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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
13-10, 10-5ACC
Georgia Tech
12-14, 7-8ACC
North Carolina Takes Down Yellow Jackets In Comeback Fashion
November 9, 2017 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina preserved its perfect ACC home record on Thursday night, erasing a 1-2 deficit to defeat Georgia Tech, 3-2 (25-15, 21-25, 17-25, 25-21, 15-9). Three Tar Heels posted double-digit kills in the match, and a 13.0 team blocking performance helped propel Carolina to victory. The win lifts the Tar Heels to 13-10 (10-5 ACC), while Georgia Tech falls to 12-14 (7-8 ACC).
"I'm just excited," said head coach Joe Sagula. "This is a great way for us to hopefully get some momentum—finish at home and then take it on the road. We've got five more matches and we're planning on being really good in all of them, but this is another learning opportunity. You never stop learning."
Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Borup led Carolina and tied her career high with 17 kills in the match, followed by Taylor Leath with 15 kills and Beth Nordhorn with 13. The ACC leader in hitting percentage, Nordhorn made just one error to hit .545. Holly Carlton and Taylor Fricano each added seven kills as UNC was a kill shy of the season high with a total of 62.
Carlton and Kendra Koetter guided Carolina's offense at setter, as Carlton tallied 27 assists and Koetter chipped in 21. The junior transfer added a season-high 14 digs for her fourth UNC double-double, while Carlton narrowly missed one of her own with nine digs to go with two service aces.
Junior libero Casey Jacobs recorded her second straight 20-dig performance, leading the match with 23 to go with seven assists. Leath followed with a season-high 16, her fifth double-double of the season and the 16th of her career. Greer Moseman added eight digs from the back row as UNC missed its season high by one with a total of 72 digs.
Carolina's blockers held strong, totaling 13.0 in the match led by seven each from Nordhorn and Fricano. ACC leader Katharine Esterley followed with five block assists and Leath teamed up on four.
Georgia Tech narrowly out-hit the Tar Heels .235 to .225 in the match, but UNC hit .400 or better in the first and fifth sets while siding out at 80 percent in the final frame to capture the victory.
"If you work hard enough some good things fall for you," said Sagula. "I'm just happy for the team and where we are with this group and the injuries that we can just find a way. This is the time of year where sometimes you look at the fact that you can pull out a victory and you're not worrying about how it looks sometimes."
Carolina raced out to a 9-3 lead to open the match, but Georgia Tech used a pair of three-point runs to cut the deficit to two, 12-10. However, Carlton stepped behind the service line and led the Tar Heels on a 7-0 run including an ace to make it 22-12, and a block by Esterley and Fricano closed the first set, 25-15.
An early 7-0 run flipped a 5-3 deficit to a 10-5 Carolina lead early in the second set. However, Georgia Tech used a seven-point run of its own to tie the score at 14. A kill by Borup made it 19-18, but Georgia Tech followed by winning six of the next seven to make it set point, 24-20, and an attack error finished off the frame as GT evened the match with a 25-21 win in the second.
The third set was tight early but a 6-1 Georgia Tech run midway through the frame gave the Yellow Jackets a 16-11 lead. Carolina was unable to mount a comeback, and Georgia Tech closed out the set on a 3-0 run to win it, 25-17, and take a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set was extremely close, featuring 14 tie scores and seven lead changes. A kill by Gabriela Stavnetchei, who finished the match with 26, put Georgia Tech on top, 19-17, but Carolina replied with four straight, capped off by a Carlton ace, to pull in front, 21-19. Another three-point run made it Carolina set point, and Nordhorn sent the match to five with a kill to win, 25-21.
"Mental stability is an important aspect," said Fricano. "We've been working on that as a team; ride the highs but don't ride the lows. Get out of the lows fast by playing consistent, playing clean, and being physical. That's how we got out of that stretch."
Carolina won the first two points of the short fifth set and capitalized on the momentum throughout the frame. A kill by Fricano made it 4-1 and a three-point run made it 9-5 UNC. Back-to-back kills by Nordhorn set up match point, and she teamed up with fellow-senior Fricano on the block to capture the fifth set, 15-9, and secure the 3-2 victory.
North Carolina closes out its final homestand of the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 11, hosting Clemson on Senior Night. Be sure to arrive early to catch the annual pregame ceremony, honoring seniors Taylor Fricano and Beth Nordhorn as well as graduating members of the support staff for their contributions to Carolina Volleyball throughout their college careers. Saturday's home finale is set to begin at 5 p.m.
