UNC volleyball sweeps ACC awards

They’ve now moved on to the NCAA Regionals

UNC volleyball is in the process of one of its best seasons in school history. The ACC coaches took notice as six Carolina players were named to All-Conference teams and Coach Joe Sagula was named the Coach of the Year for the ACC.

Taylor Leath, Taylor Treacy and Julia Scoles were named to the All-ACC First Team. Abigail Curry and Taylor Fricano were named to the Second Team. Taylor Borup and Julia Scoles were named to the Freshman Team. We asked Taylor Leath, Julia Scoles and Coach Sagula about their reactions to their awards.

The first Carolina player to ever be named AVCA Volleyball Player of the Week, outside hitter Taylor Leath took home the conference’s Player of the Year award. She said, “It’s a huge honor, but it’s a team effort. I wouldn’t be able to get the kills, the blocks or the digs without my teammates around me.”

The ACC Freshman of the Year is the other outside hitter, Julia Scoles, and she also had a similar response on what that award meant to her. “It’s a great honor to receive that award in the ACC because it’s so competitive and it shows how much our team has accomplished this year.”

Both Taylor and Julia also talked about their teammates when asked about their favorite memory so far this season. Taylor’s was the Clemson game. “Everyone who was eligible got to play and it’s so rewarding to see that work pay off for them,” Taylor said. Julia said, “My favorite part of this season has been being able to compete and play with the people who mean the most to me, which is my teammates.”

When asked about being named Coach of the Year for the ACC, Coach Sagula pointed back to his team. “It’s a reflection of my whole staff and our players efforts. A coach usually wins this award when his team is very successful and so it’s a reflection on all of us,” he said.

Both players made sure to express that while it was an honor to be singled out, volleyball is ultimately a team game. Coach Sagula echoed this when he said, “we teach them to constantly be humble and hungry.”

When asked how this momentum would carry into what was then the upcoming NCAA tournament, in which Carolina has moved into the regionals, Coach Sagula said “It creates some confidence, but after that it’s a whole new thing. Your opponent doesn’t care if you’re player of the year or the first player off the bench.”

Taylor said it shows she and the team “have a responsibility” to perform well, but she does like that they are being noticed as a strong team.

This team is still hungry, and their work isn’t over yet. In a season filled with firsts for UNC volleyball, the team is still looking to add the first Final Four appearance to its list of accomplishments.

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