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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
NC State
Tar Heels Go Five Again, Beat NC State
October 4, 2005 | Volleyball
Oct. 4, 2005
RALEIGH, N.C. --- Junior middle blocker Amy Beaver had a career-high 22 kills to lead the University of North Carolina volleyball team past upset-minded NC State, 30-22, 33-35, 30-18, 27-30, 15-6, Tuesday night at Reynolds Coliseum. Carolina, playing its third straight five-game match, improves to 9-6, 4-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while NC State falls to 6-7, 0-5 in the ACC.
The Tar Heels led for most of game one, but had trouble putting away a scrappy NC State squad. After the Wolfpack cut the lead to two at 14-12, UNC ran off an 8-1 run to build a 22-13 lead. But the hosts would not go down without a fight, rallying to get within five at 23-18 and force a UNC timeout. Carolina finally put the game out of reach behind a pair of service aces by senior outside hitter Camilla Ihenetu, and a Beaver kill ended it, 30-22.
Game two started out much like game one, with the Tar Heels surging ahead early only to see the Wolfpack close the gap. Except this time it was NC State who took over at the game's midway point. After tying the score at 14-all, the Wolfpack won 10 of the next 14 points to take a six point lead. Carolina would eventually make up the deficit, forcing a tie at 25-all before getting to game point at 29-27. But the Tar Heels could not capitalize, and NC State took the game, 35-33, on a kill by Casey Wyatt, her seventh of the frame. The difference maker was the Wolfpack block, which, led by Adeola Kosoko's three solos and three assists, registered eight team blocks in the game and held UNC to a .111 hitting percentage.
Carolina got things back on track in game three, rolling to a 30-18 win. The Tar Heels hit .244 while holding the Wolfpack to a mark of just .050. Beaver led the charge, registering five kills on ten errorless swings. Ihenetu also played error-free volleyball, hitting .417 in the frame.
Once again in game four, NC State proved to be a resilient squad. Despite playing almost the entire game without Kosoko, the Wolfpack forced a fifth game with a 30-27 win. Kosoko was sidelined with an apparent injury, and did not enter the match until the score was 29-27. Fittingly, Kosoko ended the frame with a block, extending the match to five games. The Wolfpack out hit Carolina .211 to .094 in the stanza.
After allowing the feisty Wolfpack to stick around for the entire match, the Tar Heels finally took control in game five. After falling behind 4-2, Beaver took over, putting balls on the floor on four consecutive points. The Powder Springs, Ga., junior had two kills and two blocks to spark a 7-0 run and make it 9-4. Kills by Nyenhuis and Ihenetu gave UNC match point at 14-6, and Taylor Rayfield's serve caught the net and fell to the ground for an ace to clinch the match.
Ihenetu and senior outside hitter Dani Nyenhuis both added double-doubles. Ihenetu had 19 kills and 15 digs, while Nyenhuis finished with 21 kills and 18 digs. NC State's Stefani Eddins led the Wolfpack with 18 kills.
Carolina returns to action this weekend, as the Tar Heels host Florida State and Miami Friday and Saturday.
