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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Oregon
Tar Heels Fall In NCAA Second Round
December 6, 2008 | Volleyball
Dec. 6, 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The North Carolina volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (20-25, 26-24, 19-25, 19-25) decision to No. 11 Oregon in the second round of the NCAA tournament Saturday night in Washington, D.C. Senior Lauren Prussing led the Tar Heel attack with a team-high 16 kills on a .424 hitting percentage to close out her career. North Carolina finishes the season at 22-11, the Tar Heels ninth 20-win season under Joe Sagula's tutelage.
Oregon took a back-and-forth affair in the opening set by 25-20 advantage, thanks in large part to a .306 hitting percentage. The Tar Heels were held to a .184 mark, committing six errors in the set. The Ducks took a 16-12 lead in the frame the Tar Heels attempted to chip away at the deficit before knotting the score at 18-18 thanks to a kill by Lauren Prussing and a pair of errors by Oregon. A 3-0 run by Oregon, essentially sealed the opening set as the Ducks took a 1-0 advantage after the 25-20 win.
The Tar Heels continued to hang with the No. 11 Ducks in the second set, despite falling into an early 4-0 hole. Carolina would pull within one on two separate occasions before tying things up at 19-19. The Tar Heels found themselves in a position to make a move and that is exactly what they did capturing the next two points for their first lead of the night. The Ducks would not quit, tying the score at 21-21 before trading the next six points resulting in a 24-24 deadlock. A kill off the hand of Prussing preceded a kill by Christine Vaughen that evened the match at one set apiece.
The teams would battle to a 10-10 tie in the third set before a 9-4 run by the Ducks put Oregon comfortably ahead. The Ducks and Tar Heels would split the next 10 points as Oregon took a 2-1 lead on the Tar Heels with a 25-19 win. Oregon hit .516 in the third frame picking up 20 kills for the second straight set.
The fourth set would follow suit as the third as Carolina held a 6-4 advantage before Oregon took the next three points to take the lead at 7-6. The lead change would be the final of the match as Oregon was able to hold off the Tar Heels for the 25-18 set three and match sealing win.
Senior Lauren Prussing finished her career with a team-high 16 kills on just two errors as the Highlands Ranch, Colo., native hit .424 on the night. The setting duo of Erica Behm and Stephanie Jansma finished with 39 assists between them, with the freshman Behm leading the way with 23. Senior Brianna Eskola finished the night with 17 digs and finished with a remarkable 2,238 in her four-year career.
The Tar Heels finish the 2008 campaign at 22-11 after making their 11th NCAA tournament appearance.
