UNCW to open NCAA Volleyball Tournament against the UNC Tar Heels

Tim McDonnell (CAA) — One week after capturing the program’s first-ever CAA volleyball title, UNCW learned its NCAA Championship fate on Sunday evening, and the Seahawks will face North Carolina in Chapel Hill this Friday.

The Seahawks take on the Tar Heels (20-9) at 6:30 p.m. at Carmichael Arena.

UNCW (24-7) earned the No. 3 seed in the CAA Championship Tournament and eventually earned a spot in its first title match since 1988. The Hawks certainly made the most of the opportunity by earning a convincing 3-0 sweep over College of Charleston for the aforementioned CAA trophy.

This season alone, the Seahawks grabbed a share of the CAA regular season title for the first time in program history and also won a program-best 12 matches in conference play. In non-conference play, UNCW went 9-3 and defeated both Clemson and the Tar Heels (both on the road).

The win over UNC occurred on Sept. 11, while the Seahawks earned a hard-fought 3-2 decision, snapping the Tar Heels’ 24-match home winning streak. It was also the first win for the Hawks in the all-time series, though the series resumed for the first time since 1993 this fall.

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WILMINGTON, NC (UNCW) — UNCW, the newly-crowned Colonial Athletic Association champions, will face host North Carolina on Friday at 6:30 p.m. in the opening round of the NCAA Championship tournament in Carmichael Arena.

Rounding out the sub-regional are 16th-seeded and Big East champion Creighton and Big South champion, Coastal Carolina. The Blue Jays and Chanticleers will play at earlier on Friday at 4:30 p.m.

Friday’s match will be the second this season between the Seahawks and Tar Heels. UNCW took a five-setter on Sept. 11 that saw them battle back from a 2-1 deficit and win 15-13 in the fifth set. It was the Seahawks fist win against UNC.

The Seahawks (24-7) carry a three-match winning streak into the NCAA tournament after sweeping through the CAA tournament earlier this month.

The Tar Heels (20-9) finished third in the ACC with a 17-3 record, just behind champion Louisville and second-place Florida State.

Creighton, meanwhile, rolled to a 25-8 record overall and a 17-1 mark in the Big East. Last weekend, the Blue Jays swept Villanova in the Big East Conference finals to advance to their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament.

Coastal Carolina rounds out the regional field after sweeping seventh-seed Campbell in the finals of the Big South Conference finals. The Chants clipped the Seahawks earlier this season, 3-1, in Conway, S.C.