University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Florida State
Carolina Volleyball Surges Past No. 3 FSU
November 15, 2014 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – In a historic ACC Top Ten showdown, the No. 8 North Carolina volleyball team (21-2, 13-1 ACC) knocked off the No. 3 Florida State Seminoles (24-2, 12-2 ACC), delivering them their second loss of the season only a day after they suffered their first loss of the season to Duke.
"I'm just so proud of this team. This was a huge stepping stone victory for our program," said Head Coach Joe Sagula.
The victory over No. 3 Florida State is the highest-ranked victory ever in UNC volleyball history, topping a 3-2 victory over No. 4 Nebraska on Sept. 13, 1996.
In front of a huge crowd in Carmichael Arena of 4,610, the Heels won in four sets (26-24, 19-25, 25-22, 25-20), putting up 17.5 blocks with a .245 hitting percentage.
"I want to thank the crowd for having an amazing turnout. I thought more important we were able to show 5000 people amazing volleyball, and I hope this kind of match will keep them coming back," said Sagula.
Junior Paige Neuenfeldt took over the match in the third and fourth sets, hitting 5 for 5 in the 4th set with 4 blocks. She hit .615 with a total of 9 blocks for the match.
Powerful hitting by Chaniel Nelson set an attacking tone for the Heels, drilling a team-leading 15 kills for a .312 attacking percentage.
Nelson's dominant play helped the Tar Heels to take the first set by a narrow margin, 26-24. Nelson, who averages 2.82 kills per set, managed 7 kills on 8 attempts for a .875 percentage in the first set.
The Tar Heel defense limited FSU's season leader in kills, Nicole Walch, to only two kills in the first set.
The Heels came out strong initially, going up 4-2 early with a strong kill and block by Victoria McPherson. FSU quickly tied it up at 5-5 off a good kill by Seminole outside hitter Katie Horton.
Both teams remained even until a strong solo block by Lauren McAdoo put the Heels up 11-9. A critical block by FSU's Kiara Wright and Mercedes Vaughn late in the set gave the Seminoles a 22-20 lead.
UNC rallied by forcing several Seminole attacking errors and took a 23-22 lead. Creative kills by Nelson and McAdoo gave the Heels a 25-24 lead, and a tough serve by McAdoo forced an FSU error to end set one, 26-24.
FSU's Horton and Milica Kubura hit for .500 and .667, respectively combining for half of the Seminole kills.
In the second set, FSU rebounded definitively winning it 25-19, while holding the Heels to only .114 hitting percentage.
Sloppy play by the Heels, including a service error by Andrew, contributed to a 9-4 lead by FSU, the largest lead by either team in the match to that point. A big kill by Milica Kubura gave the Seminoles an 8 point lead, 14-6.
A big block by Neuenfeldt and McAdoo over Kubura brought the match within four, 20-16. However, the Seminoles remained in control of the set, taking it 25-19.
Horton continued her strong performance, putting up an additional four kills alongside six digs. Horton tied her season high for kills, which she had previously put up against both Nebraska and American.
Leigh Andrew had only two attacking attempts in the second set, going 1 for 2. Neuenfeldt was similarly limited with zero kills on the three attempts with an error for a -.333.
North Carolina turned the match around in the third set due in part to a strong rebound by McAdoo, who put up a .600 attacking percentage. Nelson continued to dominate, adding 3 more kills to her match total of 15.
The Seminoles went up 2-0 initially after a service ace by Hailey Luke; however, Neuenfeldt countered with a service ace of her own, which, combined with a block by Hayley McCorkle and McPherson, put the Heels up 6-3.
A big kill by Horton helped bring the Seminoles within two, 11-9. An excellent kill down the line by McAdoo induced a FSU timeout and put the Heels up by five, their largest lead in the set to that point.
A solo block by McCorkle put the Heels up 16-11. She pounded a kill later in the set to put the Heels up 21-15. The Seminoles put up two clutch blocks late in the set to get within two points, but a loud kill by Paige Neuenfeldt in the middle of the court closed the set out for the Heels, 25-22.
Hayley McCorkle came into the match in the third set, and immediately contributed two kills and a block.
McPherson and Neuenfeldt led the Heels to a 25-20 win in the fourth set. The pair combined to go 9 for 10 attacking with 7 blocks.
The Heels came out strong, as Neuenfeldt put up two blocks early the set to give the Heels a 6-4 lead. Neuenfeldt then posted two more blocks to make it 9-5.
After the Seminoles narrowed the gap to three, a big block by McPherson and McPherson put up a block followed by an assertive kill to give the Heels a six-point lead, 16-10. McCorkle punched in an emphatic kill into the center of the court, which Heather Gearhart followed with a service ace to give the Heels a 21-16 lead.
The crowd of 4,610 rose to their feet as an attack error by Nicole Walch ended the match.
The Heels finished eight service aces, with two aces by junior Heather Gearhart. Jordyn Schnabl narrowly missed a double-double, putting up 22 assists with 9 digs.
"I told our team, this is one of a couple of big matches we want to win this year. Not just one, but one of several matches. This kind of match says that North Carolina volleyball is relevant on a national level," concluded Coach Sagula.
North Carolina goes on the road for their next two games, playing Notre Dame on November 21 and Louisville on November 23. The Tar Heels next home match will be against Duke on Wednesday, November 26 in Carmichael Arena at 2:00 PM.
