Dec. 8, 2002

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-No. 13 North Carolina, the 11th seed in the 2002 NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament, will head to Lincoln, Neb. this week to make its first appearance in the Sweet 16 in the 22 years of the tournament's existence.

The Tar Heels will play the sixth-seeded University of Hawaii at 6 p.m. ET Friday. Hawaii is currently ranked No. 2 in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll and has a 32-1 record this season. The Rainbow Wahines' only loss came to Stanford.

Nebraska, the third-seed, will face Miami (Fla.) in the other regional match at 8 p.m. ET. The winners will play Saturday at 8 p.m. ET for a chance to go to the Final Four in New Orleans. The matches will be played in the University of Nebraska Coliseum.

The Tar Heels advanced to the Regional with a 3-0 win over Winthrop in the First Round and a 3-1 victory of South Carolina in the Second Round in Chapel Hill. The Rainbow Wahine topped First-Round opponent Western Kentucky 3-0 and Second-Round foe Washington 3-0 as well. Nebraska advanced with sweeps of Tennessee-Martin and Arizona State, while Miami swept Duke and topped Wisconsin 3-1.

The Tar Heels (32-3) earned an at large bid to the tournament after just two regular season losses and a 15-1 Atlantic Coast Conference record.

Carolina is one of four ACC teams to make the tournament - along with Georgia Tech, Florida State and Duke. Both Duke and Florida State made First Round exits, and Georgia Tech advanced to the Second Round with a win over Florida A&M before falling to seventh-seeded Minnesota.

The Tar Heels now have a 5-8 record all-time in the NCAA Tournament.