As the sun set on Rams Head Plaza on Wednesday, students wandering into its recreation center were met on the other side of the gym’s glass doors by the sights and sounds of March madness.The squeaks of shoes, the shouts of men and the rhythmic thuds of the basketballs echoed against every corner of the gym’s beige brick walls.
Sunday was Senior Day for North Carolina volleyball, featuring a pregame ceremony to honor the four-player class of 2010.The two most decorated seniors are middle blockers Heather Brooks and Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland. Both were named to the 2008 All-ACC second team and picked for the 2009 preseason All-ACC team.
North Carolina volleyball coach Joe Sagula took a seat in the stands of an emptying Smith Center, tightening his lips and shaking his head. He was trying to come away with something positive from the match he had just coached.UNC fell to Clemson in five sets Saturday, 25-13, 23-25, 25-19, 20-25, 11-15. The loss dropped the Tar Heels to a tie for fifth place in the ACC as the Tigers passed them in the standings.“I’m kind of at a loss for words on this one,” Sagula said. “This is a sad loss for us, and for me, reason is, it takes us out of the ACC race.”
It took the better part of a season, but North Carolina volleyball has figured out its identity.This weekend, the Tar Heels won their two toughest conference matches to date and reestablished themselves as title contenders. Now they know where they stand in the ACC and who their starters are.“It’s a statement to ourselves to say OK, we beat Duke at our place, and we’re that good,” coach Joe Sagula said. “And we can be that good when we put it together.”
North Carolina volleyball coach Joe Sagula grew tired of telling his players to run sprints. He had already done that about a dozen times Thursday when he decided to take it a step further.
Senior middle blocker Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland returned to action against Boston College on Friday after sitting out Thursday because of a team policy infraction.After missing a match, Hanson-Tuntland did her best to make up for it, tying a career high with 17 kills. With just three errors on 28 attacks, she had a .500 hitting percentage.Sagula said that Hanson-Tuntland had “some things to take care of” and that it was an internal policy that kept her off the court against Maryland the previous night. She said she could not comment on why she didn’t play.
Junior outside hitter Suzanne Haydel is once again a primary weapon for the North Carolina volleyball team after struggling to earn playing time early in the season.North Carolina trailed Maryland 20-23 in the second set Thursday after dropping the first set. But three kills and an assisted block by Haydel led UNC to a 27-25 comeback.“We found a go-to player tonight in Sue Haydel,” coach Joe Sagula said.
In an otherwise disappointing weekend for North Carolina volleyball, the Tar Heels had a triumphant Friday, rallying from a two-set deficit to defeat Tennessee.The match was particularly meaningful to sophomore setter Erica Behm, who tallied career highs in digs and assists.Behm had struggled with passing in the first two weekends of the season, averaging 1.26 digs per set.“Defensively, I haven’t been 100 percent this year,” Behm said.The struggles peaked in practice Tuesday when Behm had a rough day on defense.
North Carolina women's volleyball failed to get into a rhythm againstColorado State in the final match of the Carolina Volleyball Classic,falling 20-25, 16-25, 22-25. The victory gave the Rams the tournamenttitle.All-Tournament selection Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland contributed nine killsand three blocks, including two solo blocks, bringing her three-matchtotal to 29 kills and nine blocks.UNC could not stop the Rams' hitters, who killed 43.8 percent of sets
The North Carolina volleyball team won the first match of the CarolinaVolleyball Classic in exciting fashion Friday, topping Tennessee infive sets, 20-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21, 16-14.
