University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Arizona
Arizona Stops Tar Heels in Four
September 17, 2005 | Volleyball
Sept. 17, 2005
KINGSTON, R.I. --- The University of North Carolina volleyball team put forth a game effort but fell to No. 20 Arizona, 30-19, 22-30, 30-23, 33-31, Saturday afternoon in the championship game of the Rhode Island Volleyball Classic. Once again the Tar Heels were led by their middle blockers - sophomore Christie Clark and junior Amy Beaver. Both Clark and Beaver were named to the all-tournament team, as Beaver led the Tar Heels with a .550 hitting percentage. Clark added 10 kills and four blocks for UNC.
The 20th-ranked Wildcats (8-1) were in control throughout game one, as they took the opening frame, 30-19. Carolina scored the first point of the match on a kill by Beaver, but never led again.
UNC rebounded well in game two, using a 12-4 run to blow open the score. The Tar Heels turned an 18-all tie into a 30-22 win by holding Arizona to a match-low .065 hitting percentage.
After the Wildcats pulled away to win game three by a 30-23 margin, the two squads played a dramatic fourth game. It looked early as though Arizona would easily dispatch the Tar Heels, running out to an 18-11 lead that forced a Carolina timeout. UNC responded with a kill by Clark after the break, and eventually began to chip away at the lead. The Tar Heels fought off four match points to force a tie at 29-all before leading briefly at 30-29. But a kill by Jennifer Abernathy, who had a match-high 19 kills, prevented Carolina from extending the match, and the Wildcats would hold on for a 33-31 win, clinching the match.
Senior libero Taylor Rayfield continued her recent trend of piling up digs, as she finished the match with a team-best 23 digs.
The Tar Heels will return home for the beginning of Atlantic Coast Conference play, as they host Virginia and Virginia Tech at the Smith Center Friday and Saturday.
