No. 25 North Carolina is headed to Lincoln with a pair of ranked matchups on deck, opening a Friday-Saturday road swing against No. 1 Nebraska and FGCU.
The Tar Heels, 4-2, meet the top-ranked Cornhuskers on Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. ET before turning around to face FGCU on Sept. 19 at 1 p.m.
ET. Carolina has not beaten a No. 1 team before and enters the weekend still looking for its first win at Nebraska, its first top-five road win, its first victory over a Big Ten program since defeating Michigan State on Sept. 22, 2024, and its first-ever win against FGCU.
The early numbers have Carolina feeling good about where its game is headed. Through six matches, Safi Hampton leads the Tar Heels with 65 kills and 3.10 points per set, while also pacing the team with 46 digs.
Jackie Taylor has been just as important at the net and from the service line, leading Carolina with 25 blocks and nine aces. She is eight block assists from the top 10 in program history and is also closing in on the top 10 in total blocks early in her third season.
Carolina’s opening weekend set the tone. The Tar Heels swept their first matches while showing sharp efficiency on offense and a tight grip on defense.
Against UNCW on Sunday, UNC hit .470, its most efficient offensive performance since Nov. 11, 2016.
The defense was just as suffocating, holding UNCW to a -.010 hitting percentage, the lowest by an opponent since Boston College finished at -.010 on Oct. 21, 2016.
Across its first two matches, UNC has limited opponents to a .055 hitting percentage, which ranks second in the nation this early in the season.
Bridget Malone provided one of the standout performances of the young season against Colorado State on Sept. 4. She posted a career-high 23 kills and added four blocks in a five-set Carolina win.
There is also a familiar number attached to the Tar Heels right now. Carolina has been ranked No. 19 in five straight AVCA polls dating back to Nov.
24, 2025. Before that run, the Tar Heels had only appeared at No. 19 twice in AVCA Top 25 history, on Nov. 4, 2013 and Aug.
10, 2016. The five-poll stretch is Carolina’s longest at the same ranking since it was No. 7 in five consecutive polls from Nov. 17, 2014, through Aug.
12, 2015.
This roster has a lot coming back with it, too. Carolina did not lose anyone to the transfer portal for the second straight year, and nearly everything from last season is back.
Of the team’s 1,536 kills in 2025, 1,535 return on the 2026 roster. All 342 blocks are back, along with 90.2% of the aces and 69.7% of the digs.
Safi Hampton and Chelsea Thorpe were both named to the Preseason All-ACC Team ahead of the 2026 season.
The leadership group for 2026 features Zoe Behrendt, Chelsea Thrope, and Sadie Swift.
The road ahead is loaded. Carolina will face eight teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season, including Kentucky, Pitt, and Nebraska away from home.
The Tar Heels also travel to SMU, host Stanford and Georgia Tech, and play Louisville and Miami both home and away. In all, Carolina is set to see six teams in the AVCA Preseason Top-11 across seven matches, with five of those on the road and two at home.
There is some built-in familiarity inside the program as well. Laynie Smith and Emily Bobbitt played together at Triangle Volleyball Club before joining Carolina, and Triangle also produced Erin Curtis, Lindley Miller, and Carly Markham. Curtis’ father, Jason, co-founded the club, and head coach Mike Schall worked there as an associate director before coming to Chapel Hill.
Schall is entering year four with the Tar Heels and has already pushed the program into a new stretch. Carolina is in the preseason AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll for the first time since 2017 and was picked fifth in the ACC preseason coaches poll.
Schall went 13-14 in his first season, then followed with a 23-8 record in 2024 and Carolina’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021. Last season brought a 22-9 finish and another first-round NCAA Tournament win.
Now UNC is trying to string together three straight NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since a seven-year run from 2010-16.
The roster also carries plenty of athletic lineage. Jackie Taylor’s father, Sean, played football at Miami from 2001-2003, was part of the Hurricanes’ 2001 BCS national championship team, went No. 5 in the 2004 NFL Draft to Washington, and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection in 2006 and 2007.
Her mother, Jackie García, played midfield for Miami women’s soccer. Erin Curtis’ father, Jason, captained the Santa Clara men’s volleyball team, while her sisters Emily and Maggie played at Villanova and Santa Clara, respectively.
Julia Bohlinger’s father, Rob, played football at Wyoming from 1993-98 and later in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers as a left tackle. Carson Overbeck’s mother, Carla, was a three-time All-America and four-time NCAA champion on UNC’s soccer team from 1986-89, captained the 1995 U.S.
World Cup squad that reached the semifinals, and served as captain of the 1996 U.S. Women’s Soccer Olympic Team that won gold.
She is now an assistant coach for Duke women’s soccer.
In Other News...
Bill Belichick's Viral UNC Interview Just Added To A Growing Problem
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Still, the attention around the program has not been limited to what is happening on the field. UNC is dealing with an internal human resources investigation, and the ripple effects have already been felt in the building, with general manager Michael Lombardi resigning and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick on medical leave. For a program trying to steady itself under a high-profile coach, the off-field backdrop has only made the next steps more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
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Tar Heels Suddenly Have A Roster Fight That Could Change This Season
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What makes the case worth watching from North Carolinas side is the timing. The court has already taken testimony on a preliminary injunction request, and the ruling is still pending, leaving the Tar Heels in a holding pattern as the season picture comes into focus. For a program trying to sort out its roster and its competitive ceiling, this is the kind of off-court development that can ripple quickly once a decision finally lands. [Read more 🡒]