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University of North Carolina Athletics
2017 First Look: Pin Hitters
August 23, 2017 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina returns an incredibly talented group of pin hitters in 2016, including AVCA All-Americans Taylor Leath and Julia Scoles, who were named ACC Player and Freshman of the Year, respectively, last season. Taylor Borup is expected to see increased playing time this fall after earning ACC All-Freshman honors last season, while junior Madison Laufenberg returns to swing from the pins as well.
Redshirt freshman Holly Carlton, who has trained primarily as a setter throughout her career, spent the summer playing opposite hitter for the U.S. Junior Women's National Team. Taylor Fricano and Keimaya Hunter, listed as middles on the roster, could also see action on the right side, while freshman Sehrena Hull, who is expected to play back row, was a talented outside hitter in high school and could earn a chance to take some swings as well.
Head Coach Joe Sagula on the pin hitters:
"I think this team's strength is our pins. Borup and Leath and Scoles and Laufenberg—to have four people like that right now is pretty amazing. I think when people think about North Carolina right now, they think of Scoles and Leath, but the fact that Borup is right there with them...this is unique to us that we're more of a pin-oriented team, after several years revolving more around our middles. This team is going to be strong because our pins are really successful. At the highest level, you're going to win with two good left sides, and we have three."
- 2016 AVCA All-America Second Team
- 2016 ACC Player of the Year
- Three-time National Player of the Week in 2016
- Named 2017 Preseason All-ACC and to both PrepVolleyball and FloVolleyball's Preseason National Player of the Year lists
- A six-rotation outside hitter, she appeared in 32 of 33 matches last season
- Led Carolina with 374 kills, hitting .252 with 299 digs, 70 blocks and 19 aces
- Named to every all-tournament team in 2016, including MVP of the TCU Horned Frog Challenge and the sole Tar Heel on the NCAA Minneapolis All-Regional Team
- Steps up against top competition, registering three 20-kill performances against top-10 teams
- 2016 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention
- 2016 ACC Freshman of the Year
- 2016 AVCA East Coast Region Freshman of the Year
- Two-time ACC Player of the Week after winning the first two ACC Freshman of the Week awards of the year
- Put together one of the best rookie seasons in school history in 2016, hitting .276 with 305 kills, 259 digs and 54 blocks
- Led the Tar Heels with 32 aces, ranking sixth in the ACC in aces per set
- Finished in the top five all time among UNC freshmen in kills, attempts, hitting pct. and aces per set, as well as seventh in digs
- Registered 10 double-doubles, including the first kills-digs 20-20 in five years with 23 kills and 21 digs in a key victory at Notre Dame
- 2016 ACC All-Freshman Team
- Played in 29 matches last season as a true freshman, making seven starts
- Tallied 164 kills, 51 digs, 45 blocks and five aces, hitting .247
- Had a breakout performance off the bench against No. 5 Minnesota, recording 17 kills and four blocks
- Earned a place on the TCU Horned Frog Challenge All-Tournament Team after hitting .455 with 11 kills against TCU
- Could play outside or opposite hitter this season
- Appeared in 13 matches (22 sets) over her first two seasons
- Totals 18 kills, six digs and 10 blocks
- Struggled with an ankle injury that kept her out of the lineup for much of the first half of the season
- Hit .429 with a career-high four kills on seven swings at Notre Dame
- Posted a personal-best four digs with three kills and two blocks against Wake Forest in the regular-season finale
- Seeks first collegiate action after using 2016 as a redshirt season
- Has the potential to play both setter and opposite hitter
- Led the U.S. Women's Junior National Team to the gold medal at the U20 Pan American Cup in May and a seventh-place finish at the FIVB Women's U20 World Championship in June as an opposite hitter
- Scored 21 points (13 kills, five blocks, three aces) with eight digs in a five-set match against China at FIVB Worlds
- Ranked the No. 25 recruit in the nation on PrepVolleyball.com's list of Senior Aces
- Named to three All-America teams as a senior in high school
- Led Potomac Falls High School to the Virginia 5A State Finals as a senior and won the 2016 Sports Performance National Junior Classic title with Metro VBC
