Reinforcements couldn't come at a better time for Erin Matson and the UNC women's field hockey team.
Sitting at 3-4 (and being unranked for the first time in program history), the Tar Heels desperately need a spark. The good news is that another court ruling has answered UNC's prayers.
Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Kara Krothe in Indiana granted an injunction restoring a fifth season of eligibility for a trio of UNC women's field hockey players: Sietske Brüning, Ryleigh Heck, and Dani Mendez. This is the same court ruling that has provided UNC football kicker Rece Verhoff with the same eligibility status.
Ahead of their two-game West Coast swing this weekend, everyone waited to see if these players would actually suit up for the Tar Heels. Ahead of the 9:00 PM EST start time, we got our answer.
Get ready to see some familiar faces returning to action.
UNC makes a decision to allow recently eligible players to compete
North Carolina has done its due diligence and has decided that they are cleared to go in terms of allowing these fifth-year players to see the field.
The program released a social media video (which can be seen below) announcing the news publicly.
— Carolina Field Hockey (@UNCFieldHockey) September 25, 2026
In an official statement on the matter, head coach Erin Matson talked about how encouraging this news is for her team:
"This team, my coaching staff and I are focused on working every day to put our best product on the field. We are very proud of the growth this group has shown and look forward to watching them develop to their full potential. Obviously, we are encouraged by the most recent ruling for Dani, Ryleigh and Sietske, who have been with us all season, selflessly investing in this program. We will continue working with our administration to explore the ways they can contribute to this year’s team.”
It's not everyday that a struggling team can add a trio of firepower to its roster, but here we are in 2026! These prolonged eligibility cases continue to take twists and turns, but when one ruling comes in, it creates a whole new list of questions that need to be answered.
For UNC, the key thing was to ensure that it was the smart decision to bring these student-athletes back into the fold, as this eligibility ruling could be overturned at any time.
The hope is that this will be the end of this debate (at least for these athletes), allowing them to finish out the season with their team. It would be brutal if another ruling overturns the case, making them ineligible once again (especially if potential wins that are secured with them playing are later put into question).
If you're tuning into the UNC women's field hockey program's West Coast trip, you'll see the trio of Heck, Bruning, and Mendez back in the mix. For UNC's sake, the hope is that this remains status quo for the remainder of the 2026 season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google