Nov. 22, 2011
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina travels to Raleigh, N.C., to face rival NC State in its final match of the regular season Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Reynolds Coliseum.
SCOUTING THE TEAMS: Carolina is coming off a road weekend split, where they fell at Virginia Tech, 1-3 (20-25, 25-18, 20-25, 20-25) but bounced back to win at Virginia, 3-1 (29-27, 25-23, 19-25, 25-20). The Tar Heels are tied for third in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 14-5 ledger, 22-8 overall. NC State has won three of its last four, but is coming off a five-set loss as Virginia Tech Nov. 19. The Wolfpack are tied for sixth in the conference at 8-11, 20-12 overall.
SERIES RECORDS: Carolina is 74-28 all-time against NC State and has won four of the last five with the Wolfpack, including a five-set victory earlier this season. NCSU rallied from two sets down to force a deciding game five before the Tar Heels prevailed, 3-2 (25-12, 25-11, 23-25, 20-25, 15-9) Oct. 4, at Carmichael Arena. UNC's last win at NC State came Sept. 21, 2010 as the Tar Heels won, 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-20).
GIBSON SHOWING CLASS: Senior Kaylie Gibson was recently named one of ten finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The 2010 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, 2010 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and 2011 Preseason All-ACC selection has compiled a team-high 485 digs to-date and ranks fourth in the conference in digs per frame (4.62). The senior libero from Apex, N.C., also leads the team in service aces (27) and has registered the third-most assists (110).
CLIMBING THE POLLS: The NCAA released the 2011 season's fifth Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and the Tar Heels hold the third-best rating of any school in the ACC at No. 33, trailing only Miami (No. 24) and Florida State (No. 8).
20-WIN SEASON: With a victory over Georgia Tech Nov. 11, Carolina reached the 20-win mark for the third time in four years. The Tar Heels won 22 matches in 2008 and 25 in 2010. UNC is also still on track to match its highest win total in the ACC since the league switched to a 20-game format in 2008. The Tar Heels' highest win-total since the switch came in 2008 and 2010 as they finished both seasons with a 15-5 record in conference. Carolina is currently 14-5 heading into its season finale at NC State.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000: After posting 17 kills in the victory at Virginia Nov. 19, Emily McGee has amassed 950 kills in her career to-date. The junior outside hitter will have an opportunity to inch closer to the 1,000 kill club with the match at NC State and with a possible NCAA Tournament bid for the Tar Heels.
NELSON HEATING UP: Chaniel Nelson seems to have hit her stride towards the back half of the regular season, posting double-digit kills in eight of Carolina's last 11 matches, including a career-high 20 kills at Miami Nov. 4. The redshirt freshman also tallied career-high in blocks with 10 against Georgia Tech Nov. 11
DOUBLE TROUBLE: 2011 Preseason All-ACC selection Emily McGee is having a breakout season, posting double-digit kills in 27 of UNC's 30 matches. The junior outside hitter has been on a tear of late, corralling 14 double-doubles in the Tar Heels last 16 matches as well as garnering ACC Player of the Week honors Oct. 10 It marked the second time she has been chosen Player of the Week in her career, also having won it Oct. 25, 2010. McGee ranks second in the conference in both kills per set (3.99) and points (4.41).
POTENT TAR HEEL ATTACK: Carolina's offense continues to roll, ranking amongst the best in the country. UNC is third in the nation and leads the ACC in assists per set at a 14.00 clip. Senior setter Erica Behm leads the Tar Heels with 820 assists to-date, shattering her previous career-high of 488 total assists in 2010. The native of Downers Grove, Ill., is also averaging a team-high 8.45 assists per set. North Carolina also tops the conference in kills per frame (14.95) and ranks fourth nationally. The Tar Heels are 32nd in the country and fourth in the league in hitting percentage with a .251 attack efficiency.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Four Tar Heels have tallied at least 245 kills with a .216 attack percentage or better: Emily McGee (419/.260), Chaniel Nelson (289/.245), Kayla Berringer (292/.216) and Tia Gaffen (248/.299).
BLOCK PARTY: UNC is also stout defensively, ranking fifth in the conference in blocks per set (2.35). Chaniel Nelson and Cameron Van Noy lead the way for the Tar Heel up front, averaging 1.02 and 1.28 blocks per frame respectively. As a team, Carolina is holding its opponents to a .183 attack efficiency, the third-best mark in the ACC. Carolina also ranks third in the league in digs per set (16.33). Gibson leads the Tar Heel with 485 digs, followed by McGee (343) and sophomore Kaitlyn Anderson (141).
ANDERSON STEPPING UP: Having appeared sparingly in the Tar Heels' first 12 matches, sophomore Kaitlyn Anderson has bolstered the Tar Heel defense of late, participating in every set in 16 of the last 17 matches, all in ACC play. Anderson recorded a then career-high 13 digs in a five-set win at Clemson, Sept. 30. She later posted a new career-best 21 digs in a 3-2 victory at home against then No. 21 Miami Oct. 9, and also collected double-digit digs (12) in UNC's win at Wake Forest Oct. 21. The defensive specialist from Ayden, N.C., is fourth on the team with 123 digs and is third in dig average (1.93). Anderson was also recently named to the Capital One Academic All-District Volleyball Team>.
