Volleyball Falls to Clemson, 3-2

Saturday, March 6

Syracuse, N.Y.

Noon

North Carolina

8-4,7-3ACC

Clemson

10-6,4-5ACC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Clemson	21	17	25	25	15	3
North Carolina	25	25	23	18	13	2

Amanda Phegley
University of North Carolina Volleyball v Appalachian State
Carmichael Arena
Chapel Hill, NC
Thursday, February 28, 2021

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

March 6, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Coming off a 3-2 win over Syracuse on Friday night, North Carolina fell short in a five-set match vs. Clemson on Saturday afternoon in Syracuse, N.Y. The Tar Heels won the first two sets of the day. However, Clemson completed the reverse-sweep for the 3-2 decision.

"We played a lot of volleyball this weekend, 10 sets in 24 hours," head coach Joe Sagula said. "I'm extremely proud of this team. Last night we took Syracuse to five and won 18-16 on the road. Everyone stepped up and played to the end against a tough Syracuse team.

"We started strong today against Clemson, but we got stuck in a few rotations. We showed grit and determination in tough situations. We have a lot to be proud of with how we played this weekend. We competed hard and fought together. I believe the future looks good. We're putting all the pieces together. We're looking forward to taking each weekend to get better and appreciate every opportunity to play volleyball this spring."

Matching her single-match career-high, Amanda Phegley led UNC with 13 kills. Both Annabelle Archer and Maylen Mitrovich posted 18 assists, while Mitrovich also tallied 15 digs for a double-double. Aristea Tontai anchored UNC's serving with a career-best, six aces. The senior also tallied six blocks on the day.

Clemson's Camryn Hannah led the Tigers with 27 kills and 21 digs. UNC falls to to 8-4 on the season, 7-3 in ACC play while Clemson improves to 10-6, 4-5 in the ACC.

Up next, the Tar Heels continue ACC play in Atlanta, taking on Boston College on March. 13 and Georgia Tech on March 14.

How It Happened
Carolina and Clemson traded points through the four-point mark before a six-point UNC run make it 12-6 with Mitrovich back to serve. Following a block by Phelgey and Niki Khoshatefeh, the Tar Heels extended their lead to 10 by the 21-11 mark. Clemson managed an 8-1 run near the end of the set, but Tontai posted a solo block for the 25-21 win.

UNC's momentum continued in the second set as Carolina successfully challenged a play at the 8-5 mark. Libero Olivia Diaz served a four-point run that featured a block by Kaya Merkler and Tontai. Although the Tigers brought the score within two, Tontai dished out back-to-back aces on a 6-0 run. An attack error clinched the 25-17 win for UNC in the second.

Carolina and Clemson traded three four-point runs early in set three. However, the Tigers' Cate Long dealt back-to-back aces on a 7-0 run for the 17-13 lead. A kill by Phegley knotted the set at 19-all, but Clemson prevailed for the 25-23 win.

Although UNC began the fourth set with a kill and ace by Tontai, Clemson went on a 8-1 run early in the set to establish a steady margin. Both Parker Austin and Phelgey tallied three kills in the frame. The Tigers played a clean fourth set with a mere two errors to secure the 25-18 win and force a fifth set.

Emily Zinger put UNC on the board first in the fifth set as UNC and Clemson battled through nine tie scores and five lead changes in the frame. Although the Tigers managed a five-point run, Tontia's sixth ace knotted the set at 9-9. Zinger tied up the set again at 13-13. However, Clemson clinched the 15-13 win on an ace by Colleen Finney.

Carolina Stat Leaders
» Kills: Amanda Phegley (13)
» Assists: Annabelle Archer (18), Maylen Mitrovich (18)
» Blocks: Aristea Tontai (6)
» Digs: Maylen Mitrovich (15)
» Aces: Aristea Tontai (6)

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