University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
0-2
Wisconsin
2-0
No. 7 Wisconsin Tops No. 11 Carolina in Straight Sets
August 26, 2017 | Volleyball
Madison, Wis. – No. 11 North Carolina came up emptyhanded on Saturday night, dropping its second straight contest to a top-10 opponent as No. 7 Wisconsin defeated the Tar Heels, 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-19), in front of a sold-out crowd (6,012) at UW Field House. The Badgers (3-0) finished the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with back-to-back sweeps, while Carolina dropped to 0-2 to start the year.
The Tar Heels switched up the offense, returning to a 6-2 with freshman Holly Carlton and junior transfer Kendra Koetter, after Carlton directed the offense solo the previous night. Carlton put up 12 assists, seven digs and an ace, while Koetter, in her first appearance for the Heels, tallied 11 assists and an ace. Carlton stayed in all six rotations to play right side in the first two sets, where she notched a pair of kills.
Sophomore Julia Scoles led the Tar Heel offense with nine kills while junior Taylor Leath followed with six, and both also served up an ace. Sophomore libero Mia Fradenburg led with 11 digs, while Taylor Borup was in on three of UNC's 4.5 blocks and added three kills. Beth Nordhorn was a bright spot in the third set, going 2-for-2 on the attack with a block.
Wisconsin's middle duo got the best of the Carolina defense, as 6-foot-8 freshman Dana Rettke hit .778 with 15 kills and five blocks, while junior Tionna Williams hit .643 with 10 slams. Freshman setter Sydney Hilley put on a strong all-around performance, posting her first career double-double with 43 assists, 11 digs, four kills and two aces.
The first set was tight throughout, but Wisconsin never allowed Carolina to take the lead, and before long it was 22-20. Carolina wiped off the Badgers' first attempt at set point, but a kill by Madison Duello gave Wisconsin the first, 25-21.
The Tar Heels fell into a 7-1 hole to open the second set, soon trailing 13-4. Carolina regrouped midway through the set, with the help of three blocks, but the deficit was too large to overcome, as the Badgers took the second, 25-17, and carried a 2-0 lead into the break.
A service ace by Koetter gave UNC its first lead of the night, 6-5, but a 7-1 run midway through the set put Wisconsin back in control, 14-9. A great service run by Scoles pulled Carolina back within two, 18-16, but the Badgers regrouped after a timeout to win seven of the final 10 points and finish off the sweep, 25-19.
The Tar Heels head south next weekend for the ACC/SEC Puerto Rico Clasico, where they will join NC State in facing Auburn and No. 12 Florida. Carolina takes on Auburn on Saturday, Sept. 2, at 6 p.m., then squares off with the Gators—who took down the No. 1 and No. 5-ranked teams on opening weekend—at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. All four matches of the Puerto Rico Clasico will be streamed live on FloVolleyball.tv.
