Carolina Rallies From Behind to Defeat NC State, 3-1

Wednesday, September 26

Chapel Hill, N.C.

6:30 PM

North Carolina

5-7, 1-2ACC

NC State

7-6, 1-2ACC

NC State

North Carolina

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

September 26, 2018 | Volleyball

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CHAPEL HILL – Defending home court, North Carolina rallied back from a first set loss to defeat NC State, 3-1, on Wednesday night in Carmichael Arena. Led by Ava Bell's career high, 12 blocks, the Tar Heels more than doubled State's block en route to their first win in league play.

As a team, UNC posted a season-high 15.0 blocks while only getting blocked 7.0 times by NC State. In addition to Bell's 12, Hunter Atherton posted seven in addition to assisting 44 of Carolina's 52 kills. Freshmen Destiny Cox and Bell led the Tar Heels' attack with 19 and 12 kills – marking the first double-double for Bell. Mia Fradenburg and Casey Jacobs guarded the court with season highs of 19 and 21 digs, respectively.

State balanced its attack among Teni Sopitan, Melissa Evans and Jade Parchment who each swatted double-figure kills. Evans and Parchment posted double-doubles for the Wolfpack with 12 and 14 digs, respectively.

With the win, head coach Joe Sagula owns 799 career wins and 596 at the helm of the Tar Heels. Carolina improves to 5-7 overall while the Wolfpack fall to 7-6. Both teams sit at 1-2 in league play.

NC State went on 6-0 run to begin the match and set the tone for the set. The Tar Heels battled but were unable to contain the Wolfpack who attacked at a .467 clip in the frame. Bell and Atherton tallied three kills to highlight UNC's offense. However, State's Evans and Sopitan logged six apiece en route to the 25-17 win.

The Tar Heels answered back in set two by scoring four straight points to begin the frame. NC State knotted the match three times, but was unable to claim the lead. Cox led the way for Carolina's attack with five kills. An ace by Bell forced NC State to use its second timeout. The Wolfpack went on a 6-1 run to force Carolina to use both its timeouts, knotting the frame at 21-21. The Tar Heels responded well and closed out the set with a block by Bell and Cox for the 25-22 win.

Carolina and State battled point-for-point throughout set three with neither team taking more than a three-point lead. The Tar Heels rallied to reclaim the lead with three consecutive kills by Cox then a Bell-Atherton block for the 13-11 edge. State answered back thanks to five kills each by Parchment and Sopitan in the set. Cox's solo block and kill knotted the set up at 20. Then a block by Madison Laufenberg and Bell clinched the 25-23 win.

Mirroring the third set, the crosstown rivals battled throughout the fourth frame, facing 13 tie scores and five lead changes. Bell picked up where she left off, striking three kills and a block with Cox in the first five points of the set. Limiting State to a .026 attack percentage, Jacobs and Fradenburg guarded the court by picking up seven and six digs, respectively. Cox rattled off seven kills in the set to put Carolina in striking distance. With the Tar Heels down by one at the 21-22 mark, four consecutive Bell-Atherton blocks secured Carolina win with the 25-22 victory.

Carolina embarks on a three-match road trip beginning with Virginia Tech Friday at 6 p.m. The Tar Heels continue on in the Sunshine State to face Miami and Florida State Oct. 5 and 7, respectively.

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