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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
3-0
Penn State
2-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 16 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
| Penn State | 25 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 9 | 2 |
Tar Heels Knock Off No. 9 PSU To Win Penn State Classic
August 28, 2016 | Volleyball
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| Postgame Infographic |
University Park, Pa. – No. 19 North Carolina stormed back after a shaky first set to capture the Penn State Classic title by handing No. 9 Penn State its first nonconference home loss in five years. The Tar Heels found themselves down two sets to one and 23-18 in the fourth, but rebounded to win the final seven points then captured the match in five (16-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-23, 15-9). The win completed a perfect 3-0 opening weekend for Carolina, while Penn State finished its home opener, 2-1.
“We have so much respect for what Penn State does as a program and how hard they go, and I was just proud of how our team stayed in it,” said head coach Joe Sagula. “Staying in it created a couple of good changes. (Julia) Scoles' serving was clutch, all those jump serves in the fourth. I didn't know if she could do that, she's such a great athlete. It comes down to winning the serving and passing game. We put some pressure on and it made it more difficult for Penn State to side out as we got better.”
The victory over Penn State was one for the record books, marking UNC's seventh win over a top-10 opponent and the third-straight season that the Heels have knocked off a team ranked in the single digits. Meanwhile, Penn State fell on its home court to a nonconference team for just the 15th time in program history, as the Nittany Lions are 316-15 (.955) to out-of-league opponents and 580-34 (.946) all time in the friendly confines of Rec Hall.
“We've had a lot of really big wins, but this ranks as one of the top ones in my career because of the fact that we did it on the road in this building,” said Sagula. "That doesn't happen very often. I've known (Penn State head coach) Russ (Rose) for over 30 years, so I know that this is special. Penn State's going to be a really good team. We were very fortunate to do a couple of things at the right time tonight. This is going to be one that we will remember for a long time.
“For the young players to know what it's like to play at this level, especially for the admiration and the respect they all have for a team that's won seven national championships. I knew we were going to get a great battle and a lot of mutual respect from both teams.”
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Leath, who went to high school at nearby State College Area High, had a personal best in nearly every category, registering her second career double-double with 18 kills, 16 digs, four blocks and two aces to earn a place on the Penn State Classic All-Tournament Team.
“When you get to go to someone's hometown, it doesn't always happen this way,” said Sagula. “She did not start the tournament well, but she stepped up at a good time in a big match. It's something I'm sure as a young player that she dreamed about doing, and I think she really did what we wanted. She led by example, she played hard and she served well.”
Julia Scoles was named All-Tournament MVP after her collegiate debut, finishing the weekend by posting her second straight double-double with 15 digs, 11 kills, five blocks and two aces, while fellow All-Tournament honoree Taylor Treacy added 11 kills.
“Without question, Julia had a great three matches,” Sagula said. “As a freshman, this validates her being here this past spring. It really helped prepare her to come out like this. She still has work to do, but she's just so adaptable. She kept learning and kept getting better throughout the weekend, and she really made a statement the way she played in the fourth set tonight. She played like a real veteran.
“Taylor Treacy—I was so proud of how she got better and better. She added a quiet confidence to the team. She had some big blocks for us at times and then quietly got some good kills. She was really instrumental in the match against West Virginia and was just a steady performer. She's someone we can count on and I'm really proud of her that she can be that type of leader on the court for us.”
Redshirt freshman Sydnye Fields was a force to be reckoned with at the net, slamming 11 blocks to help hold Penn State to a .204 clip, including two sets under .100. Fellow middle Beth Nordhorn completed a perfect attacking day, following a 3-for-3 outing vs. West Virginia with four kills on four swings in the nightcap.
“This was a huge weekend for Syd,” Sagula continued. “She played in the spring and she saw what she could do, but she's really gotten stronger and become a more physical player. For her to do as well as she did and be a force at the net, she loves it. She's thriving in that environment. Her game has been transformed since last year, significantly. She's really been open to learning and changing and it's showing in the results.”
Senior Abigail Curry tallied her first double-double of the year with 31 assists and 11 digs, while freshman Mariah Evans put up 18 assists. Libero Sheila Doyle helped a strong defensive unit with 15 digs from the back row.
“We tend to take it for granted, too, but two of the unsung people on the team, Abbey and Sheila, their steady play time after time, the passing,” said Sagula. “Sheila took on a lot of court tonight, and Abbey's tracking down really bad passes to put up a good ball to give our hitters a good chance to swing. I was really excited by their leadership.”
The match opened with a 3-3 tie, but Haleigh Washington served the Nittany Lions on an 8-0 run to take a daunting 11-3 lead before serving a ball out of bounds to end the rotation. Both teams played fairly evenly for the remainder of the set, but the Tar Heels were unable to counter with a run to close the gap and dropped the first set, 25-16.
Penn State won the first three points of the second set, but the Tar Heels replied with four straight to pull ahead 6-5 on a block by Fields and Leath. Carolina maintained control for the majority of the set, but never pulled away, and a late run by the Nittany Lions flipped the score to 19-17 PSU.
UNC tied the score at 19, but a rocket of a serve by Simone Lee helped Penn State to a 22-20 lead. After a Nittany Lion service error, Casey Jacobs subbed in to serve and fired back-to-back aces to retake the lead, 23-22. A block by McCorkle and Fields made it set point, and a Nittany Lion attack error made it five straight as UNC evened the match with a 25-22 victory in the second set.
Carolina controlled the start of the third set, but the Nittany Lions pulled ahead 13-11 midway through the frame and never again trailed, grabbing a 2-1 match lead with a 25-21 decision.
The fourth set appeared to be a repeat of the third, as Penn State erased an early deficit to pull ahead 23-18. However, the Nittany Lions could not get the final two points they needed, as UNC won the final seven points of the frame, topped off by an ace from Scoles, to win the fourth, 25-23, and send the match to a deciding fifth set.
The Tar Heels kept the momentum going through the short fifth set, as an ace by Doyle put UNC up 4-2.
“They felt really good,” said Sagula. “I think they knew that 'we're here.' It's not like we were lucky, there was no panic. I actually said very little and just wanted to see how they would play. I think that our seniors did a good job being really mature and handling the level of anxiety that might have been out there.”
Penn State tied the score at four, but two straight kills by Leath put the Heels back on top, 6-4, and UNC never again surrendered the lead. Back-to-back Penn State blocks cut UNC's lead back to two, 11-9, but after calling timeout, the Tar Heels surged forward, winning the final four points, including two kills and a block by Leath, to defeat Penn State, 15-9, and make it a night to remember.
“I think we were just determined,” said Leath. “We wanted to show what Carolina Volleyball is going to be. We wanted to set a tone. I think that we were at that point where we were having fun and we got all of our jitters out and every single member of our team was ready to play. We went out there and we really attacked and I think that was the biggest thing. I don't think that we shied away from any play; we just wanted to go out there and attack and dominate.”
The Tar Heels return to the Triangle on Thursday, Sept. 1, with a match at cross-town rival Duke. The nonconference competition at Cameron Indoor Stadium is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. and will feature UNC's debut on the brand new ACC Network Extra on WatchESPN.
Penn State Classic All-Tournament Team
Julia Scoles, UNC (MVP)
Taylor Treacy, UNC
Taylor Leath, UNC
Simone Lee, Penn State
Kendall White, Penn State
Payton Caffrey, West Virginia
Alex Beecher, Georgia Southern
