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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
NC State
Tar Heels Win ACC Championship
November 28, 2008 | Volleyball
Nov. 28, 2008
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The North Carolina volleyball team trailed just once Friday afternoon in the Tar Heels, 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-16), win over rival NC State that clinched the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship for the Tar Heels. On a day that saw senior Brianna Eskola set the ACC career digs record and four Tar Heels hit better than .400 it was a total team effort that helped Carolina claim its 11th ACC title in school history and will make its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Tar Heels will find out their destination on Sunday, Nov. 30 at 10 p.m. when the selections are announced on ESPNU.
A 25-15 opening set win that saw Carolina hit .452 started things off on the right foot for the Tar Heels as four different Tar Heels connected on three kills apiece. The Tar Heels committed just two errors in the set, while holding the Wolfpack to a .114 hitting percentage. Eskola came up with four digs in the set and snapped the one-year old ACC career digs record of 2,200 held by Duke's Jenny Shull (2004-07) and Virginia Tech's Amanda Cloyd (2004-07). Carolina picked up solid serves from Heather Brooks and Aleksandra Georgieva at different points in the set to fuel the big win.
The offense took a small step back in the second set but the defense stepped up and held NC State to a .026 mark, forcing eight errors, three of which came on Tar Heel blocks. The duo of Courtney Johnston and Heather Brooks led the way offensively with four kills apiece and only one attack error between them. Eskola tacked on eight more digs to her record, while freshman Kaylie Gibson tallied five of her own in the 25-14 win.
Looking to close out the match in three sets, the Tar Heels took a 2-1 lead on a block by Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland and Megan Owens before Owens tallied a kill and put Carolina ahead for good en route to the 25-16 win. The third set was closer than the opening two with NC State battling back from an early deficit to tie things up at 14-14 before a block by Heather Brooks and Lauren Prussing put the ball in Brooks' hands. The East Lansing, Mich. native, served eight consecutive points and essentially locked up the ACC title with a pair of aces as Christine Vaughen and Prussing each tallied kills in the 7-1 run. Following a Courtney Johnston kill that made the score 23-15, head coach Joe Sagula subbed his four seniors onto the floor to claim the second ACC title of their four-year careers.
Heather Brooks turned in a great all-around performance for the Tar Heels with a team-high nine kills, while adding three service aces, four digs and five blocks in the ACC-clinching wins. Courtney Johnston was not far behind as she finished with eight kills on a .467 hitting percentage, with Lauren Prussing and Christine Vaughen adding six kills apiece. Eskola finishes the regular season with 2,213 digs in her career and will look to add to the total next week when the NCAA Tournament kicks off. The title is the fifth of Sagula's 19-year career in Chapel Hill as he passes former coach Beth Miller who captured four during her career on the Carolina bench.
ESPNU will televise the NCAA Selection Show at 10 p.m. ET, Sunday, Nov. 30 to determine who the Tar Heels will match up against in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament set to be held Dec. 4-5, 5-6, or 6-7 at campus sites.
