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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
26-3, 18-1ACC
Duke
21-8, 15-4ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 25 | 17 | 13 | 20 | 1 |
| North Carolina | 22 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Heels Clinch 13th ACC Title With Win Over Duke
November 23, 2016 | Volleyball
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| Postgame Infographic |
CHAPEL HILL – No. 6 North Carolina took down Duke, 3-1 (22-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-20) on Wednesday afternoon to secure the 2016 outright ACC Championship. It marks the ACC-record 13th conference title in program history and second in three years. Carolina's (26-3, 18-1 ACC) 18th ACC victory ties for the most ACC wins in school history, tying the 18-4 mark from 2005, while Duke falls to 21-8 (15-4 ACC).
“This one feels as good as the first one,” said head coach Joe Sagula, who tied the ACC record by winning his seventh league title. “I'm really proud of this team. I think there were a lot of expectations and pressure from the beginning of the season to be able to fulfill the goals and the predictions. The fact that we could do it was a relief, especially against a really good opponent and a rival. To do it before the last match of the year was a chance to just take a deep breath, to take it in, and to really appreciate it more.
“It may sound corny, but the appreciation we have for this team, especially here at Thanksgiving—we just have a huge amount of gratitude for everyone's hard work to make this happen this year.”
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Leath put on a dominating all-around performance, posting a double-double with 17 kills and 17 digs, hitting .372 with a career-high six blocks.
“I think it's really special for this team,” said Leath. “It's one of those things that we need to do. We're not only thinking about ACC's but we're thinking about the postseason as well. The energy we brought today is really going to help us, and we're gaining momentum at the right time. So it's not only the ACC Championship, it's also the statement we want to make about Carolina Volleyball. I think every single girl out here is proud of this statement that we said about our work ethic and our resilience and what you're going to expect when you play Carolina.”
Fellow outside Julia Scoles also posted a double-double, recording 10 kills and 12 digs as well as three key service aces, while senior opposite hitter Taylor Treacy totaled nine kills and seven blocks. Both Tar Heel middles were prolific, as Taylor Fricano hit .471 with eight kills and eight blocks and Beth Nordhorn posted seven kills and five blocks.
“It's insane,” said Fricano after winning her first ACC title. “It feels amazing just for our seniors. I was getting choked up just thinking about them and all the effort they've put into this program and everything they've done for this program. That was for them more than anybody else.”
One of those seniors, libero Sheila Doyle, was integral in the victory, out-digging the conference-leading Duke defense by posting 31 digs while serving up some pivotal runs including two aces.
“Sheila was great,” said Sagula. “She was clutch on a lot of balls—easy ones, tough ones, balls down the line. What a great performance. We needed that. She set the tone for our defense play early and then I thought other people made some great plays as we went on. I actually challenged the middle backs to play better, and then they started digging and playing better. Our defense changed the course of our play, without question.”
Fellow senior Abigail Curry registered her 26th career double-double with 28 assists and 11 digs, while freshman Mariah Evans totaled 19 assists.
As a team, Carolina totaled 14.0 blocks and out-hit the Blue Devils .268 to .165, including holding Duke to a dreadful -.077 clip in the third set.
“Honestly, we're a really good team,” said Leath. “Not team as in 'this person is talented and that person is talented,' but we're really good teammates to each other and we never lose that connection. Coach has us huddle and look each other in the eyes and as long as we have that connection with each other, we never lose faith in one another. I think that's one of those reasons we never get down [when we're behind], because we believe in each other and if you don't believe in yourself the person to your left or right believes in you.”
The first set was neck and neck throughout, with neither team taking a lead of more than two until kills by Leah Meyer and Samantha Amos gave Duke a 20-17 lead. Kills by Fricano and Hayley McCorkle cut the deficit to one, 20-19, but the Blue Devils pushed their way back in front, and a UNC service error handed the set to Duke, 25-22.
A kill and an ace by Scoles gave UNC a quick 3-1 lead to start the second, but the Blue Devils came right back to tie it at four then took a 6-5 lead on a kill by Cindy Marina. A kill and a block by Treacy gave UNC back the lead, 8-7, and UNC never again trailed. Two Leath kills made it 16-13, then back-to-back slams by Treacy increased the advantage to 21-17. A beautiful serve by Doyle dropped in for an ace, and the senior libero served out the final six points as a kill from the back row by Leath closed the second, 25-17.
Duke pulled ahead 6-2 to start the third set, but a kill and a solo block by Treacy helped Carolina tie the score at seven. A pair of errors put the Blue Devils back on top, 9-7, but another great service run by Doyle flipped the lead to the Tar Heels as UNC pushed ahead 14-10. A kill by Scoles sent her to the serving line and an ace kicked off a six-point run to make it 21-12. Back-to-back kills by Leath made it 23-13, then Nordhorn finished off a long rally with a kill to win the third, 25-13, and give Carolina its first lead in the match.
A strong service run by Fricano early in the fourth gave the Tar Heels a daunting 11-4 lead, but the Blue Devils were not ready to call it quits just yet, as the Duke steadily battled back to cut the deficit to two, 17-15, on back-to-back kills by Jordan Tucker. However, a block by Nordhorn and Treacy fired up the season's largest crowd, and Doyle followed with an ace to make it 21-17 and force Duke to call its final timeout. Scoles slammed a kill, then stepped behind the service line and crushed her third ace to make it match point, and Leath tipped an overpass from a Fricano swing to close out the fourth set and clinch the conference title.
“The biggest thing I'm going to take from this match is how hard we played and how we played better defense against who I think is one of the better defensive teams in the ACC and maybe in the country,” said Sagula. “We're going to need to play that kind of defense going forward, and now we know we can. If we want to play that hard, we can. I just have to keep telling them to do that.”
The Tar Heels close out the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 26, against Wake Forest at 2 p.m. Saturday's afternoon match will be the annual Senior Day celebration, featuring a pre-game ceremony honoring this year's talented senior class.
Following the conclusion of the regular season, the Tar Heels, who clinched the automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament with Wednesday's victory, will find out their postseason draw during the 2016 NCAA Selection Show, which will air on ESPNU on Sunday, Nov. 27 at 9 p.m.
