The UNC volleyball program has released its schedule for the 2026 season, the fourth under the leadership of head coach Mike Schall. The Tar Heels are looking to build upon a 2025 season which saw them advance to the NCAA Tournament’s second round.
UNC will begin with its usual Blue and White scrimmage at Carmichael Arena the night of Aug. 21 before hosting High Point in an exhibition the following afternoon. The regular season officially begins on the road, as the Tar Heels will make the short trek to Davidson to face the Wildcats on Aug. 29. Carolina’s home opener is the next day against UNC-Wilmington.
Two notable non-conference fixtures see the Tar Heels take visits to championship-winning programs. Carolina visits 2025 national runners-up and 2020 national champions Kentucky in Lexington Wednesday, Sep. 7 at 7 p.m. before traveling to Nebraska to face the five-time champion Cornhuskers Friday, Sep. 18. The visit to Lincoln is for a two-match event, with UNC also facing Florida Gulf Coast the next day. In between the visits to Lexington and Lincoln, Carolina will face Vanderbilt in New York City on Sep. 13. The match is part of the “Anchor Down in Midtown” event, will be counted as a Vanderbilt home match and will be played at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.
ACC play begins with UNC on the road in six of its first eight matches, including trips to NC State (Sep. 25), Wake Forest (Sep. 27), Virginia (Oct. 11) and Louisville (Oct. 18). Carolina will also play ACC powers SMU (Nov. 6) and Pittsburgh (Nov. 8) on the road. Notable home fixtures include matches against Stanford (Oct. 25), Duke (Nov. 15, just three days after a road matchup with the Blue Devils in Durham), Florida State (Nov. 22) and Louisville (Nov. 25).
For a full look at UNC’s 2026 schedule, click here.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Dalton T. Wainscott
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