Can the UNCW Seahawks knock out the UNC Tar Heels on Friday in volleyball?

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY  — UNCW will face North Carolina on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship. “I think our girls are playing well right now,” UNCW head coach Amy Bambanek told WWAY on Wednesday.  “They’re very unified as a team encouraging one another. To have a win in the NCAA Tournament during the first time the program has ever been in the tournament would be tremendous.”

“For us to win I think we just need to relax and play our game,” UNCW junior Nicole Lott said.”We do our best when we’re confident, calm and we block.”

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WILMINGTON, NC (UNCW) – While the Seahawks prepare to make their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship this weekend, UNCWSports.com takes a closer look at the other three teams who will be joining the Seahawks in Chapel Hill.

A Look at North Carolina
Nickname: Tar Heels
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Location & Enrollment: Chapel Hill, N.C. | 18,350 (undergraduate)
How They Reached NCAA Tournament: At-Large Berth
NCAA Tournament Appearances (Including 2015): 17 (Most Recent: 2014)
Series vs. UNCW: Tar Heels lead, 4-1
Notes of Interest:
• North Carolina suffered a five-set loss against UNCW on Sept. 11 at Carmichael Arena. It was the Tar Heels’ first-ever loss against the Seahawks.
• After losing against UNCW, the Tar Heels won 17 of their next 20 matches. They had a 12-match win streak snapped in the regular season finale against Duke on Saturday afternoon.
• A trio of Tar Heels – senior Paige Neuenfeldt, Victoria McPherson and junior Taylor Treacy – earned First-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in a vote of the league’s head coaches.
• Eight of North Carolina’s nine non-conference opponents earned a berth into this year’s NCAA Tournament field.

A Look at Coastal Carolina
Nickname: Chanticleers
Conference: Big South
Location & Enrollment: Conway, S.C. | 9,984
How They Reached NCAA Tournament: Automatic Qualifier (Big South Champions)
NCAA Tournament Appearances (Including 2015): 5 (Most Recent: 2014)
Series vs. UNCW: Seahawks lead, 33-24
Notes of Interest:
• Coastal Carolina brings a school-record 18-match win streak into the NCAA Tournament, which started on Sept. 22 with a four-set victory at South Carolina.
• The Chanticleers earned a four-set victory over UNCW on Sept. 15 at The HTC Center.
• Sophomore Leah Hardeman was named as the Big South Conference Player of the Year while Coach Jozsef Forman earned the league’s Coach of the Year honor.
• Coastal Carolina is the first team to win back-to-back Big South titles since Liberty earned consecutive conference crowns in 2011 and 2012.

A Look at Creighton
Nickname: Blue Jays
Conference: BIG EAST
Location & Enrollment: Omaha, Neb. | 8,236
How They Reached NCAA Tournament: Automatic Qualifier (BIG EAST Champions)
NCAA Tournament Appearances (Including 2015): 5 (Most Recent: 2014)
Series vs. UNCW: 0-0
Notes of Interest:
• Creighton has won 20 of its last 21 matches after posting a three-set victory over Villanova on Saturday, which secured their second straight BIG EAST title.
• All five of Creighton’s NCAA Tournament appearances have come in the last six years, including the last four in a row.
• A trio of Creighton players – senior Maggie Baumert, junior Lauren Smith and freshman Jaali Winters – earned First-Team All-BIG EAST accolades.
• Creighton, which will serve as the host institution for the semifinals and championship match, also serves as the host institution for the Men’s College World Series, which is held in Omaha every year.
• The Creighton volleyball team is the first women’s team in school history to appear in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments.