University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
NC State
Tar Heels Roll Past Wolfpack in Three
October 5, 2004 | Volleyball
Oct. 5, 2004
Raleigh, N.C. - The University of North Carolina volleyball team won its fourth straight match with a three-game sweep of the NC State Wolfpack Tuesday night at Reynolds Coliseum, 30-22, 30-27, 30-15. Sophomore Meg Eckert led the Tar Heels offensively with 14 kills on 26 swings for a career-high .423 hitting percentage. Senior Katie Wright was even more accurate, as she hit .455 on the way to 11 kills. Senior Caroline deRoeck and junior Taylor Rayfield led the way on the defensive front with 12 and 11 digs, respectively.
Carolina (10-7, 5-1 ACC) got out to a sluggish start in game one, as the two teams played dead even until a Rayfield ace put the Tar Heels up 13-12. Rayfield proceeded to serve the next five points and UNC built a six-point cushion behind the strong hitting of senior Molly Pyles. Pyles had six of her 14 kills in the game to lead Carolina, who overcame early sloppiness to outhit NC State (10-8, 0-5) .310 to .211. After the falling behind 18-12, the Wolfpack would get no closer than four and the Tar Heels won, 30-22.
UNC narrowly escaped in game two, needing a pair of kills and a block from Pyles late in the game to finally secure the win, 30-27. The resilient Wolfpack squad, buoyed by the energetic crowd of 1,421, played its best volleyball of the night and earned a loud ovation when it returned to the court for game three. NC State controlled play at the net, outblocking the Tar Heels by four. Stefani Eddins led the way for the Wolfpack, finishing the game with eight blocks - one solo and seven assists. Despite holding Carolina to a .119 hitting percentage, NC State could not capitalize. The hosts only hit .085 for the game, due in large part to some outstanding defense by deRoeck, who had 11 of UNC's 29 digs through two games.
The Tar Heels finally put things together in the third game, cruising to a 30-15 win and taking the match, 3-0. After State tied the score at 7, Carolina went on a 7-1 run fueled by Eckert and freshman Christie Clark. Clark, playing in her first career match, had one kill and one block. The Wolfpack drew to within five at 20-15 before Pyles stepped behind the line and served out the match, as the Tar Heels won the final 10 points.
UNC will now prepare for a big home weekend in which it hosts ACC newcomer Virginia Tech Friday and 25th-ranked Florida A&M Sunday. First serve for the match with the Hokies is set for 7 p.m.
