North Carolina
6-7, 3-2ACC
Duke
11-5, 3-2ACC
Tar Heels Storm Back To Defeat Duke In Four
October 6, 2017 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina found itself down one set to none and 21-16 in the second set, but backed by a screaming crowd of over 3,500 fans, the Tar Heels raced back to defeat rival Duke, 3-1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-17). The Tar Heels were fueled by redshirt freshman Holly Carlton who did it all for Carolina, posting her second triple-double of the year with over 10 kills, assists and digs. The win lifts UNC to 6-7 (3-2 ACC), while Duke falls to 11-5 (3-2 ACC).
"There's nothing like being on the court and having a packed arena cheering for you," said Carlton. "It makes it so much easier to keep believing in yourselves, fighting, having the crowd get excited about little points. It was great to have the home court advantage tonight."
After posting her 10th kill and 10th dig on consecutive points early in the fourth set, Carlton became the first Tar Heel in 25 years to record her second career triple-double. There have been two Tar Heels under Coach Sagula to register multiple triple-doubles, led by 1992 ACC Player of the Year Amy Piestrup, who had a total of 16 career performances with double-digit kills, assists and digs. Teammate Joanna Sahm posted four triple-doubles in 1991, including two matches in October of '91 when both Piestrup and Sahm registered triple-doubles.
"My teammates made it really easy for me tonight to be successful in all the different stat categories," said Carlton. "I think that shows what a great all-around game the team had and I was just able to contribute to that."
Carlton led the Tar Heels with 13 kills and a .423 hitting percentage, ranking second on the team with 11 digs and 18 assists. Taylor Leath followed closely with 12 kills, while Beth Nordhorn tallied nine. Taylor Borup returned to the lineup after missing the last eight matches due to injury and tallied five kills, two blocks and two digs.
Junior Kendra Koetter registered her second double-double as a Tar Heel with 22 assists and 10 digs, while libero Casey Jacobs narrowly missed the first of her career with a team-high 15 digs and nine assists.
Carolina's blockers kept on rolling, recording their 10th straight double-digit blocking match with 13.0. Nordhorn led the charge with a career-high eight stuffs, and Katharine Esterley and Taylor Fricano both had four.
"I think sometimes dominating the net play is a mentality," said Carlton. "Having this be our rival, our home court, protecting the home court and just having the aggressive mindset helped us at the net."
After hitting just .082 with 20 kills and 14 errors over the first two sets combined, Carolina cut down on the mistakes to hit .485 with 18 kills and two errors in the third and .324 with three in the fourth. UNC finished the night with a .238 hitting percentage while holding the Blue Devils to just .178.
North Carolina controlled the first set early, taking a 13-10 lead on a kill by Nordhorn. However, the Blue Devils exploded for a 10-2 run down the stretch to race past the Tar Heels and take the opener, 25-18.
The Tar Heels took an early 6-3 lead, but Duke pushed ahead, 10-8 on a block. Kills by Nordhorn and Carlton tied the score at 12, but the Blue Devils pulled right back out in front, 18-14. A kill by Anna Kropf made it 22-19 Duke, but a kill by Nordhorn kicked off a 5-0 Carolina run. A block and two kills by Leath gave UNC back the lead and a kill by Carlton made it UNC set point, 24-22. Cadie Bates wiped off the first attempt with a kill, but she followed with a serve into the net as UNC knotted the match at one set apiece with a 25-23 victory in the second.
A 4-0 run by Carolina midway through the third set flipped a 10-8 deficit to a 13-11 lead. Duke tied the score at 15, but back-to-back kills by Fricano put the Heels back on top 17-15. Carolina went on to win eight of the final 10 points to capture the third set, 25-18, and take a 2-1 match lead. After hitting just .082 with 20 kills through the first two sets, Carolina slammed 18 kills with just two errors to hit .485 in the third.
The fourth set was back and forth early and soon the score was knotted 10-10. A kill by Nordhorn sent Sehrena Hull behind the service line as the Tar Heel rookie served Carolina on a 7-0 run, including three kills and a block by Carlton, to seemingly put the game away, 17-10. Duke did not back down, cutting the deficit to three, 20-17, on three consecutive kills from Bates. However, a block by Esterley and Fricano gave UNC back the momentum. Two straight Borup kills set up Carolina match point, and Fricano and Nordhorn slammed a Bates attack into the ground to end the match on a five-point run, winning 25-17.
The homestand continues on Sunday, Oct. 8, when Wake Forest comes to town. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the annual breast cancer awareness match. Arrive early to bid in the silent auction for Carolina gear and behind-the-scenes experiences, with all proceeds benefitting Get REAL & HEEL. First serve is set for 1 p.m.
