North Carolina
Syracuse
Tar Heels Bounce Back and Sweep Orange at Home
September 28, 2014 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Carolina bounced back to sweep the Syracuse Orange 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-18) Sunday afternoon in Carmichael Arena.
North Carolina (10-2, 1-1) extended their home winning streak to 13 straight matches after winning their sixth game at home this season.
After a setback Friday night, the No. 12 Tar Heels held the Orange to .120 hitting percentage and forced 18 attack errors for the match.
Chaniel Nelson led UNC with nine kills and contributed three blocks. Paige Neuenfeldt had seven kills, with a .333 hitting percentage, and added four blocks for Carolina.
Freshmen Beth Nordhorn earned her second ever start in her young career and had seven kills and one block.
In set one, the Tar Heels jumped out to an early 4-1 lead behind kills from Lauren McAdoo and Nordhorn. However, the Orange rallied to tie the score at 5-5 before taking a 14-11 lead.
From there, the Tar Heels forced multiple Syracuse attack errors to even the game. A kill by Taylor Treacy tied the game at 16-16, and the two teams battled back-and-forth for several points.
A kill by Nelson sparked a late UNC run as Carolina rattled off four straight points to win set one, 25-20. Ece Taner finished the set off with an ace to cap the win.
After winning set one, the Tar Heels stayed even with Syracuse through the early part of set two. An early kill and a service run by Syracuse's Valeriya Shaipova, who notched four kills in the frame, tied the score at 8-8.
The Tar Heels pulled away after building a 13-10 lead in the middle of the set. Led by six kills from Leigh Andrew in the set, UNC cruised to a 25-20 victory after building a four-point lead late in the set.
The third frame played similar to the second, as North Carolina was able to pull away in the middle of the set. The Tar Heels built a 16-10 lead thanks to strong net play from Nelson and then finished the game with two late kills from Andrew.
In only her second match back after missing two games with an injury, Leigh Andrew had 10 kills, eight digs, and one block for UNC. Ece Taner chipped in 18 digs and Taylor Treacy had two kills.
The Tar Heels hit the road again next weekend as they travel to Pittsburgh on Friday, and the Clemson on Saturday. The game against the Tigers will be broadcast on ESPN3 at 1 p.m.
