Carolina Falls Short on Senior Day

Wednesday, November 21

Chapel Hill, N.C.

2 PM

North Carolina

8-19, 4-14ACC

Florida State

18-9, 14-3ACC

Florida State

North Carolina

Madison Laufenberg, Kendra Koetter, Casey Jacobs

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

November 21, 2018 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Photo Gallery

CHAPEL HILL – The Tar Heels wrapped up the 2018 season with a Senior Day clash against Florida State in Carmichael Arena. Despite early leads in the first and third sets, North Carolina (8-19, 4-14 ACC) fell short to the Seminoles (18-9, 14-3 ACC) in straight sets Wednesday afternoon.

Making their final starts in Carolina Blue, the Tar Heels recognized their seniors prior to the match: Casey Jacobs, Kendra Koetter and Madison Laufenberg. Koetter dished out a season-best 15 assists while Jacobs logged six digs and Laufenberg totaled four kills and two blocks.

"I am really proud of the seniors," head coach Joe Sagula said. "This match was to celebrate them. I appreciate their effort and commitment. The team was behind them and wanted to go hard. They've been through so many ups and downs. What I appreciate the most is that they've stayed the course. They led us with a spirited effort in practice. We might not have been the most talented this year in terms of wins and losses, but we've improved a lot with them as our senior leaders. The seniors will leave that legacy behind for us to build upon in the future."

Looking toward next season's returners, Destiny Cox capped off 2018 with a pair of solid performances – hitting .370 with 12 kills against the Seminoles. Both Skylar Wine and Ava Bell slugged nine kills. Mia Fradenburg collected 12 digs with two aces while Hunter Atherton assisted 19 of UNC's 40 kills in the 6-2 rotation.

Proving their second place standing in the ACC, the Seminoles attacked at a .330 clip throughout the match as five hitters slugged at over a .333 rate. Payton Caffrey hit a match-best 16 kills while both Ashley Murray and Taryn Knuth slugged seven errorless kills. Kelsey Wicinski grounded the back row with a match-best 18 digs.

The match began with pair of early aces by Fradenburg. Carolina went on a 5-1 run before a third UNC ace forced Florida State to call time. Both Bell and Cox recorded four kills in the set. The Tar Heels led through a majority of the first set until Florida State tied it up at 20-20 due to a 7-1 run. UNC battled through one set point thanks to a kill by Laufenberg, but it was not enough as Florida State took the first set, 25-22.

UNC fell behind early in set two, but a block by Bell and Atherton tied up the frame at 5-all. However, the Seminoles went on a five-point run to reclaim the lead before Katharine Esterley slugged a kill. FSU's Murray slugged four errorless kills in the set, including two back-to-back early in the set. The Tar Heels fought through two set points with a kill from Cox and a Florida State miscue, but the Seminoles clinched a two-set lead with a 25-15 decision.

A block by Bell and Laufenberg kept the Tar Heels ahead early, 4-1. A trio of kills by Cox and one from Koetter extended UNC's lead to 11-6. However, a 7-1 run in favor of the Seminoles knotted the set at 17-all. Florida State took a two-point edge on a kill and solo block by Caffrey. Cox slugged her 12th kill of the match to fend off the Seminoles, but Florida State's Christina Ambrose solidified the 25-23 decision with a kill for the sweep.

Wednesday's match concludes the 2018 season for the Tar Heels.

Stay up to date with Carolina Volleyball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.