University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Volleyball Wraps Up ACC Play Against Duke, WFU
November 25, 2014 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 7 UNC volleyball team will wrap up the regular season with two matches over the holiday week against Duke and Wake Forest.
The Tar Heels emerged victorious in its last ACC road swing, defeating Notre Dame 3-0 and then Louisville 3-1. Chaniel Nelson pounded 10 kills against the Irish last Friday night, while Ece Taner added 18 digs as Carolina held Notre Dame to a .093 hitting percentage.
On Sunday, North Carolina toppled Louisville on the Cardinals Senior Night, fighting past a scrappy Louisville team that had more blocks and digs and a higher hitting percentage than the Tar Heels during the match. Lauren McAdoo posted a career-high 17 kills and 13 digs for her first career double-double against the Cardinals.
Carolina (24-2, 15-1 ACC) enters the last week of ACC atop the conference standings with only one loss. No. 8 Florida State sits at 14-2, while No. 21 Duke and Miami are tied for No. 3 at 13-3 in the ACC.
PREVIEWING THE NO. 21 DUKE BLUE DEVILS
The Duke Blue Devils have posted an impressive follow-up season after winning the ACC championship last year. Duke enters the last week of ACC play with a 21-6 overall record, and a 13-3 record in the ACC, good for No. 3 in conference.
In its last match out, Duke defeated Louisville 3-0 at Cardinal Arena last Friday. Jeme Obeime pounded 19 kills with a .447 hitting percentage, while Alyse Whitaker had 12 kills with no errors and three blocks. Duke hit .355 and totaled 61 kills in just three sets of play against the Cardinals.
The Blue Devils have achieved their success with a balanced offensive approach, paced by senior Kelsey Williams. She is No. 1 in the ACC and No. 4 in Division I with 11.74 assists/set, and has guided Duke to a .270 season hitting percentage, good for No. 14 in the nation.
Williams' two main weapons are outside hitters Emily Sklar and Obeime. Sklar is the reigning ACC Player of the Year, and is ripping a monster 4.21 kills/set and adds 2.73 digs/set. Obeime, who just moved into the top 10 in career kills at Duke, posts 3.37 kills/set on a .293 hitting percentage.
The Tar Heels will face Duke at 2 p.m. this Wednesday in Carmichael Arena, a rematch after UNC swept the Blue Devils 3-0 earlier this season in Durham. Carolina volleyball will be hosting its final Team Day, and there will be a autograph session with the team after the match.
PREVIEWING THE WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons enter Head Coach Ken Murczek's second season having already matched their 2013 win total with two games remaining. In his two seasons in Winston-Salem, Murczek has compiled a 32-30 overall record, including an 11-1 start to the 2013 season and a 10-4 start in 2014.
After a strong start, the Demon Deacons struggled for a stretch in conference play, dropping seven straight matches during October. Wake Forest has rebounded recently, with a 3-1 record in its last four matches, including wins over Louisville, Clemson and Notre Dame.
In its last match out, Wake Forest swept Clemson 3-0 behind 12 kills and 10 digs from Kylie Long. Jazmen Russell added a team-high 16 kills, while the Demon Deacons hit .304 overall against the Tigers.
Long was named ACC Freshman of the Week on Nov. 17 after she recorded 13 kills and 15 digs in a win against Notre Dame. This season, Long is averaging 2.10 kills/set and 2.00 digs/set on a .174 hitting percentage.
Her counterpart on the outside, Jazmen Russell, is churning out a dominant offensive season. Russell is pacing the Wake Forest offense with 4.43 kills/set, good for No. 2 in the ACC and No. 18 in the nation.
UNC moved to 41-13 all-time against Wake Forest after defeating the Demon Deacons 3-0 on Nov. 27, 2013 in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Tar Heels will face Wake Forest this Friday at 2 p.m. for their Senior Night match, where they will recognize the four senior players on the team.
