University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
8-7, 5-1ACC
Virginia
11-5, 3-2ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 22 | 20 | 19 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Balanced Attack Leads Tar Heels to Victory over Virginia
October 10, 2015 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina volleyball kept up its hot streak on Friday night, defeating Virginia 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-19) to claim its fourth-straight ACC sweep. After a slow start to the season, the Tar Heels secured a winning record for the first time in 2015, improving to 8-7 (5-1 ACC), while the Cavaliers drop to 11-5 (5-2 ACC).
“I thought this was a really good win for us,” said senior Paige Neuenfeldt. “Virginia is a really good team. I think for us to come out and get a 3-0 sweep at home is really great for us. I think we're getting a lot of people involved and a lot of people are stepping up.”
Carolina led an extremely balanced offense, with five attackers posting at least eight kills and hitting .375 or better, including a 12-kill, 6-block performance by Neuenfeldt. Taylor Fricano (.474) and Taylor Treacy (.375) followed with nine kills apiece, and Taylor Leath (.500) and Victoria McPherson (.462) each landed eight.
Jordyn Schnabl and Abigail Curry engineered the spread offense, as Schnabl tallied 24 assists and seven digs and Curry put up 18 assists, five digs and two key aces. Sheila Doyle paced the defense with a match-high 13 digs, and Leigh Andrew and Tatiana Durr each put up nine digs from the back row.
“We expected a really good match from Virginia,” said head coach Joe Sagula. “Their middles are good and they're young, so they're going to keep getting better…This was one of our best matches for our pin hitters. We've come a long way, and I think this shows the growth of our team. I just thought it was a really good team effort. I'm real proud of them.”
An impressive service run by Curry spotted the Tar Heels an early 9-5 lead, but UVA replied to tie the score at nine, then took its first lead of the match, 14-13, on back-to-back kills by Kayla Sears. Strong Cavalier serving pushed the Hoos further in front, 21-17, but a kill by McPherson sent Schnabl behind the service line, who served up a 7-0 run with the help of three Leath kills to make it Tar Heel set point, and a UVA service error closed out the opening frame, 25-22.
After UVA took an early 5-4 lead, back-to-back kills by Treacy and two kills and two blocks by Neuenfeldt launched the Tar Heels in front, 10-5, and soon UNC neared victory at 23-14. The Cavaliers did not back down, winning six of the next seven points to reach the 20-point plateau, but a slam by Fricano finished out the frame, 25-20, to give Carolina a 2-0 match lead.
Neither team could string two points together early in the third, until a kill by Fricano lifted the Tar Heels ahead 10-7. Carolina maintained its advantage through the remainder of the match, and senior middles Neuenfeldt and McPherson slammed the door with consecutive kills to capture the third, 25-19, and claim the Tar Heels' fourth straight ACC sweep.
“I thought tonight's win was great, we definitely needed it,” said Leath. “In conference play, we're trying to be consistent and build our confidence. We just have to keep pushing ourselves, especially against challenging teams. We're preparing ourselves to go the distance.”
The Tar Heels have a week to rest before returning to Carmichael Arena next Friday, Oct. 16, to host perennial powerhouse No. 18 Florida State. The matchup between ACC frontrunners is slated to begin at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.
