.png&width=36&height=36&type=webp)
University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Carolina Sweeps Wake Forest
November 16, 2008 | Volleyball
Nov. 16, 2008
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A trio of Tar Heels finished with eight kills apiece to lead North Carolina to its eighth straight win with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-20) sweep of Wake Forest (17-12, 8-9 ACC) Sunday afternoon in the Dean E. Smith Center. The defense came through for Carolina on Sunday picking up eight blocks, while holding the Demon Deacons to a .056 hitting percentage. Carolina will look to keep it going Thursday, Nov. 20 when the Tar Heels host Miami at 5 p.m.
Carolina controlled the play from the get go, taking a 10-6 advantage in the early going. The Tar Heels extended the lead to five (10-5) on a kill by Lauren Prussing and a Wake Forest attack error prior to a Demon Deacon timeout. An attack error out of the break gave Carolina a 16-10 advantage before Wake Forest stormed back to pull within one (16-15). The Tar Heels would answer after a timeout with a 6-2 run to as Courtney Johnston picked up a pair of kills to push the lead back to four at 21-17. Carolina would close out the set 25-20 to take a 1-0 lead.
Prussing and Suzanne Haydel tallied three kills in the second set as Carolina hit .205 and tallied five blocks for a 25-19 win. Carolina started out slow in the set as Wake Forest took a 6-3 lead forcing Joe Sagula to burn an early timeout. The Tar Heels answered the call with five straight points to take an 8-6 lead. The lead was quickly extended to six at 17-11 as Wake Forest called its second and final timeout of the set. The lead stayed at six the rest of the way as Carolina looked in control of the match.
The third set saw a dominant opening performance from the Tar Heels as they raced out to a 14-3 advantage and looked to cruise to the sweep. The Demon Deacons would not go quietly as they chipped away at the lead and pulled within two at 20-18 with a 15-6 run that forced the Tar Heels to ratchet up their defense. Back-to-back errors by the Demon Deacons pushed the Carolina lead to four (22-18) before a pair of kills made the score 22-20. Heather Brooks delivered a kill off an Erica Behm set to give Carolina a 23-20 lead before Megan Owens served a pair of great serves that resulted in a block by Brooks and Prussing and a service ace to close out the set, 25-20, and the match 3-0.
The win marks just the third time all year a Tar Heel outside has not reached the double-digit mark in kills as Brooks, Haydel and Prussing each finished with eight apiece. Brooks added eight blocks, while Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland led the Tar Heels with four blocks and chipped in seven kills in the win. Senior Brianna Eskola tallied 17 digs in the win and sits an even 50 shy of the ACC career record. Eskola and the Tar Heels will be in action on Thursday when they take on Miami who is second in the ACC standings just a game behind the Tar Heels.
