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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
NC State
Carolina Volleyball Clinches Season Sweep of Wolfpack
November 14, 2014 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – In front of an impressive home crowd of 1,915 fans, the No. 8 North Carolina volleyball team (21-2, 12-1 ACC) dominated on the block to extend their win streak to 12 games with a strong victory over the North Carolina State Wolfpack (14-11, 3-10 ACC).
Paige Neuenfeldt led the Tar Heels to an impressive performance at the net with a phenomenal 16.5 total team blocks. On her own, she contributed ten blocks, matching the performance by her teammate Victoria McPherson on Sunday against Virginia Tech. Chaniel Nelson and Victoria McPherson added 5 and 4 blocks, respectively.
The Heels were carried by their defense, as they limited NC State to .050, though they only hit .175 themselves on the match. That's Tar Heels second-lowest hitting percentage in a win this season.
North Carolina dominated at the net in the first set, notching up eight blocks over a platoon of eight different Tar Heels. Coach Joe Sagula remarked, “It was a great team effort tonight. We had fifteen people contribute to the match tonight.”
That effort, which limited NC State to a -.147 hitting percentage, was led by phenomenal play by Neuenfeldt, who secured six blocks and three kills.
After trading points early in the set, the Tar Heels broke out to an early 9-3 lead, putting up 4 blocks in the first 10 points. Yet another great block by both Neuenfeldt allowed the Heels to capture their largest lead of the set, 22-12.
Though the Heels only hit .190 in the first set, dominant blocking from Taylor Treacy, Lauren McAdoo, and Chaniel Nelson, all of whom had two blocks in the first set, helped shut down the Wolfpack attack. Fittingly, the Heels finished the set with an emphatic block from Nelson and McPherson, taking the first set 25-14.
In the 2nd set, the Heels continued their dominance at the net, racking up another 4.5 blocks as they cruised to take the set 25-17.
Commanding kills by Leigh Andrew and Lauren McAdoo gave the Heels an early 4-2 lead. A service ace by Jordyn Schnabl gave the Heels their largest lead to that point of the set, giving them a 9-4 lead and triggering a NCSU timeout.
Leigh Andrew continued her impressive attacking with a great kill to give the Heels a 13-7 lead, and then Beth Nordhorn came into the match to deliver two great consecutive blocks to put the Heels up 19-12. Tatiana Durr also got in on the action with a kill late in the set, making the score 22-15. An emphatic kill by Lauren McAdoo finished the set for the Heels, 25-17.
Led by Leigh Andrew and Chaniel Nelson, the Heels dramatically improved their hitting from the first set, hitting a .351 percentage as a team. Andrew finished the match with a team-leading eight kills.
The Heels limited the Wolfpack's leading hitter, Kaitlyn Kearney, to only 3 kills and a .250 hitting percentage in the first two sets.
The Tar Heels narrowly achieved victory in the third set, 25-22, as NC State actually outhit the Heels, .122 to .054, and matched the Heels in blocks with 4. The deciding factor was two NC State service errors, for a total of seven on the match, and three service aces for the Heels.
The Heels continued their momentum into the third set, as Schnabl delivered a service ace on the first point of the set. A big kill by Victoria McPherson boosted the Tar Heels to a 5-2 lead.
The Wolfpack battled back to take the lead, 7-6, on a kill by Kearney. The Heels regained the lead 10-7 after a service ace by Lauren McAdoo. A definitive kill by Victoria McPherson put the Heels up 15-10.
The Wolfpack closed the gap again to 17-16 on a kill by redshirt sophomore Morgan Cormier. UNC responded as Neuenfeldt blocked the Wolfpack yet again to put the Heels up 19-18.
With the match tied at 22, McPherson buried a kill in to the back corner to give the Heels a 23-22 lead. The Tar Heels ultimately took the set on a McAdoo kill down the line, 25-22.
Beth Nordhorn played an important role, finishing the match with two blocks and one kill. Schnabl tacked on two service aces, in addition to her 17 assists.
Ece Taner was formidable on defense, tying her season-high of 21 digs in only a three-set match.
Regarding the victory, Sagula said, “I thought it was great to see our team to maintain the discipline to be able to win a match 3-0, and to not take that for granted.”
The Tar Heels play tomorrow evening at 7:30 PM in a historic matchup against the undefeated No. 3 Florida State Seminoles in Carmichael Arena. This is the first match in conference history between two Top 10 ACC teams.
