The North Carolina volleyball team will take on the Oregon Ducks in the regional semifinals of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.  The game, which will be played in Minneapolis, marks the second appearance for the Tar Heels in the round of 16 in school history.

The Tar Heels (28-2; 17-1 ACC) kept their focus by defeating Howard (3-0) in round one and USC (3-1) in the second round.  The wins extended North Carolina’s winning streak to 19 games.

The Ducks shared the same success in their first two rounds as they swept Santa Clara (3-0) and defeated LSU (3-1) to reach the regional semifinals.

Oregon (23-9; 11-9 PAC-12) is seeded 10th overall and is ranked 16th in the country according to the AVCA Coaches Poll after finishing 4th in the competitive PAC-12.

Carolina’s defense, which was stellar in the first two rounds in holding opponents to a meager .099 hitting percentage overall, will need another strong performance against Oregon.  The Ducks are led by senior outside hitter Liz Brenner who is coming off a 10 kill 10 dig double-double performance against LSU in the second round.

The two teams have met twice previously with both teams earning one victory.

The Tar Heels and the Ducks will square off Friday at 7p.m. eastern, 6p.m. central, in the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Coverage is available live on ESPN3 and live stats will be provided by GameTracker