.png&width=36&height=36&type=webp)
University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
13-8, 10-2ACC
Notre Dame
6-18, 1-11ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | 25 | 17 | 25 | 20 | 1 |
| North Carolina | 27 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 3 |
Tar Heels Fight Past Irish for 10th ACC Victory
November 1, 2015 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL – In an afternoon full of long rallies, Carolina volleyball battled past Notre Dame on Sunday, 3-1 (27-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-20). The Tar Heels needed a season-high 93 digs to outlast the Fighting Irish, using patience and endurance to capture their 10th conference victory of the year. The win lifts Carolina to 13-8 (10-2 ACC), while Notre Dame sinks to 6-18 (1-11 ACC).
“This was a hard match,” said head coach Joe Sagula. “It was a tough match to play, and I think we still had a little bit of the Louisville 'jetlag' you could call it. I like the fact that I would say we won about 80 percent of the rallies and that we kept fighting and found different ways to win.
“I give credit to Notre Dame. They didn't go away without a fight. I knew it could be frustrating, but this was a really exciting win for us.”
The story of the night for Carolina had to be libero Sheila Doyle. The junior put up an unbelievable 35 digs, including 17 in the second set alone, to keep the Tar Heels in each rally and put Carolina in a position to win. It was the most digs for a UNC player since Sept. 18, 2009, when Kaylie Gibson tallied 39 in a five-set loss to Delaware.
The libero was one of four Tar Heels with double-digit digs, joined by Tatiana Durr and Abigail Curry with 12 apiece and Leigh Andrew with 10. The Tar Heels surpassed 90 digs for the just the second time since 2011, posting a season-best 93.
“Leigh Andrew had a lot of different angles at times, Taylor Treacy had some shots, and the key to all of that was Sheila Doyle,” said Sagula. “Her defensive saves were instrumental. Today was about rallies and defense, and the pins coming on strong at the end.”
Carolina's pin hitters all had double-digit kills in the match, led by career highs for both Taylor Treacy and Taylor Leath, with 18 and 15, respectively. Andrew posted her second straight double-double with 12 kills, and middle hitter Victoria McPherson chipped in 11 kills.
Junior Abigail Curry led the Tar Heels to their third straight victory as a six-rotation setter, once again slashing her career high with 55 assists to go with 12 digs, three kills and her first career solo block.
“She's unbelievable,” said Sagula. “Today she came up big in the fourth set in particular with some big blocks and swings. She's got to be one tired girl right now, her and Sheila. They're playing six rotations and they're working their butts off. Abbey is the unsung hero for taking over and playing six rotations in two of the biggest matches of the year. It's been big.”
Paige Neuenfeldt led the Tar Heel blocking unit with seven of Carolina's 11.5 blocks, and Treacy contributed on five.
The Tar Heels opened the match with an 8-3 lead and ran it to 16-12, but strong serving by Notre Dame helped the Irish tie the score at 17. A kill by Andrew put UNC back on top, but another Irish ace gave UND a 19-18 advantage, and a kill by Sam Fry made it 23-21 Notre Dame. Treacy crushed a kill to tie the score at 23-23, but Notre Dame pulled back ahead to reach set point. Treacy slammed another kill, but a kill by Maddie Dilfer made it UND set point once again. Treacy did it a third time, tying the score at 25, then Heather Gearhart checked in to serve. Gearhart made several key dig saves to help a long rally end with a Notre Dame error, then the senior defensive specialist tucked a serve just inside the back line to win the back-and-forth first set, 27-25.
The second set was tight early, but the Tar Heels distanced themselves midway through the frame, 13-8, on a kill by Treacy. Back-to-back Carolina blocks pushed the advantage to 21-13, and kills by McPherson and Leath closed out the second, 25-17, in favor of the Tar Heels.
Notre Dame controlled the pace of the third set, maintaining a two-to-three-point lead for the majority of the frame. A kill by Sydney Kuhn made it 18-15, when three straight kills by Leath tied the score at 18 and a service ace by Doyle put UNC on top, 19-18. A pair of Carolina errors returned the advantage to Notre Dame, and soon the Fighting Irish pulled ahead 23-20. Back-to-back blocks by Treacy and Neuenfeldt pulled the Tar Heels back within one, but a kill by Meg Morningstar closed the set, as Notre Dame kept the match alive with a 25-23 decision in the third.
Carolina raced out to a 14-7 lead to begin the fourth set and never relinquished the lead, as McPherson hammered home the match with a kill to win it for UNC, 25-20.
The Tar Heels head north next weekend to take on Syracuse and Boston College before returning for the final homestand of the season. Carolina squares off with the Orange at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6.
