University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Wake Forest
No. 11 Tar Heels Top Wake Forest, Win Ninth Straight
October 11, 2002 | Volleyball
Oct. 11, 2002
Chapel Hill, N.C.-No. 11 North Carolina won its ninth-consecutive match and improved to 17-1 overall (5-0 ACC) with a 3-0 win over Wake Forest. The Tar Heels won 30-25, 30-21, 30-24 in front of 5,623 fans to continue the best-ever start to a season in program history.
This was the third largest home crowd ever for the team.
Sophomore outside hitter Molly Pyles led the team with 11 digs and 13 kills while hitting .500. Senior outside hitter Laura Greene added 12 kills, and senior setter Eve Rackham had 43 assists in the contest.
A kill and an ace by senior Holly Strauss led the Tar Heels on a 5-0 run to make the score 26-23 in Game 1. Wake Forest led by as many as seven at 17-10, but Carolina battled back to take their first lead of the match on the Strauss-led run. Carolina then took four of the next six points. A Greene kill followed by a Rackham ace made the score 28-24, and a kill by junior middle hitter Aletha Green followed by an ace by Greene sealed the 30-25 win.
The second game was back and forth from the get go, with the teams deadlocked at 10-10 before Carolina took the first two-point lead of the game on a kill by Strauss and a block by Greene and Green. Carolina would trail 15-16 before breaking away on a 7-1 run capped by a pair of kills by Pyles. A kill by Green closed out the game 30-21 as Carolina outhit the Deamon Deacons .375-.163.
The Tar Heels took a 7-6 lead on a kill by Green finished one of the longest rallies of the night before Carolina eventually won 30-24. The Tar Heels took the lead for good 17-16 on a kill by senior outside hitter Malaika Underwood. Greene picked up six of her 12 kills in the game as the Tar Heels hit .421 as a team.
Carolina is next in action Tuesday at 7 p.m. hosting East Carolina.
