University of North Carolina Athletics
2017 Volleyball Season in Review
December 19, 2017 | Volleyball
Expectations were high for the Tar Heels in 2017. Carolina returned more than half of its starting lineup from a successful 2016 season in which UNC captured its 13th ACC title and reached NCAA Regionals for the second time in three years. UNC entered the year ranked No. 11 in the AVCA Preseason Poll. The Tar Heels retained 2016 ACC Player of the Year Taylor Leath and 2016 ACC Freshman of the Year Julia Scoles. All three middles who helped Carolina rank fourth in the nation in blocks were still in Chapel Hill. Redshirt freshman setter/hitter Holly Carlton spent the summer with the U.S. Women's Junior National Team. The sky was the limit for Carolina.
But a wave of injuries knocked the Tar Heels off course. With half the roster relegated to the sidelines for significant portions of the season, Carolina struggled with consistency, going 14-14 on the year, finishing eighth in the ACC at 11-9, and missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009.
The season was not without its bright spots, as shifting lineups allowed new players to shine. Senior Beth Nordhorn, a 6-foot-7 middle hitter who spent her first two seasons in line behind a pair of All-Americans, had a breakout campaign in which she led the ACC in hitting percentage for the second straight season and finished ninth in the ACC in blocks per set. The dominant middle earned All-ACC First Team and AVCA All-Region honors and finished her career as the most efficient attacker in North Carolina history.
Meanwhile, redshirt freshman middle hitter Katharine Esterley turned heads with her blocking ability. The rookie set UNC freshman records for block assists and blocks per set and finished the season ranked second in the ACC and 17th in the nation in blocks per set. Senior Taylor Fricano, who saw action at both middle and opposite hitter, was the third Tar Heel to average more than a block per set, helping Carolina to lead the ACC and rank 15th in the nation with 2.82 team blocks per set.
Redshirt freshman Holly Carlton seemed like she could do it all, playing six rotations as both a setter and an opposite hitter. The 6-foot-7 rookie recorded four triple-doubles on the year. Her first three had 10+ kills, assists and digs, then she came a kill shy of the first-ever quadruple-double with 22 assists, 13 digs, 10 blocks and nine digs. Carlton was the first Tar Heel since 2005 to record a triple-double, the first since 1992 to post more than one, and the first ever to register two different types.
Amidst all the injuries, junior team captain Taylor Leath held firm at outside hitter. One of two players to appear in every set, she led Carolina in kills and points and was second in digs and aces. Asked to shoulder a tremendous amount of responsibility both on and off the court, Leath turned in another strong season, earning All-ACC Second Team and AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention as well as an ACC Player of the Week nod in September.
2017 Honor Roll
» All-ACC First Team: Beth Nordhorn
» All-ACC Second Team: Taylor Leath
» AVCA All-East Coast Region: Beth Nordhorn
» AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention: Taylor Leath
» ACC Player of the Week: Taylor Leath (9/11)
Nordhorn Leads ACC in Hitting Percentage for Second Straight Season
Senior middle hitter Beth Nordhorn exploded offensively this season, recording double-digit kills in 11 matches, hitting .400 or higher in nine of those 11. Nordhorn hit at least .500 with double-digit kills seven times, including hitting .667 with 10 kills on 15 errorless swings against Wake Forest and .615 with 10 kills on 13 swings (two errors) against LIU Brooklyn. The Tar Heel senior led the ACC in hitting percentage for the majority of the season, and despite a dip over the final few weeks of play, she concluded her senior year atop the ACC and third all time at UNC with a .378 clip.
Nordhorn did not see a lot of playing time over her first 2.5 seasons, but after an injury to Sydnye Fields allowed her to start the final 11 matches of 2016, Nordhorn finished her junior year with an ACC-leading .446 season hitting percentage, while leading the conference with a .403 clip during ACC play. The next-best conference player hit .359 on the year, nearly .100 points lower than Nordhorn. She did not meet the minimum playing requirements to be ranked nationally last season, playing in just 60 percent of UNC's sets (req. 66.7%), but her .446 clip beat 2016 NCAA leader Emma Hagedom (UMKC), who finished with a .439 hitting percentage last season.
Nordhorn was efficient throughout her college experience, graduating with a career .399 hitting percentage—fifty points above the all-time record of .349 set by Tori Seibert (1996-99). While Nordhorn did not get enough playing time to appear in the records, taking 792 swings to come some 200 shy of the 1,000 attempt minimum, she is the only Tar Heel ever to take even 30 career swings and hit above .375. Former setter Abigail Curry (2013-16) is the only other player to hit above .350 with more than 50 swings, hitting .369 with 103 kills on 222 attempts.
Block Party
Carolina's blocking unit was dominant once again, posting double-digit blocks in the 20 of the 28 matches this season. The Tar Heels, who ranked in the top six in the nation in blocks per set in each of the past three seasons, led the ACC and finished 15th in the nation with 2.82 blocks per set in 2017.Â
Redshirt freshman Katharine Esterley burst onto the scene, ranking second in the ACC and 17th in the nation with 1.44 blocks per set. The rookie new UNC freshman records for block assists (124) and block assists, ranking fifth overall at Carolina in single-season b/s and tied for 10th in BA. Esterley finished third in the nation among freshmen, including ranking ahead of AVCA National Freshman of the Year Dana Rettke (1.37), a 6-foot-8 middle blocker from Wisconsin.
Senior Beth Nordhorn ranked ninth in the conference with 1.15 blocks per set, including totaling 24 blocks over the final three matches of the year. Nordhorn finished her career ranked 10th at UNC with 1.07 career blocks per set, while classmate Taylor Fricano's career average of 1.05 over three seasons at Carolina places her 12th. Despite playing just three seasons at Carolina (after transferring in from Wisconsin), Fricano finished 11th all time with 284 career block assists, just three shy of the top 10.
Carlton Posts Four Triple-Doubles—Two Different Ways
On Sept. 16, 2017, redshirt freshman Holly Carlton recorded the first Carolina triple-double since 2005, tallying 10 kills, 25 assists and 10 digs against Coastal Carolina. On Oct. 6, Carlton registered her second triple-double, posting 13 kills, 18 assists and 11 digs against Duke to become the first Tar Heel in 25 years to record multiple triple-doubles in her career. Carlton registered her third triple-double of the season on Nov. 19, recording 10 kills, 21 assists and 12 digs at Louisville. The 6-foot-7 rookie made history in the following match on Nov. 22, going just a single kill shy of an unprecedented quadruple-double with 22 assists, 13 digs, 10 blocks and nine kills to become the first Tar Heel ever to record a triple-double two different ways.
Carlton finished seventh in the nation with four triple-doubles. She was the only Power 5 student-athlete with more than two and the only freshman with more than one.
Only two Tar Heels had previously recorded a triple-double during the rally scoring era: McKenzie Byrd (11/6/2005) and Malaika Underwood (11/29/2001). Both featured 10+ kills, assists and digs.
Amy Piestrup holds North Carolina's career record (since 1989), having posted a total of 16 triple-doubles from 1989-92, including seven in 1991 and five in 1992, en route to 1992 ACC Player of the Year honors. Teammate Joanna Sahm is the only other Tar Heel under Coach Sagula to record multiple triple-doubles, registering four in 1991. Incredibly, Piestrup and Sahm both posted triple-doubles in the same match twice, on back-to-back outings on Oct. 2 and Oct. 4, 1991. All of Piestrup and Sahm's triple-doubles featured double-digit kills, assists and digs.
There have been two other Tar Heels to record triple-doubles featuring double-digit blocks under Sagula: Eve Rackham and Tori Seibert. Seibert tallied 18 kills, 13 digs and 10 blocks at NC State on Oct. 14, 1997, while Rackham put up 51 assists, 17 digs and 10 blocks against Duke on Oct. 15, 2000.
While not all box scores from before 1989 are available, there are two additional known triple-doubles from prior to 1989, both of which featured 10+ kills, digs and blocks. Jill Berkebile recorded the first known triple-double against Duke on Oct. 26, 1985 (28k, 12d, 10b). Dawn Wood posted 11 kills, 20 digs and an incredible 19 blocks against Tulane on Sept. 13, 1986. Her blocking performance remains Carolina's single-match record.Â
Tar Heel Triple-Doubles (complete since 1989)
- Holly Carlton at Wake Forest - 11/22/17 - 22a, 13d, 10b
- Holly Carlton at Louisville - 11/19/17 - 10k, 21a, 12d
- Holly Carlton vs. Duke - 10/6/17 - 13k, 18a, 11d
- Holly Carlton vs. Coastal Carolina - 9/16/17 - 10k, 25a, 10d
- McKenzie Byrd vs. Wake Forest - 11/6/05 - 10k, 59a, 10d
- Malaika Underwood vs. South Carolina - 11/29/01 - 12k, 11a, 10d
- Eve Rackham vs. Duke - 10/15/00 - 51a, 17d, 10b
- Tori Seibert at NC State - 10/14/97 - 18k, 13d, 10b
- Amy Piestrup - 16 times (kills, assists, digs) - 1989-92
- Joanna Sahm - 4 times (kills, assists, digs) - 1991
- Dawn Wood vs. Tulane - 9/13/86 - 11k, 20d, 19b
- Jill Berkebile at Duke - 10/26/85 - 28k, 12d, 10b
Happy at Home
North Carolina has been extremely successful in the friendly confines of Carmichael Arena, going 13-1 at home this season (including one match at the Dean E. Smith Center) and a perfect 10-0 during ACC play. The Tar Heels, whose only home loss in 2016 came at the hands of No. 5 Minnesota, have not dropped an ACC match at home since falling 3-2 to No. 18 Florida State on Oct. 16, 2015. UNC closed the 2017 home season on a 26-match home ACC winning streak. UNC is 64-2 in ACC home matches since October, 2011. UNC has not lost more-than-one ACC home match in a season since 2009, when the Tar Heels dropped back-to-back contests against Clemson and Georgia Tech on Halloween weekend.
UNC has always been strong at home, going 460-140 all time in Chapel Hill, including an impressive 131-18 (.879) mark since 2008. The Tar Heels have recorded eight perfect home seasons, including two over the past six years. UNC has only lost more-than-one home match in one of the past six seasons. Carolina's best home season came back in 2002, when UNC went 18-0 at home en route to its first-ever NCAA Regionals appearance.
Tar Heels Set NCAA Attendance Record
On Friday, Oct. 13, UNC Volleyball opened the annual Late Night with Roy men's basketball preseason event with a match against Virginia Tech at the Dean E. Smith Center. The event, which culminated in the unveiling of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship banner, was attended by 19,246 fans—the largest recorded crowd ever to witness an NCAA volleyball match.
It was the seventh time that the volleyball team had been a part of the Late Night celebration, dating back to the first-ever Late Night in 2003. With a 3-1 win over the Hokies, the Tar Heels maintained their pristine 7-0 record prior to Late Night.Â
Carolina's Late Night matches have traditionally brought Tar Heel fans from far and wide, with official attendances of over 10,000 fans for six of the seven matches. On Oct. 17, 2003, a volleyball match between UNC and Duke kicked off the first annual Late Night with Roy celebration. A crowd of 16,126 Carolina fans flooded the stands, setting a new NCAA Volleyball attendance record. The mark stood as the highest-attended regular-season NCAA Volleyball match in history until the 2017 Tar Heels re-set the record. There had been eight volleyball events to top 16,126 since 2003, all of which were NCAA Finals or Semifinals. The highest-attended match in NCAA history was the 2015 NCAA Championship match between Texas and Nebraska, which was played in front of 17,561 fans in Omaha, Nebraska. The 2017 Tar Heels topped that figure by nearly 2,000. The 2017 NCAA Semifinals and Finals also topped the previous record, featuring crowds of 18,374 and 18,516, respectively, but did not beat UNC's crowd at the Dean E. Smith Center.
Supportive Carolina fans have certainly been one of the keys to success, as UNC went 13-1 at home this season and finished the home slate with a 26-match ACC home winning streak. The Tar Heels averaged 2,873 fans per match, which led the ACC and ranked 10th in the nation this season.
UNC has played a total of 36 volleyball matches at the Smith Center, including the entirety of the 2008 and 2009 home seasons while Carmichael underwent renovations. UNC also played three additional matches at the Smith Center in 2005, defeating Virginia and Virginia Tech in September but falling to the College of Charleston in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. UNC is now 29-7 all time in the Dean Dome.
Previous Volleyball Matches Prior to Late Night with Roy
Oct. 17, 2003   Duke   W, 3-2   16,126
Oct. 14, 2005   Georgia Tech   W, 3-0   4,435
Oct. 24, 2008   Clemson   W, 3-0   13,797
Oct. 16, 2009   Duke   W, 3-1   12,724
Oct. 14, 2011   Virginia   W, 3-0   10,195
Oct. 25, 2013   Maryland   W, 3-2   15,945
Oct. 13, 2017   Virginia Tech   W, 3-1   19,246
Bit By the Injury Bug
Carolina entered 2017 poised for what was expected to be one of the best seasons in program history, but a series of injuries kept the Tar Heels from reaching their full potential. First, Carlton sustained an ankle injury at the FIVB U20 World Championship in July. Then, fellow-setter Mariah Evans, who played every match of 2016, and All-America Honorable Mention Julia Scoles suffered concussions, forcing the trio to miss most or all of preseason and leaving the Tar Heels with just a single healthy setter, junior transfer Kendra Koetter. While Carlton recovered to start on opening day, the team needed more time to solidify its offensive chemistry. Thrust into the fire immediately, with three top-10 matchups in the first four matches, Carolina opened the season 0-4. Scoles was cleared to play in the first two matches against No. 4 Minnesota and No. 7 Wisconsin, but her symptoms came back and the lethal outside hitter missed the remainder of the season. Evans never suited up in 2017.
Then Carolina's offense took another hit—sophomore Taylor Borup, a 2016 ACC All-Freshman pin hitter, suffered an injury that sidelined her for the next eight matches. Without Scoles or Borup on the pins, the Tar Heels had to make more adjustments to the lineup, including moving All-ACC middle hitter Taylor Fricano back to the right side and using 5-foot-7 freshman Sehrena Hull in all six rotations on the outside.
Despite the loss of Borup, the friendly confines of Carmichael Arena provided the boost the Tar Heels needed, defeating LIU Brooklyn and LSU at the Carolina Classic for their first two wins. UNC split five-setters with Loyola Marymount and Coastal Carolina the following weekend to enter ACC play with some positive momentum.
Then the Tar Heels lost their libero. Sophomore Mia Fradenburg, who ranked fourth in the ACC with 4.53 digs per set over the first eight matches, suffered a concussion in practice and joined three of her classmates on the DL. The loss of Fradenburg led to the return of sophomore defensive specialist Greer Moseman, who had voluntarily left the team the previous spring. Casey Jacobs took over at libero, and Moseman, Hull and freshman Maddie Grace Hough teamed up to defend the back row.
Borup's return on Oct. 6 sparked a five-match winning streak, which included victories over rivals Duke and NC State and a 3-1 victory over Virginia Tech in front of an NCAA-record 19,246 fans at the Dean E. Smith Center prior to Late Night with Roy. However, just as things started going their way, Carolina embarked on a brutal road trip in which UNC dropped 0-3 decisions to Pittsburgh, Florida State and Miami—and lost Hull for the remainder of the season.
Carolina recovered with four home victories to close out the ACC home slate a perfect 10-0, having gone 13-1 overall at home, but with postseason prospects on the line down the stretch—and a season-ending injury to pin hitter Madison Laufenberg—the Tar Heels lost the final four matches of the season on the road to finish the year 14-14 and miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009.
Tar Heels Face Daunting 2017 Slate
After winning its 13th ACC title and advancing to the 2016 NCAA Regional Semifinals, North Carolina opened 2017 ranked No. 11 in the nation in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll. It marked the fourth consecutive season and fifth time overall that the Tar Heels began the year ranked in the top 25.Â
After dropping the first four matches of the season, UNC fell to No. 16 and then just outside the rankings to 26th. A pair of home wins over LIU Brooklyn and LSU moved the Heels up to No. 24 on Sept. 11, but a five-set loss to Loyola Marymount knocked UNC out of the poll entirely (not even receiving votes) for the first time since Nov. 28, 2011, and the Heels never returned.
Carolina faced three top-10 teams over the first two weekends of the season. The Heels opened the year by taking on then-No. 4 Minnesota and No. 7 Wisconsin, then faced No. 3 Florida in Puerto Rico the following weekend. Florida and Minnesota both spent three weeks at No. 1. The Gators, who advanced all the way to the NCAA Championship match finished the season ranked No. 2 in the final AVCA Poll, while Minnesota was No. 10 and Wisconsin came in at No. 12.Â
Florida State spent the first six weeks of the season ranked in the top 25 before dropping out. Pittsburgh, Miami, Duke, Louisville and Notre Dame all received votes during the year, with Pitt and Miami appearing in the final poll. UNC split a pair of matches with Louisville, including facing the Cardinals while they were receiving votes on Nov. 12. Carolina also won its home make against the Blue Devils.
According to the NCAA strength of schedule rankings, UNC played the seventh-most-difficult nonconference slate in the nation, included the second-hardest regular-season nonconference schedule. Only Texas A&M, who played the most difficult overall schedule, put together a harder pre-conference campaign.
According to the final RPI, UNC played three top-15 and 13 top-50 matches this season. UNC posted top-50 wins over #26 Louisville, #39 LSU and #41 NC State. Carolina faced #1 Florida, #7 Minnesota and #13 Wisconsin over the first two weeks of the season, but did not win a set.
Twelve of Carolina's 20 opponents made the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including six of the Tar Heels' eight nonconference foes. UNC went 5-9 against NCAA qualifiers and 1-6 against those who won at least one match. Three of UNC's nonconference opponents advanced to NCAA Regionals, as Wisconsin and #7-seed Minnesota both made the Round of 16, while Puerto Rico opponent Florida received the #2 overall seed and advanced to the National Championship match.
Leath Named ACC Player of the Week on Sept. 11
Taylor Leath was influential in Carolina's first two wins of the season, averaging 6.14 kills and 2.57 digs, hitting .360 in victories over LIU Brooklyn and LSU at the Carolina Classic. The outside hitter hit .404 with a career-high 27 kills in just four sets against LSU, the most kills by a Tar Heel since 2005 and a new 25-point rally-scoring record. The reigning ACC Player of the Year became the fourth Tar Heel to earn four or more career ACC Player of the Week awards and the first since 1999. Leath follows Sharon German '89 (7), Tori Seibert '99 (5) and Amy Piestrup '92 (4).
Carlton, Scoles Play for Team USA
In March, 2017, five Tar Heels participated in a tryout for the U.S. Women's National Team, held in Colorado Springs. Holly Carlton and Julia Scoles both returned home with an invitation to join Team USA, as Carlton was named to the U.S. Women's Junior National Team roster and Scoles made the Collegiate National Team.
Carlton, who redshirted for the Heels last fall as a true freshman, helped the WJNT win gold at the U20 Pan American Cup in May, then participated at FIVB U20 Women's World Championship in Mexico in July. Carlton turned in her best performance against China, leading the Stars & Stripes with 21 points, before suffering an ankle injury against that sidelined her for the rest of the trip.
Scoles returned to Minneapolis, the site of UNC's final match of 2016, NCAA Regionals, to participate in a tournament in conjunction with the USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships. The Collegiate National Team was split into three 12-player teams that faced off in a round robin tournament.
