Heels have choice between two star setters

Who would've thought that it would be volleyball coach Joe Sagula, not football coach John Bunting, with a quarterback controversy?

Watch out for low-flying pigs.

With his Tar Heels tied atop the ACC with a 6-1 record (11-6 overall), Sagula must decide who he wants to run his offense: senior McKenzie Byrd or freshman Stephanie Jansma.

Although their position reads "setter" in the media guide, you can call them Joe Montana and Steve Young. The setter is the most important player on the court, contacting the ball virtually every time it crosses the net with the intent of delivering a perfect pass - a "set" - for the hitter to pummel.

Some teams can't find one quality setter, but the Tar Heels have the not-so-terrible dilemma of choosing between two.

Jansma started the last three matches (wins against N.C. State on Tuesday, and Florida State and Miami this weekend), but she backed up Byrd early in the season.

"She got to play because McKenzie - had a thigh pull (for the match against N.C. State)," Sagula said. "We didn't play well, so we wanted two things: wanted her to have the chance to get into a better rhythm and McKenzie to rest her leg because she wasn't at 100 percent (for FSU)."

After Friday's win against the Seminoles, Sagula stuck with Jansma for Miami on Saturday because, "she was in such a rhythm and she played so well, we figured let's maintain that through tonight and give her some more experience."

Jansma was more than ready for the increased role.

"I definitely like being in there and hope to contribute the most to the team and get 'em going and produce wins," Jansma said.

And she said being a freshman has no impact on her on-court demeanor.

"I'm the setter, and I have to get the job done," Jansma said. "I have confidence in my ability."

The Tar Heels, though, are prepared to play with either QB at the helm.

"They're both great setters," said senior outside hitter Dani Nyenhuis. "They battle every day in practice. - We practice with both, so the transition's not too hard."

And Sagula agreed in his assessment of the four-pigtailed monster.

"(The team) feels pretty comfortable with both," he said. "They both bring a little different dynamic and speed of the game, so they both have something really positive to bring."

But as for the Daunte Culpepper-sized question - Who will start now that Byrd is healthy? - Sagula remains undecided.

"I think we'll see how practice goes this week with everybody healthy, and (we'll make) that decision," he said.

Jansma retreated into typical cliche mode when asked about the competition. "I'm just going to work hard in practice and see what happens," she said.

This season the Tar Heels are 6-3 with Byrd playing the majority of the time and 5-3 with Jansma under center. And while Byrd's serving, digging, blocking and setting statistics are slightly better than Jansma's, both are clearly capable of running the team effectively.

Jerry Rice never complained about who was passing him the ball, and you can be sure the UNC hitters won't either.

 

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.