University of North Carolina Athletics
Wednesday, September 9
Lexington, Ky.
6:00 PM
North Carolina
at
#3 Kentucky
Photo by: DALTON WAINSCOTT
No. 18 Volleyball Set To Head To No. 3 Kentucky
September 7, 2026 | Volleyball
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Carolina volleyball hits the road for a big-time matchup with No. 3 Kentucky. It enters the match sitting at 4-0 and Kentucky is 5-1.
The match will air on SEC Network.
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No. 19 Carolina vs. No. 3 Kentucky | Wednesday | 6 PM
WATCH | LIVE STATS
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NEWS & NOTES
A WIN WOULD...
- Be better than a loss
- Be Carolina's first road top 10 win since Nov. 6, 2016 at No. 10 Florida State
- Be the first top 3 win since UNC took down No. 2 Wisconsin on Sept. 9, 2016
- Mark the first top five road win in program history
BIG RED. BIG IMPACT.
- Bridget Malone had the match of her career against Colorado State on Friday night
- She had a career-high 23 kills and she tacked on four blocks to carry the Tar Heels to a five set win
- Through four matches she leads the team with 49 kills and 3.50 kills per set
BIG TESTS COMING UP
- Carolina's next three matches are against Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Nebraska
- Kentucky is No. 3 in the latest AVCA Top 25 and Nebraska is No. 1
- The Tar Heels travel to Kentucky and Nebraska and will face Vanderbilt in NYC
OPENING WEEKEND MASTERCLASS
- Carolina swept opening weekend while being extremely efficient on offense and lockdown on defense
- The Tar Heels hit an insane .470 against UNCW on Sunday which is the most efficient offensive performance since Nov. 11, 2016
- UNC also shut down the UNCW offense, holding them to a -.010 hitting percentage, the lowest since Boston College hit -.010 on Oct. 21, 2016
- Through two matches the UNC defense is holding opponents to a stellar .055 hitting percentage which is second best in the nation early on
LUCKY NUMBER... 19?
- Carolina was ranked No. 19 five consecutive AVCA polls between Nov. 24, 2025-Aug. 31, 2026
- Before this stretch the Tar Heels had only been ranked No. 19 twice in the history of the AVCA Top 25 (Nov. 4, 2013, Aug. 10, 2016)
- Five straight polls at the same ranking is the longest stretch since Carolina was ranked No. 7 in five consecutive polls between Nov. 17, 2014-Aug. 12, 2015
RETURNING FIREPOWER
- Carolina didn't lose anyone to the transfer portal for the second consecutive year and it's allowing a lot of production to return
- Out of the 1536 kills last season, 1535 (99.9%) of those are back on the 2026 roster, 100% of the 342 blocks are back, 90.2% of aces are returning, and 69.7% of digs
- Safi Hampton and Chelsea Thorpe were both named to the Preseason All-ACC Team ahead of the 2026 season
O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
- The 2026 leadership team consists of Zoe Behrendt, Chelsea Thrope, and Sadie Swift
BEHIND THE SCHEDULE
- The Tar Heels will square off with eight different teams who made the NCAA Tournament last season
- They will face National Runner-Up Kentucky, National Semi-Finalist Pitt, and 2025 overall No. 1 seed Nebraska all on the road this season.
- UNC will also travel to SMU, host Stanford and Georgia Tech, and play Louisville and Miami both home and away.
- Carolina will square off against six teams in the AVCA Preseason Top-11 over the course of seven matches throughout the season, five on the road and two at home
THE CLUB CONNECTION
- Incoming transfers Laynie Smith and Emily Bobbitt will have a connection before they ever play in Carolina blue together
- The two played together at Triangle Volleyball Club
- Triangle is also where Erin Curtis, Lindley Miller, and Carly Markham played club prior to college
- Erin Curtis' father, Jason, co-founded the club
- Head coach Mike Schall served as an associate director at Triangle before arriving in Chapel Hill
YEAR FOUR OF THE SCHALL ERA
- Entering year four, Coach Schall looks to build off the momentum of the first three seasons
- Carolina is ranked in the preseason AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll for the first time since 2017 and was picked fifth in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll
- In year one he went 13-14 and turned that around with a 23-8 record in 2024 with the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021, followed by a 22-9 campaign in 2025 with another first round victory in the NCAA Tournament
- UNC is now chasing three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since it went to seven in a row between 2010-16
ATHLETIC PEDIGREE
- Jackie Taylor's father, Sean, played football for the University of Miami from 2001-2003 and was a member of the 2001 BCS National Championship team. He was the No. 5 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft to the Washington Redskins where he was a two-time Pro-Bowl Selection (2006, 2007)
-Her mom, Jackie García, was a midfielder on the women's soccer team at the University of Miami
- Erin Curtis', father Jason was a captain on the Santa Clara men's volleyball team, sister Emily was a setter at Villanova and sister Maggie was a defensive specialist at Santa Clara
- Julia Bohlinger: Father Rob played football at the University of Wyoming (1993-98) and professionally in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers as a left tackle
- Carson Overbeck's mom, Carla, was a three-time All-America and four-time NCAA Champion on the UNC soccer team from 1986-89. She captained the 1995 U.S. World Cup squad that advanced to the semifinals and also served as captain of the 1996 U.S. Women's Soccer Olympic Team that won the gold medal. She is currently an assistant coach for the Duke women's soccer team
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The match will air on SEC Network.
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No. 19 Carolina vs. No. 3 Kentucky | Wednesday | 6 PM
WATCH | LIVE STATS
Â
NEWS & NOTES
A WIN WOULD...
- Be better than a loss
- Be Carolina's first road top 10 win since Nov. 6, 2016 at No. 10 Florida State
- Be the first top 3 win since UNC took down No. 2 Wisconsin on Sept. 9, 2016
- Mark the first top five road win in program history
BIG RED. BIG IMPACT.
- Bridget Malone had the match of her career against Colorado State on Friday night
- She had a career-high 23 kills and she tacked on four blocks to carry the Tar Heels to a five set win
- Through four matches she leads the team with 49 kills and 3.50 kills per set
BIG TESTS COMING UP
- Carolina's next three matches are against Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Nebraska
- Kentucky is No. 3 in the latest AVCA Top 25 and Nebraska is No. 1
- The Tar Heels travel to Kentucky and Nebraska and will face Vanderbilt in NYC
OPENING WEEKEND MASTERCLASS
- Carolina swept opening weekend while being extremely efficient on offense and lockdown on defense
- The Tar Heels hit an insane .470 against UNCW on Sunday which is the most efficient offensive performance since Nov. 11, 2016
- UNC also shut down the UNCW offense, holding them to a -.010 hitting percentage, the lowest since Boston College hit -.010 on Oct. 21, 2016
- Through two matches the UNC defense is holding opponents to a stellar .055 hitting percentage which is second best in the nation early on
LUCKY NUMBER... 19?
- Carolina was ranked No. 19 five consecutive AVCA polls between Nov. 24, 2025-Aug. 31, 2026
- Before this stretch the Tar Heels had only been ranked No. 19 twice in the history of the AVCA Top 25 (Nov. 4, 2013, Aug. 10, 2016)
- Five straight polls at the same ranking is the longest stretch since Carolina was ranked No. 7 in five consecutive polls between Nov. 17, 2014-Aug. 12, 2015
RETURNING FIREPOWER
- Carolina didn't lose anyone to the transfer portal for the second consecutive year and it's allowing a lot of production to return
- Out of the 1536 kills last season, 1535 (99.9%) of those are back on the 2026 roster, 100% of the 342 blocks are back, 90.2% of aces are returning, and 69.7% of digs
- Safi Hampton and Chelsea Thorpe were both named to the Preseason All-ACC Team ahead of the 2026 season
O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
- The 2026 leadership team consists of Zoe Behrendt, Chelsea Thrope, and Sadie Swift
BEHIND THE SCHEDULE
- The Tar Heels will square off with eight different teams who made the NCAA Tournament last season
- They will face National Runner-Up Kentucky, National Semi-Finalist Pitt, and 2025 overall No. 1 seed Nebraska all on the road this season.
- UNC will also travel to SMU, host Stanford and Georgia Tech, and play Louisville and Miami both home and away.
- Carolina will square off against six teams in the AVCA Preseason Top-11 over the course of seven matches throughout the season, five on the road and two at home
THE CLUB CONNECTION
- Incoming transfers Laynie Smith and Emily Bobbitt will have a connection before they ever play in Carolina blue together
- The two played together at Triangle Volleyball Club
- Triangle is also where Erin Curtis, Lindley Miller, and Carly Markham played club prior to college
- Erin Curtis' father, Jason, co-founded the club
- Head coach Mike Schall served as an associate director at Triangle before arriving in Chapel Hill
YEAR FOUR OF THE SCHALL ERA
- Entering year four, Coach Schall looks to build off the momentum of the first three seasons
- Carolina is ranked in the preseason AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll for the first time since 2017 and was picked fifth in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll
- In year one he went 13-14 and turned that around with a 23-8 record in 2024 with the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021, followed by a 22-9 campaign in 2025 with another first round victory in the NCAA Tournament
- UNC is now chasing three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since it went to seven in a row between 2010-16
ATHLETIC PEDIGREE
- Jackie Taylor's father, Sean, played football for the University of Miami from 2001-2003 and was a member of the 2001 BCS National Championship team. He was the No. 5 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft to the Washington Redskins where he was a two-time Pro-Bowl Selection (2006, 2007)
-Her mom, Jackie García, was a midfielder on the women's soccer team at the University of Miami
- Erin Curtis', father Jason was a captain on the Santa Clara men's volleyball team, sister Emily was a setter at Villanova and sister Maggie was a defensive specialist at Santa Clara
- Julia Bohlinger: Father Rob played football at the University of Wyoming (1993-98) and professionally in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers as a left tackle
- Carson Overbeck's mom, Carla, was a three-time All-America and four-time NCAA Champion on the UNC soccer team from 1986-89. She captained the 1995 U.S. World Cup squad that advanced to the semifinals and also served as captain of the 1996 U.S. Women's Soccer Olympic Team that won the gold medal. She is currently an assistant coach for the Duke women's soccer team
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Players Mentioned
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OH/OPP
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MB
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OH/OPP
/ VolleyballMonday, September 07
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