UNC Faces Overmatched State in ACC Opener

Forget for a second that the Tar Heels have won 12 of their first 13 games and are ranked 15th in the nation, the highest in the program's history.

Tonight is the beginning of the real season -- the first ACC game.

"To be 12-1 is a great accomplishment, but there's still room for improvement," said UNC coach Joe Sagula. "You know what our record is now? It's not 12-1, we're 0-0. And that's the way we're going to approach it."

But Sagula said he knows being the favorite means every opponent will bring its best game to the gym.

"There's a target on our back, and that bull's-eye is huge," he said. "Everybody is gunning for us."

The first ACC team to take aim at the Tar Heels will be N.C. State at 7 p.m. today at Carmichael Auditorium.

The Wolfpack has struggled this season, limping to a 2-15 start.

State carries a three-game losing streak into tonight's game and has dropped its last five ACC openers.

In contrast, the Tar Heels are riding a four-game winning streak and have won their last six conference openers. UNC has also won its last 10 matches against its archrival.

Two Tar Heels will be aiming for individual accomplishments tonight. Setter Eve Rackham is 10 digs away from hitting 1,000 for her career.

Outside hitter Laura Greene, who is third in the ACC in kills, is 10 digs away from moving into third place all-time at North Carolina. At her pace of 3.81 digs per game, she will become the all-time leader in a few matches.

But the team is not looking forward to tonight for individual achievements. Before the season, the team set goals of winning the ACC regular season championship and the postseason tournament.

"When we start ACCs, that's pretty much the start of our goals," said middle hitter Aletha Green.

She added that she thinks the team has yet to play its best ball of the season.

"I definitely don't think our team's reached its full potential yet, which is a good thing, because we're 15th now," Green said.

Sagula said Green, the team leader in kill percentage, has made the most significant improvement on the team this year.

Sagula also said he would like to see the team improve its ability to put teams away but acknowledged that it is difficult to play at a high-intensity level throughout an entire season.

"It is a difficult thing to stay focused for 30-something matches during a season, but we have to learn how to do that," he said.

If the team plays the game it wants to, UNC will start the focal part of its season 1-0.

"State's a team (that) if they come in emotional and spirited and aggressive on defense, they'll make it a match," Sagula said. "If we control the momentum and we control the spirit of the match, I think it'll be a quick night."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.