University of North Carolina Athletics
Sunday, October 25
Chapel Hill, N.C.
8:30 PM
North Carolina
14-4,9-1ACC
3
vs
2
#15 Stanford
13-7,6-4ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | 17 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 11 | 2 |
| North Carolina | 25 | 17 | 20 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Photo by: DALTON WAINSCOTT
October 26, 2026 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The No. 23 UNC volleyball team (14-4, 9-1 ACC) defeated No. 15 Stanford (13-7, 6-4 ACC) on Sunday evening in a five-set thriller, 3-2 (25-17, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-11) in Carmichael Arena.
The victory marked Carolina's first win over a ranked opponent this season and the first over the Cardinal since a sweep in 2015. With the win, UNC remains perfect at home, bringing their record at Carmichael to 7-0.
It didn't seem to faze Jackie Taylor that she was at the net against the nation's winningest volleyball program of all time. The junior middle attacker eclipsed her career-high in blocks with 14 and tied her career-high in kills with 13 — all on a .480 efficiency. With her stellar performance at the net, Taylor racked up the third most blocks in a single match in program history.
"In one of the timeouts, we just said, 'There's not a ball that is going to come over the net,'" Schall said. "Jackie made sure of that and was just unbelievable in the fifth set. We've known in our gym for a really long time that Jackie Taylor is a big-time player. For a national TV audience to see it tonight was really special because she simply took over."
Senior outside hitter Safi Hampton also reached a double-double with 15 kills and 12 digs. Freshman left pin Addison West was not far behind, knocking down 11 winners to go along with nine digs.
Debuting their navy jerseys on Sunday, Chelsea Thorpe, Laynie Smith and Lauren Schutter combined for 17 more kills on the night.
Setters Zoe Behrendt and Sienna Cozza dished out 27 and 17 assists, respectively. Cozza also added 16 digs. Next to her on the backline was junior libero Julia Bohlinger, who scooped up a career-high 17 digs while also adding two aces.
"This team has a lot of really great team chemistry," Bohlinger said. "We've been working together a long time and we have a lot of fun together. I think that game spoke volumes to that, and the way that we can play together, and play loose, and just compete hard."
North Carolina drew first blood thanks to a forceful attack from graduate opposite hitter Chelsea Thorpe that was too much for the Cardinal block to contain.
UNC took off on an 8-1 run that prompted Stanford head coach Kevin Hambly to call a timeout as the Tar Heels led 12-7. During that stretch, Taylor — who ranks fifth in the nation in blocks per set with 1.66 — denied two Cardinal shots.
Putting on a show on the national stage, the Miami native also picked up a pair of quick-tempo kills from out of the middle. Carolina was hitting with authority, but back-to-back soft tips just over the block by West and graduate middle Lauren Schutter found the open court, too. From there, UNC took a 19-12 advantage.
The Tar Heels kept the momentum going behind Bohlinger's carefully placed serve that often put the Cardinal out of system, eventually setting up a nine-point lead.
The North Carolina offense was diverse and effective, managing a .448 hitting percentage in the opening frame compared to Stanford's .172. One of the primary contributors was Hampton, who powerfully closed the first set for UNC from the left pin, hitting home the last of her four kills in that frame.
Carolina handled Stanford, 25-17, in the starting set.
The Cardinal appeared more sure of itself in the second set. The front line in red kept finding ways to tool the UNC block to its benefit, taking a 9-2.
However, West countered. The freshman slammed down three kills over the span of six rallies as Carolina trailed, 7-14.
Schall motioned for his second timeout as Stanford doubled up UNC, 18-9. A few points later, Ipar Kurt of the Cardinal knocked down a cross-court kill to continue the momentum for the Cardinal.
Just as North Carolina seemed to be falling out of the game, the Tar Heels went on a 4-0 run that prompted a Stanford timeout at 21-16. Bohlinger and Cozza made save after save to keep UNC afloat.
The second set proved to be a reverse of the first as Stanford controlled the Tar Heels, 25-17, to even the contest. UNC hit just .047 as the Cardinal accumulated five blocks in that set. Stanford's Blyashov reached double-digit kills by the time the teams headed back to their respective locker rooms.
Opening the third set, Thorpe set up Hampton with a high pass to the outside, which ended up landing between two Stanford defenders to create a 2-1 UNC lead.
Later in the set, Stanford's Ipar earned another huge rejection that left Thorpe on the ground, but Stanford only led 11-10. Taylor neutralized the score again with a deep kill that landed in the hands of the Cardinal libero.
The Cardinal were in the driver's seat for most of the third set, but they weren't impenetrable. Taylor proved that by hitting the ball to the deep right corner of Stanford's side of the court, as UNC was behind only 16-18.
The Tar Heels had to become creative to find ways to score around the Cardinal's block and keep the ball alive in their own territory. It also helped North Carolina that Stanford missed five serves in the frame.
Both teams' scrappy defenses led to exciting, lengthy plays, however Stanford finished on top in set three, 25-20, and took control of the match, 2-1.
Well into the fourth set, miscommunications by the Cardinal opened a window for a UNC comeback, as the home team tied the frame, 9-9.
Hitting errors began to stack up on Stanford's side. Taylor and West could better predict where the Cardinal's swing was coming from, giving them time to set up a more formidable blocking front. North Carolina obtained its largest lead of the set so far, up 15-12.
With the lead, Hampton converted on back-to-back-to-back kills, piloting a 5-0 UNC stretch and a 20-16 advantage.
However, Stanford setter Parks reentered the game and again became the guiding force for her team. The Cardinal scored three consecutive points to tighten the match.
Cozza made a deceptive back set to junior Laynie Smith, who put the ball away, and then Blyashov sent the ball soaring far out of bounds on the next play. At 24-20, UNC, West jousted at the net, sending the ball hurdling towards Stanford's floor. North Carolina forced a fifth and final set.
"We're not going to go out not giving it our all," Taylor said.
In a game to 15, Taylor and Thorpe became the set stopping Kurt on the first two plays. But then, the Tar Heels lost the following five points, going down 2-5.
A line shot by West gave Carolina the side-out it needed.
For as many issues as the Cardinal block gave UNC previously, Taylor fired right back. The 6'1 middle blocker put up three more blocks and hit two winning kills, leading North Carolina from high above the net for a 9-5 lead.
"It's really easy blocking next to the pins that we have," Taylor said. "They set up a great block and, if my job is to close, I bet on us every single time to get a block with the physicality we have at the net."
In a game defined by runs, the Tar Heels were putting on a masterclass, going on an 8-0 stretch. Stanford scored three times, but an impassioned Thorpe hammered down back-to-back kills. UNC led, 12-8.
You might've thought Michael Jordan was dunking on the court in 1982; it grew so loud in Carmichael. A long serve from Stanford pulled the Tar Heels within one of victory.
Hampton hit a serve in the net, but then Parks' game-deciding serve went long. The North Carolina bench rushed the court in celebration, sealing the 15-11 set victory and 3-2 match win over Stanford.
"We really wanted to now beat someone who's above us and show the world who we are," Taylor said. "We want to be challenged and, if you're challenged, that's how you get better."
The Tar Heels will stay in Chapel Hill, returning to action on Friday, October 30 at 7 p.m. to face off against Syracuse.
The victory marked Carolina's first win over a ranked opponent this season and the first over the Cardinal since a sweep in 2015. With the win, UNC remains perfect at home, bringing their record at Carmichael to 7-0.
It didn't seem to faze Jackie Taylor that she was at the net against the nation's winningest volleyball program of all time. The junior middle attacker eclipsed her career-high in blocks with 14 and tied her career-high in kills with 13 — all on a .480 efficiency. With her stellar performance at the net, Taylor racked up the third most blocks in a single match in program history.
"In one of the timeouts, we just said, 'There's not a ball that is going to come over the net,'" Schall said. "Jackie made sure of that and was just unbelievable in the fifth set. We've known in our gym for a really long time that Jackie Taylor is a big-time player. For a national TV audience to see it tonight was really special because she simply took over."
Senior outside hitter Safi Hampton also reached a double-double with 15 kills and 12 digs. Freshman left pin Addison West was not far behind, knocking down 11 winners to go along with nine digs.
Debuting their navy jerseys on Sunday, Chelsea Thorpe, Laynie Smith and Lauren Schutter combined for 17 more kills on the night.
Setters Zoe Behrendt and Sienna Cozza dished out 27 and 17 assists, respectively. Cozza also added 16 digs. Next to her on the backline was junior libero Julia Bohlinger, who scooped up a career-high 17 digs while also adding two aces.
"This team has a lot of really great team chemistry," Bohlinger said. "We've been working together a long time and we have a lot of fun together. I think that game spoke volumes to that, and the way that we can play together, and play loose, and just compete hard."
North Carolina drew first blood thanks to a forceful attack from graduate opposite hitter Chelsea Thorpe that was too much for the Cardinal block to contain.
UNC took off on an 8-1 run that prompted Stanford head coach Kevin Hambly to call a timeout as the Tar Heels led 12-7. During that stretch, Taylor — who ranks fifth in the nation in blocks per set with 1.66 — denied two Cardinal shots.
Putting on a show on the national stage, the Miami native also picked up a pair of quick-tempo kills from out of the middle. Carolina was hitting with authority, but back-to-back soft tips just over the block by West and graduate middle Lauren Schutter found the open court, too. From there, UNC took a 19-12 advantage.
The Tar Heels kept the momentum going behind Bohlinger's carefully placed serve that often put the Cardinal out of system, eventually setting up a nine-point lead.
The North Carolina offense was diverse and effective, managing a .448 hitting percentage in the opening frame compared to Stanford's .172. One of the primary contributors was Hampton, who powerfully closed the first set for UNC from the left pin, hitting home the last of her four kills in that frame.
Carolina handled Stanford, 25-17, in the starting set.
The Cardinal appeared more sure of itself in the second set. The front line in red kept finding ways to tool the UNC block to its benefit, taking a 9-2.
However, West countered. The freshman slammed down three kills over the span of six rallies as Carolina trailed, 7-14.
Schall motioned for his second timeout as Stanford doubled up UNC, 18-9. A few points later, Ipar Kurt of the Cardinal knocked down a cross-court kill to continue the momentum for the Cardinal.
Just as North Carolina seemed to be falling out of the game, the Tar Heels went on a 4-0 run that prompted a Stanford timeout at 21-16. Bohlinger and Cozza made save after save to keep UNC afloat.
The second set proved to be a reverse of the first as Stanford controlled the Tar Heels, 25-17, to even the contest. UNC hit just .047 as the Cardinal accumulated five blocks in that set. Stanford's Blyashov reached double-digit kills by the time the teams headed back to their respective locker rooms.
Opening the third set, Thorpe set up Hampton with a high pass to the outside, which ended up landing between two Stanford defenders to create a 2-1 UNC lead.
Later in the set, Stanford's Ipar earned another huge rejection that left Thorpe on the ground, but Stanford only led 11-10. Taylor neutralized the score again with a deep kill that landed in the hands of the Cardinal libero.
The Cardinal were in the driver's seat for most of the third set, but they weren't impenetrable. Taylor proved that by hitting the ball to the deep right corner of Stanford's side of the court, as UNC was behind only 16-18.
The Tar Heels had to become creative to find ways to score around the Cardinal's block and keep the ball alive in their own territory. It also helped North Carolina that Stanford missed five serves in the frame.
Both teams' scrappy defenses led to exciting, lengthy plays, however Stanford finished on top in set three, 25-20, and took control of the match, 2-1.
Well into the fourth set, miscommunications by the Cardinal opened a window for a UNC comeback, as the home team tied the frame, 9-9.
Hitting errors began to stack up on Stanford's side. Taylor and West could better predict where the Cardinal's swing was coming from, giving them time to set up a more formidable blocking front. North Carolina obtained its largest lead of the set so far, up 15-12.
With the lead, Hampton converted on back-to-back-to-back kills, piloting a 5-0 UNC stretch and a 20-16 advantage.
However, Stanford setter Parks reentered the game and again became the guiding force for her team. The Cardinal scored three consecutive points to tighten the match.
Cozza made a deceptive back set to junior Laynie Smith, who put the ball away, and then Blyashov sent the ball soaring far out of bounds on the next play. At 24-20, UNC, West jousted at the net, sending the ball hurdling towards Stanford's floor. North Carolina forced a fifth and final set.
"We're not going to go out not giving it our all," Taylor said.
In a game to 15, Taylor and Thorpe became the set stopping Kurt on the first two plays. But then, the Tar Heels lost the following five points, going down 2-5.
A line shot by West gave Carolina the side-out it needed.
For as many issues as the Cardinal block gave UNC previously, Taylor fired right back. The 6'1 middle blocker put up three more blocks and hit two winning kills, leading North Carolina from high above the net for a 9-5 lead.
"It's really easy blocking next to the pins that we have," Taylor said. "They set up a great block and, if my job is to close, I bet on us every single time to get a block with the physicality we have at the net."
In a game defined by runs, the Tar Heels were putting on a masterclass, going on an 8-0 stretch. Stanford scored three times, but an impassioned Thorpe hammered down back-to-back kills. UNC led, 12-8.
You might've thought Michael Jordan was dunking on the court in 1982; it grew so loud in Carmichael. A long serve from Stanford pulled the Tar Heels within one of victory.
Hampton hit a serve in the net, but then Parks' game-deciding serve went long. The North Carolina bench rushed the court in celebration, sealing the 15-11 set victory and 3-2 match win over Stanford.
"We really wanted to now beat someone who's above us and show the world who we are," Taylor said. "We want to be challenged and, if you're challenged, that's how you get better."
The Tar Heels will stay in Chapel Hill, returning to action on Friday, October 30 at 7 p.m. to face off against Syracuse.
Players Mentioned
S
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
Stan
UNC
Kills
59
56
Errors
31
30
Attempts
187
169
Hitting %
.150
.154
Points
83.0
76.0
Assists
58
54
Aces
5
2
Blocks
19
18
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
14
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Sunday, October 25
Sunday, October 25
Sunday, October 25
Sunday, October 25