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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Duke
Carolina Beats Duke In Five-Game Thriller
November 4, 2005 | Volleyball
Nov. 4, 2005
CHAPEL HILL --- Led by senior outside hitter Dani Nyenhuis' career-high 30 kills, the North Carolina volleyball team downed the Duke Blue Devils, 27-30, 30-14, 30-20, 28-30, 17-15, in a five-game thriller Friday night at Carmichael Auditorium. The victory moved the Tar Heels to 18-7 on the year and 13-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while the Blue Devils dropped to 15-7 overall, 9-5 in the ACC.
The match opened with a tight, intensely played game one that would come to set the tone for the evening. The back-and-forth action featured seven lead changes in the early going, with neither team managing to muster more than a two-point advantage. Key blocking and outside hitting eventually helped the Tar Heels grab a slight 23-20 lead, but the Blue Devils stormed back with a 6-0 run following a timeout to give them a three-point advantage. That lead would prove too much for Carolina to overcome as Duke took the first stanza, 30-27, despite an impressive eight-kill effort from Nyenhuis.
In game two, the Tar Heels came out strong and rode their inspired play to an early 11-4 lead, which was capped by freshman outside hitter Lauren Prussing's kill to end a marathon point. Behind the impressive serving of sophomore defensive specialist Ashley Board, Carolina unleashed an 8-0 run to put the game entirely out of reach. A service ace by freshman defensive specialist Brianna Eskola ended the game and gave the Tar Heels a 30-14 win.
A return to balanced, tight play marked the beginning of game three, with neither team able to establish an early advantage. When junior middle Amy Beaver stepped up to the service line in the middle of the stanza, however, that all changed. Riding a wave of great serving and well-executed offensive sets, the Tar Heels went on a 7-0 run that helped them stretch a two-point lead to a comfortable margin of nine. The continued solid play of Nyenhuis, who added nine kills to her total in the game, helped ensure that the Blue Devils never got closer than five points the rest of the way, and Carolina closed the game out, 30-20.
A quick start to game four gave Duke a 6-2 advantage, which they stretched to a 12-5 lead as Carolina struggled to match its play from the previous two games. The Tar Heels picked up their pace and went on an 8-1 run in the middle of the game to even the score at 17-all, but Duke proved resilient and refused to back down. After a huge point gave Carolina its first lead at 25-24 and sent the arena into a frenzy, it looked like the Tar Heels were set to close out the match. Duke would respond, however, taking advantage of some key Carolina mistakes to pull out a 30-28 victory and force a fifth game.
A service ace that barely crept over the net to find the floor gave Carolina a 4-2 lead in game five and hinted at the extreme tension that would run throughout the stanza. Unsurprisingly, it was only a one-point game in the Tar Heels' favor when the teams switched sides at 8-7. Two huge blocks immediately thereafter pushed Carolina to a 10-7 advantage, but Duke promptly went on a 4-0 run to claim the momentum and the lead. The teams traded points until Duke won a crucial point at 13-all, giving them a chance to serve for the match. The Tar Heels withstood the charge, however, and fought off another match point seconds later, thanks to a huge block by senior outside hitter Camilla Ihenetu. The senior followed her block with a kill to give the Tar Heels their first chance at the win, and when another Tar Heel block by Prussing and sophomore middle Christie Clark sent a Duke attempt to the floor on match point, the Tar Heels had emerged victorious with a 17-15 win.
Senior libero Taylor Rayfield had a match-high 26 digs, including the 1,000th of her career, to lead the defensive effort. Nyenhuis added 18, while senior setter McKenzie Byrd had her second straight double-double with 63 assists and 15 digs.
With the win, the Tar Heels grabbed 0.5 points in the Carlyle Cup, making the score 4.5-1.5 in favor of the Blue Devils.
Carolina's next match will be at home against Wake Forest on Sunday at 1 p.m.
