University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Florida State
No. 5 Tar Heels Roll Past No. 4 Florida State in ACC Quarters
November 19, 2004 | Volleyball
Nov. 19, 2004
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The fifth-seeded University of North Carolina volleyball team avenged a pair of regular season losses with an upset win over fourth-seeded Florida State, 30-17, 33-31, 30-24, Friday afternoon at Virginia's Memorial Gymnasium. Senior outside hitter Molly Pyles, who had 17 kills and 11 digs, and hit .379 for the match, led the Tar Heels. Senior libero Caroline deRoeck finished with 18 digs to give her 515 for the season, a new single-season record at Carolina. Sophomore Amy Beaver hit .429 and contributed a match-high nine blocks.
The Tar Heels opened the match with a bang, jumping out to a quick lead early and cruising to a 30-17 win. After a Dani Nyenhuis kill tied the score at 6-all, Carolina won eight of the next 10 points to take a 14-8 lead and force a Florida State timeout. The Seminoles would get as close as three before UNC poured it on, as the Tar Heels turned a close 14-11 game into a rout with a 16-6 run to close out the frame. Carolina won the battle at the net, outblocking FSU by a 5.0-2.5 margin. The Tar Heels were also better on offense, committing only three errors to 10 for the Noles.
Game two featured several dramatic moments as well as great volleyball from both teams. The lead was back and forth in the early moments before a 7-2 Florida State run gave the Noles a five point lead at 15-10. Carolina used some outstanding defense to get back into the game, including a long point at 16-12 in which deRoeck recorded four digs in a single rally. The final dig, which set up a Pyles kill, was the record-setting 506th of her career. Jill Berkebile's mark of 505 digs in 1986 had stood for 18 years. The action intensified in the late stages, with FSU holding the lead until the Tar Heels tied the score at 27-all on the second of two consecutive blocks by Beaver. Both teams had a pair of game points before a deRoeck service ace and a Seminole attack error ended the game, 33-31, giving Carolina a commanding 2-0 lead.
Carolina showed a killer instinct in game three that had been lacking over the last several weeks. After falling behind 19-17, the Tar Heels put together a quick 6-0 run fueled by two Nyenhuis kills and a Katie Wright ace that turned a two-point deficit into a 23-19 lead they would not relinquish. After a Wright block gave UNC a match point, junior Taylor Rayfield ended it with a service ace, sending the Tar Heels into the semifinals where they will face No. 9 Clemson, an upset winner over top seed Georgia Tech in the session's first match.
Tomorrow's match will be for a spot in the ACC final, a place the Tar Heels have not been since winning the title in 2001. First serve is set for 1:30 p.m.
