Dec. 11, 2002

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Three members of the No. 11 North Carolina volleyball team earned 2002 American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region honors and head coach Joe Sagula was named the Region Coach of the Year, the AVCA announced today.

Senior setter Eve Rackham and senior outside hitter Laura Greene were both named to the East Region First Team, and sophomore outside hitter Molly Pyles earned East Region Honorable Mention.

Sagula, in his 13th season, was also named region coach of the year in 1998 and 2001. This year he has let the Tar Heels to a 32-3 overall record and a 15-1 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference, winning the conference regular season title. He has led his time to the highest-ever ranking for an ACC team at 11th and also to the first Sweet 16 for an ACC school since 1994 and the first-ever for North Carolina. Thirty-two wins is the highest totally for a Carolina team since 1985.

Rackham, an All-ACC First Team selection this season, is averaging 12.88 assists per game this season. She is currently second all-time at UNC with 5,668 assists in her career.

Greene, the ACC Player of the Year, is selected to her second All-East Region team in as many years. She is the first Tar Heel to record 1,500 career digs and kills and holds a school record with 1,550 career digs.

Pyles was a Second-Team All-ACC selection this year. She is second on the team averaging 3.50 kill and 3.06 kills per game.

The Tar Heels travel to Lincoln, Neb. Wednesday to take on the Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine in the Central Regional of the 2002 NCAA Tournament. The teams face off Friday at 6 p.m. ET in the NU Coliseum. Live Stats of the match will be available via the Web site of the University of Nebraska athletics department, www.huskers.com.