GoHeels Exclusive: Borup's Return Sparks Volleyball, Olympic Sports Roundup

by Pat James

After primarily coming off the bench and earning a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team in 2016, Taylor Borup figured to assume a larger role on a North Carolina volleyball team that entered this season with lofty expectations.

However, not much has gone according to plan for the Tar Heels. The same could be said for Borup, who played in UNC's first four games before a leg injury sidelined her for the next eight.

But in wins over Duke and Wake Forest this weekend, Borup returned to the court for the first time since the Florida match on Sept. 3 in Puerto Rico. And the Tar Heels showed some of the promise that garnered them preseason accolades.

Borup finished with five kills, two blocks and two digs in the 3-1 victory (18-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-17) over Duke on Friday. Two of her kills came consecutively during the fourth set, prompting match point.

But Borup's return became more pronounced during Sunday's 3-2 win (17-25, 25-18, 25-23, 14-25, 15-5) over Wake Forest, when she paced UNC with 15 kills and hit .429.

After the Tar Heels dropped the first set, Borup rallied them to a second-set win with six kills on seven swings. That helped hand UNC (7-7, 4-2 ACC) the momentum it ultimately needed to record its first ACC weekend sweep and improve to .500 for the first time this season.

Defense leads field hockey to upset

The field hockey team's defense has proven to be its crux this season. But before Friday's game at No. 3 Virginia, the unit hadn't faced an offense quite as explosive as the Cavaliers', which entered the contest averaging an NCAA-best 5.64 goals.

Still, the sixth-ranked Tar Heels continued their stout defensive play, registering their fifth shutout of the season in a 4-0 win.

UNC (11-2, 3-1 ACC) broke a scoreless tie in the final minute before halftime, when Ashley Hoffman scored the game-winning goal on an assist from Eva van't Hoog. The defense preserved the lead for the rest of the game, allowing just six total shots.

Through Friday's games, the Tar Heels ranked sixth nationally with a .99 goals against average, having allowed 13 in 920 minutes.

Griffin breaks records

Following the first round of the Tar Heel Intercollegiate at UNC Finley Golf Course on Saturday, Ben Griffin sat in a six-way tie for first, having shot a 5-under-par 67. Looking to separate himself, he played one of the most memorable rounds in Tar Heel history en route to his third college win.

Griffin, a Chapel Hill native, tied the school record for a single round with a 63 in the second. He followed that up with a 67 in Sunday's final round, helping him win by five strokes with a school-record 19 under and the men's golf team win by 23.

Teammate William Register and John Inman previously held the UNC 54-hole record for lowest score to par at 17 under. Griffin not only broke that 54-hole record, but also Register's for fewest strokes. Register shot 199 at Primland in 2014, and Griffin carded a 197 this weekend.

Men's soccer falls in top-5 clash

In a battle between the top two scoring teams in the country, the No. 4 men's soccer team couldn't capitalize on its limited offensive chances in a 2-1 loss against No. 2 Wake Forest.

Neither team found much room to operate during the first half, with both registering five shots apiece. But the Demon Deacons scored on their final one, seizing a 1-0 lead on a goal by Omir Fernandez.

The Tar Heels (11-2-0, ACC 4-1-0) tied the match on Cam Lindley's free kick less than two minutes into the second half. But after Jeremy Kelly's shot at the 56:06 mark, the team went 20 minutes without one – a stretch during which Wake Forest scored the game-winning goal.

UNC's best chances of retying the game came in the closing minutes, highlighted by shots by Lindley and Jelani Pieters. But as the Tar Heels struggled to do for much of the match, they couldn't convert.

Women's soccer continues stingy defense

After surrendering six goals through its first six games, the most allowed in such a stretch since giving up seven in 2011, the women's soccer team has made significant defensive strides since the start of ACC play.

That continued Sunday afternoon, when No. 5 UNC defeated No. 15 Wake Forest, 2-0 at Dennie W. Spry Soccer Stadium.

The Tar Heels (10-2-0, 6-0-0 ACC) limited the Demon Deacons to just four shots. Samantha Leshnak, who recorded her seventh solo shutout of the season and fifth during ACC play, made the save on Wake Forest's lone shot on goal.

Alessia Russo backed UNC's strong defensive effort with two goals, her sixth and seventh of the season. And the Tar Heels have now outscored their six ACC opponents 16-1.

Baldwin carries over success

Coming off an All-America junior season and claiming three medals at the World University Games in August, Caroline Baldwin carried over her recent success to the women's swimming and diving team's season opener at Georgia on Friday.

Baldwin won the 50-yard freestyle in 22.20 seconds and registered a first-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle at 48.50. She also helped the No. 22 Tar Heel women – who lost 180-120 to the fourth-ranked Georgia women – to a victory in the 200-yard medley relay, swimming the backstroke leg on the front end.

Sean Burston led the men, who lost 187-113 to the No. 8 Georgia men. He swept the diving events, posting scores of 376.20 on the one-meter board and 378.53 on the three-meter board.

Blumberg eyes history

After winning five singles and doubles matches over the previous two days, William Blumberg faced the stiff task of defeating Ohio State's Mikael Torpegaard, the top seed in the singles draw, in the semifinals of the 2017 Saint Francis Health System ITA Men's All-American Championship on Sunday.

But such adversity didn't deter Blumberg. He knocked off Torpegaard, who has been rated No. 1 or No. 2 in every ITA singles ranking since Mar. 22, 2016, with a 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 6-3 win.

Shortly after that, Blumberg teamed with Robert Kelly to beat Baylor's Will Little and Johannes Schretter in doubles, 6-4, 6-2. With both wins, Blumberg will attempt Monday to become just the fifth player to claim the singles and doubles titles in the same year at the event.

Aney runs out of steam

No. 22 Jessie Aney's impressive run to the 2017 Riviera/ITA All-American Championships came to a disappointing end during Friday's Round of 16.

After winning three qualifying matches in two days and then defeating Florida's Brooke Austin on Thursday in Main Draw Singles, Aney came up short against No. 18 Stacey Fung of Washington, losing 6-4, 7-5.

No. 4 Sara Daavettila also lost her consolation singles match on Friday, falling to No. 15 Anna Danilina of Florida, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

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GoHeels Exclusive: Borup's Return Sparks Volleyball, Olympic Sports Roundup

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