Tar Heels Bring Home Second Straight Win in ACC Play

Friday, September 29

Clemson, S.C.

7 PM

North Carolina

5-6 (2-1,ACC)

Clemson

5-10 (0-3,ACC)

North Carolina

Clemson

Photo by: Brian Batista

September 29, 2017 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Behind a team-high 13 kills from sophomore Sydnye Fields, the North Carolina volleyball team defeated host Clemson Friday evening, 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-19, 25-16), at Jervey Gym. The Tar Heels won the first, third and fourth sets to improve to 5-6 overall and 2-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, while Clemson fell to 5-10 (0-3 ACC).

Friday was a big night for a number of Tar Heels. After Fields' 13, four other Tar Heels each had at least seven kills, with Beth Nordhorn totaling nine, Katharine Esterley and Taylor Leath eight, and Sehrena Hull seven. Esterley and Nordhorn also posted impressive hitting percentages, both hitting .533.

Holly Carlton and Kendra Koetter set the team up for success with their assists, 27 and 14, respectively. Carlton also led the team with 11 digs and Hull followed closely behind with nine. Esterley put up the most blocks for Carolina with nine, and Fields had eight blocks of her own.

Although Carolina took an initial 2-0 lead in the first set, Clemson countered with its own attacks and drew within a point at 3-2 following a kill by Annie Carter. The Tar Heels then went on a 7-1 run with the help of some key attacks by Hull and Fields. After Carolina extended its lead to 11-5, play on the court balanced out and Carolina continued to slowly widen the gap. Nordhorn brought the score to 13-6 and another kill by Hull gave the Tar Heels a 17-8 lead. Field and Leath also contributed to Carolina's eventual 12-point lead and brought the set score to 20-8. Clemson regained its footing and fought back with a 4-0 run, but Carolina took the first set, 25-15.

UNC also came out to a quick start in the second set, leading 3-1 with kills by Fields and Leath. The Tar Heels struggled to find a tempo while Clemson's Caroline Pearson and her serves set the Tigers on a 6-point streak. Attacks by Nordhorn and Leath temporarily stopped their opponent's momentum, and Carolina finally began to narrow the gap following a timeout and a 3-0 run of its own. Now trailing 16-12, Carolina made another strong push and found another streak to tie the second set score to 21-all. Despite the comeback, UNC fell 25-23 in the second set.

Tied at one set each, Carolina once again won the first few points of the third set with back-to-back kills by Leath. After Nordhorn and Hull teamed up for a block to extend another 4-0 run for the Tar Heels, Clemson called a timeout with UNC leading 8-3. The Tar Heel lead was soon narrowed to just two points. A kill by Fields and another block by Nordhorn gradually pushed UNC ahead, but Clemson again tried to disrupt the Carolina offense once the Heels reached a 6-point lead (21-16). Fields topped off the Tar Heels last three points with three kills and closed out the set with a score of 25-19.

Keeping the pattern in the fourth set, Carolina took the first three points. Although play remained relatively even at first, the Tar Heels took off and continually improved their lead. Kills by Nordhorn and Esterley kept the Heels at a four-point lead, but back-to-back blocks by Calrton and Esterley finished off a 4-0 run and brought the set score to 19-11. The Tigers once again countered the Tar Heels' 7-1 run with their own 3-0 run and a kill by Kaylin Korte slightly closed the deficit to 22-15. Attacks by Leath and Fields gave Carolina its first attempt at match point, and Hull closed out the match with a kill, making the fourth set score 25-16 and the final match score 3-1.

UNC continues its ACC road trip with a match at Georgia Tech on Sunday. Action begins at 3 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPNU.