three by sophomore setter Zoe Behrendt and one by redshirt junior libero Carson Overbeck. By the end of the weekend, UNC recorded 22 aces and 142 kills.

The key to this success? Just focusing on the basics. 

“Just going back to like our principles and our standards,” redshirt sophomore outside hitter Chelsea Thorpe said. “We love the game, we love each other, we love Carolina. So we just go back to thinking about that, we just play well.”

Something the coaches were trying to keep the team focused on this weekend was their serving and passing, with those skills being the focal points of volleyball. 

And during UNC's third match against Charleston, the Tar Heels needed to focus on the basics more than ever. 

The Cougars took their first lead of the match after an attack error from graduate middle blocker Alexis Engelbrecht, shaking UNC’s momentum. But the Tar Heels refused to back down, alternating back-and-forth points with Charleston deep into the set.

UNC jumped back into the lead after junior libero Maddy May placed the ball perfectly for Thorpe to blast a spike. This ignited a 5-0 scoring run that won the set and ultimately the game for the Tar Heels. 

“Our passing was what kept us in the game,” Behrendt said. “So every time we were in system it was great for us and I had all three options at all times.”

In addition to passing, the Tar Heels relied on their aggressive serve to keep Charleston out of system.

Shaffmaster found herself to be the final server in several matches, a tactic head coach Mike Schall uses often because of her strong hit. Opponents find it hard to return her serve because of the speed and power behind it. As a result, Shaffmaster led the team with seven total aces. 

Despite posting an impressive 22 aces throughout the tournament, North Carolina still had 17 serve errors. For a team that wants to rely more on its serve, the Tar Heels will need to lower the number of errors by emphasizing technique and aggression. 

And as UNC heads to South Carolina to play in another tournament against Temple and the University of South Carolina, they will be looking to build on the momentum from this weekend while also improving from those small mistakes. 

“If I can just continue to focus on keeping my tempo with my hitters, then I think we will have a great, great tournament,” Behrendt said.

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