Volleyball coach reaches 600 win milestone

Two weeks ago, North Carolina volleyball head coach Joe Sagula won his 600th career match, becoming one of just a handful of coaches to reach that milestone. Sagula looks at the achievement quite modestly.

“For me, it’s really a recognition that I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I’ve won more games than I lost,” Sagula said.

Sagula’s career now stands at 605-379, with 402 coming in his 21 years at UNC after coaching at the University of Pennsylvania for nine seasons. He has won more games than any volleyball coach in program history and has overseen five ACC Championships and 11 NCAA Tournament berths.

But Sagula’s 600th win did not come without its share of difficulty — he waited an entire off-season to reach the milestone. The Tar Heels lost their final game last season to the N.C. State team, which hadn’t won a single ACC game until that point. And Sagula stood at 599 until a 3-0 win against Campbell on Aug. 28.

“There was a lot of hype about it last year, and it was frustrating because I didn’t want it to be a factor,” Sagula said. “And the fact that I was done so early now, I thought it was good. I just wanted it to be over with.”

Assistant coach and former UNC player Eve Rackham said she appreciates Sagula’s vision and consistency.

Players said Sagula’s high standards have made him successful.

Senior outside hitter Suzanne Haydel said Sagula maximizes the production of each player.

“He knows how much potential each player has, and he gets on them about it,” Haydel said. “But I think the more he gets on a person, the more he knows how good that person can be.”

UNC graduate Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland, now playing professionally in Sweden, said that Sagula’s high standards were not without care for the players. She recounts the dichotomy that the two shared during her tenure.

“He let me know early on that there were a lot of things I would have to change, whether it was behavior, attitude, dress, habits, mentality, etc.,” she said in an e-mail. “And no matter how much I fought him, or gave him a hard time, or even gave him reasons to get rid of me, he still stuck with me, and that really meant a lot to know that someone believed in me so faithfully.”

A few of the 605 wins stand out to Sagula, including his first win against Duke and a 2002 win against No. 10 Wisconsin, he said.

But it was Sagula’s first victory at Carmichael Arena that he said truly made him feel like he belonged at UNC.

“I remember that when it was over, the band was there, and they had a sign that said ‘Welcome Coach Sagula,’” he said. “It made me feel important.”

As his career continues, the coach wants to push the limits of success at UNC.

“I want to build this program to be even more successful, and when it’s time to finish that I can say, ‘North Carolina’s got a really good program.’”

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