North Carolina
14-13 (11-8ACC)
Wake Forest
13-18 (5-14ACC)
Twenty-One Blocks Not Enough In Loss To Demon Deacons
November 22, 2017 | Volleyball
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – North Carolina stuffed an unprecedented 21.5 blocks as a team, behind a career-high 11 stuffs by senior Beth Nordhorn and a triple-double with 10 blocks by freshman Holly Carlton, but a season-high 28 attack errors handcuffed the Carolina offense, as the Tar Heels fell to Wake Forest, 3-1 (25-22, 27-29, 25-23, 25-22). The win marked the first for the Demon Deacons over UNC since 2009, snapping a 12-match Carolina winning streak. With the win, WF moved to 13-18 (5-14 ACC), while the Tar Heels enter the final match of the season sitting at 14-13 (11-8 ACC).
North Carolina tied its rally-scoring record with a total of 21.5 blocks in the match. It was the fourth 20-block performance in the rally-scoring era (since 2001) and matched the 21.5 mark set on Sept. 29, 2005, in a five-set loss to Duke. UNC put together 37 block assists, which is one shy of the all-time single-match record set just last season on Sept. 1 against Duke.
Just three days after tying her personal best of eight stuffs, senior middle Beth Nordhorn recorded her first career double-digit blocking performance with a team-season-high 11 stuffs. Redshirt freshman setter/hitter Holly Carlton followed with a career-high 10 blocks and registered her second straight triple-double with 22 assists and 13 digs. The rookie also added nine kills to come just one kill shy of the first quadruple-double in program history. Redshirt freshman Katharine Esterley added eight block assists, while Taylor Fricano had five and Taylor Leath had two assists and two block solos.
Nordhorn and Carlton were just the third duo in Carolina history to post double-digit blocks in the same match. Cameron Van Noy (12) and Chaniel Nelson (10) were the last pair to do so on Nov. 11, 2011, against Georgia Tech. Krista Buchholz (11) and assistant coach Eve Rackham (10) helped the Tar Heels to a 19-block performance against Duke on Oct. 15, 2000. Rackham also had a triple-double in that match, adding 51 assists and 17 digs, in the only other kills-assists-blocks triple-double in program history. Carlton, who has registered three matches with 10+ kills, assists and digs, is the only Tar Heel ever to record two different types of triple-doubles.
Freshman Maddie Grace Hough put on a strong showing in the back row, taking over at libero in the second set and totaling a career-high 21 digs to go with two aces. Carlton was next with 13 digs, and defensive specialist Greer Moseman tallied nine digs, two aces and her second career kill.
Fricano and Leath led Carolina's offense with 12 kills apiece, and Taylor Borup added six. In addition to Carlton's 22 assists, junior setter Kendra Koetter posted 18.
Despite its strong defensive performance, Carolina paired 44 kills with a season-high 28 attack errors to hit just .108 and sided out at a measly 52 percent.
Wake Forest raced to an early 10-3 lead to start the first set. Carolina forced its way back into the frame, using an incredible 8.5 blocks to claw back to within two, 24-22, but Kylie Long closed a gritty rally with a Wake Forest kill as the Demon Deacons hung on to win the first set, 25-22.
It was North Carolina that surged out of the gate in the second set, taking a quick 9-1 lead. A five-point run by Wake Forest cut the deficit to 13-9, then a block kicked off a four-point run to make it 18-17. A kill by Leath made it 23-19 Carolina, but Wake Forest battled back to win five straight and reach set point, 24-23. A kill by Carlton tied it at 24 and another Carlton kill made it 25-25. A Carlton-Nordhorn block gave UNC its first attempt at set point, 26-25, but Wake Forest tied the score twice before a Nordhorn-Leath block finally closed the second frame, 29-27.
The third set was much like the end of the second, featuring 12 ties and six lead changes. A 4-0 Carolina run made it 9-7, but just as swiftly the score swung to 11-9 Wake Forest. UNC used a five-point streak to push back in front, 16-14, but Wake Forest again replied to go ahead, 18-16. The Tar Heels tied the score at 18 with a block, then a kill and an ace by Leath made it 21-20 UNC. Kills by Carlton tied the score at 22 and again at 23, but Kylie Long finished the set with a pair of kills to give Wake Forest control of the match, 25-23.
North Carolina took a 14-11 lead on a block by Esterley and Leath midway through the fourth. However, Wake Forest fired off a seven-point run to pull ahead 18-14. A block by Carlton and Esterley, which completed Carlton's triple-double, made it 18-17, but three straight kills by Long made it 23-19 Wake Forest. An ace by Carlton cut the deficit in half, but Long had the final swing of the match as the Demon Deacons claimed their first victory over the Tar Heels since 2009 with a 25-22 win in the fourth set.
North Carolina closes out the 2017 season on Friday, Nov. 24, with a trip across the Triangle to rival Duke University. The Tar Heels will face the Blue Devils at 6:30 p.m. in the 2017 season finale.
