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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Oregon
Tar Heels Reach Regional Final With Victory Over Ducks
December 13, 2014 | Volleyball
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Carolina volleyball continued its march through the NCAA tournament, soaring past Oregon 3-1 (25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 25-16) Friday night in the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn.
The victory places the Tar Heels in the Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
Chaniel Nelson led the North Carolina offense with 14 kills while turning back six blocks. Paige Neuenfeldt added nine kills and four blocks, while Ece Taner had 14 digs and three service aces.
North Carolina (29-2) had to overcome a prolific Oregon offense in a barnburner of a match. The two teams combined for 111 kills with a .217 hitting percentage, and Oregon's Martenne Bettendorf led all players with 16 kills. However, Carolina had the edge in service aces (five to Oregon's three) and blocks (9.0 to Oregon's 8.0).
“It was a great battle, we played a really awesome Oregon team who plays so fast,” said Head Coach Joe Sagula. “They were well-prepared, their players Nady and Bettendorf were tough to stop.”
“I thought we actually got better as the match went on. We started slowly, but we never panicked and we made a run to come back. Because of that, we've put ourselves in a great position for our program to make history. I'm so proud of what these players have done and what our leaders have done to put us in the top eight for the first time ever.”
Set one was a rollercoaster for both teams, as there were 11 tie scores throughout the set and the largest lead for either squad was four. UNC and Oregon combined to knock down 38 kills and commit only six attack errors in the frame.
Carolina found themselves in an early hole after the Ducks jumped to a 10-6 lead. An incredible rally that ended with an Oregon attack error gave UNC the jumpstart it needed, as the Heels went on a push that tied set one at 14-14 after a ball-handling error was called on Oregon.
After trading points, the two teams found themselves locked at 22-22. A kill by Nelson, followed by a kill from Neuenfeldt, gave UNC a 24-22 lead. Neuenfeldt sprung back up for a kill to secure the set at 25-23 for Carolina.
In set two, the Tar Heels grabbed the early advantage to put them in front 4-0 after Jordyn Schnabl dropped in an ace. UNC extended the lead to 10-5 with a kill by Taylor Treacy and then an ace from Lauren McAdoo.
The Ducks would not go quietly, as they rallied to cut the lead to one late at 18-17. Two big kills from Treacy, followed by a kill from Nelson, pushed the lead to 22-19 for North Carolina.
The seniors then continued their strong play, as Nelson and McAdoo both knocked down kills to give UNC set two at 25-22.
In set three, early attacking errors hindered North Carolina and helped give the Ducks a 13-8 lead. Carolina started its rally in the middle of the set, capping a 5-0 run with a kill from Neuenfeldt to tie the frame at 15-15.
Oregon stayed tough and maintained a slight edge late, gaining a 20-17 lead. Oregon seemed ready to take the set but committed two late service errors, and the Tar Heels tied the set again at 22-22.
A block by Nelson and McPherson gave Carolina a 23-22 edge, but then Oregon scored three-straight points to take the third game 25-23.
Despite the disappointing finish to set three, UNC cruised in the fourth set, holding Oregon to a .069 hitting efficiency in the set. Treacy had three kills and hit .750 in the frame to lead Carolina to a 25-16 win and to secure the win, 3-1.
For the match, Treacy knocked down nine kills on a .368 hitting percentage. McPherson and McAdoo both chipped in seven kills, while Schnabl had 27 assists, seven assists and one ace.
Fellow setter Abigail Curry had 15 assists and three kills, while Leigh Andrew had 13 kills and four digs for UNC.
The Tar Heels advance to their first-ever Regional Final, and will face Texas for the right to advance to the Final Four.
“I thought it was a great match for the Tar Heels and congratulations again to Oregon. We're looking forward to the matchup with a completely different style of team tomorrow, which will be quite a challenge against Texas, but we are excited for another opportunity to be playing at the end of the season,” said Sagula.
The match against the Longhorns is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT/6:30 p.m. ET, and will be broadcast live on ESPNU. Live stats will also be available through GameTracker.
