University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
10-8, 7-3ACC
Pittsburgh
16-4, 9-0ACC
Tar Heels’ Winning Streak Stopped At Five
October 20, 2017 | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – North Carolina's hot streak was halted on Friday night, as the first-place Pittsburgh Panthers took down the Tar Heels in straight sets (25-18, 25-10, 25-21) to remain the lone undefeated team atop the ACC standings. The Tar Heels entered the weekend on a five-match winning streak, finishing the first half of ACC play at 10-8 (7-3 ACC), while Pittsburgh used its 13th straight victory to move to 16-4 (9-0 ACC).
The Panthers are the only ACC team to sweep the Tar Heels since 2014. Carolina did not drop a single three-set match all last season, as UNC's last ACC sweep took place in Pittsburgh on Sept. 27, 2015.
Junior Taylor Leath led the Tar Heels with eight kills in the match, followed by Taylor Borup with five. Beth Nordhorn and Holly Carlton each chipped in four.
Kendra Koetter led Carolina's offense with 13 assists, while Carlton put up 10.
Libero Casey Jacobs tallied a team-high six digs, while Leath, Carlton and Koetter each had three.
North Carolina out-blocked the Panthers 8.0-5.0 in the match, led by five stuffs from Katharine Esterley.
After three straight matches hitting above .300, the Tar Heels were limited to a .173 hitting percentage, while Pittsburgh registered a .341 clip. Sophomore Nika Markovic provided the spark for the Panther offense, hitting .500 with a match-high 16 kills.
North Carolina struggled with errors early, including making service errors after each of its first three points scored, to help the Panthers race to a 9-3 lead. Pitt stretched the lead to 16-8, but a solo block by Nordhorn kicked off a four-point run that cut the deficit in half, 16-12. UNC continued to battle back, pulling as close as three, 18-15, on a pair of blocks. However, after trading points to make it 21-18, Pittsburgh ran off four straight kills to capture the first set, 25-18.
Pittsburgh opened the second set with a 5-0 lead, and a seven-point run midway through the frame gave the Panthers a daunting 21-6 advantage. Leath mustered three kills down the stretch, but Pitt took the second set, 25-10. The Panthers out-hit the Tar Heels .464 to .038 in the frame, holding UNC without a block after the Heels had stuffed five in the first.
The third set was neck-and-neck early, as kills by Leath and Nordhorn knotted the score at six. However, a 4-0 run pushed Pittsburgh in front 12-7. Carolina quickly pulled back within two, 13-11, but never came any closer, and soon it was 22-20. Two straight points for Pitt set up match point. Nordhorn struck a kill to keep the Heels alive, but Markovic finished off the match with a kill to win the third, 25-21, and complete the sweep.
North Carolina's road trip continues next weekend as the Tar Heels head south to the Sunshine State. UNC will face Florida State on Friday, Oct. 27, at 6:30 p.m. in a nationally televised match on ESPNU. The Heels close out the trip with a visit to Miami on Sunday, Oct. 29, at 1 p.m.
