Volleyball Drops Season Finale at Miami

Saturday, April 3

Coral Gables, Fla.

1 PM

North Carolina

10-8,9-7ACC

Miami

11-7,10-7ACC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
North Carolina	19	19	21	0
Miami (FL)	25	25	25	3

Parker Austin
University of North Carolina Volleyball v Duke
Carmichael Arena
Chapel Hill, NC
Sunday, October 11, 2020

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

April 3, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

By: Ella Coxe

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – North Carolina fell to Miami in straight sets on Saturday afternoon in Coral Gables to complete the 2020-21 regular season.

"This team, like many this past season has faced a lot of challenges," head coach Joe Sagula said. "We have had to adapt every week and for that ability to keep going and learning how to compete, I am proud. This past weekend we showed good moments, but it was hard to sustain our level on the road. We played the best team in the ACC in Louisville. They played great and had to earn the win on Friday. I congratulate them on a great season and an ACC Championship. They have played well with great talent and experience. Louisville will represent the ACC well at NCAAs.

"On Saturday we were prepared as well as possible when you play back to back days on the road," Sagula continued. "It is hard. Once again, we had to put a lineup on the court with little practice. Kaya Merkler had a good weekend along with Emily Zinger. They went hard and took a lot of swings for us. Merkler has had to play out of position for the past month and competed hard and given us great moments. I am very impressed with her work and growth as a freshman. Zingler came in in January and meshed well immediately and has given up great hitting and blocking all spring like a true veteran.

"I am proud of Annabelle Archer's leadership and play," Sagula said. "Her passion and the gritty and spirited play of our defensive unit and back court of Ryan Shannon, Olivia Diaz and Karenna Wurl has been great. They consistently bring a competitive spirit to the court every day. That is something we will build around going forward.

"This team has grown a lot and improved throughout the season," Sagula continued. "We are not where we want to be yet. With more experience and getting healthy, we are all excited for the future."

Using its home court advantage, Miami took off quickly in the first set, securing a 25-19 win. Despite Carolina having a four-point lead in the second set, the Hurricanes out-blocked the Tar Heels, 3.0 to 1.0, leading to another 25-19 decision and two-set lead. Carolina was unable to prevail through a back-and-forth third set, which included 10 ties, as Miami ran away with the set, 25-21, and the three-set match.

Merkler led the Tar Heels with 12 kills, and Parker Austin followed her with seven error-less kills of her own. Wurl tallied 13 digs, and Annabelle Archer put up 31 assists for Carolina. Zinger finished the match with a match-best four blocks. For the Hurricanes, Elizaveta Lukianova had 14 kills and three blocks.

UNC finishes the regular season with a 10-8 record, 9-7 in the ACC. Miami improves to 11-7 overall, 9-7 in conference play. The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship bracket will be announced the Sunday before the first round of competition.

How It Happened
A block from Aristea Tontai and Zinger put the Tar Heels on the board to start the first set. A kill by Amanda Phegley ended Miami's early three-point run. UNC started its own 4-0 run, highlighted by kills from Tontai and Merkler and another block from the Tontai-Zinger duo. Kills from Tontai and Merkler brought the Tar Heels back within three, but Miami took the first set, 25-19.

Zinger earned the first point of the second set with a kill. A couple of kills by Merkler and a solo block by Phegley gave the Tar Heels a four-point edge over the Hurricanes early in the set. However, Miami went on a 11-2 scoring run to retake the lead before kills by Phegley and Austin ended the run. A service ace from Archer and a kill from Merkler late in the set stalled the Hurricanes, but Miami took the second set, 25-19.

Mirroring the first set, a Tontai-Zinger block begin the third set for the Tar Heels. Carolina sprung out with an early two-point lead with a kill by Austin and a service ace from Tontai. A 5-0 scoring run by Miami allowed the Hurricanes to take a three-point edge. Coming out of the timeout, UNC went on their own 3-0 run to cut the Hurricanes' lead down to one, highlighted by a block from Zinger and Niki Khoshatefeh. Despite 10 tie scores, two kills by Merkler kept the Tar Heels even with the Hurricanes at 19-19. However, a kill and a service ace by Miami gave the Hurricanes the momentum as they took a two-point lead. Austin's seventh kill of the match pushed UNC through one match point, but the Hurricanes' clinched the match with a 25-21 third-set victory.

Carolina Stat Leaders
» Kills: Kaya Merkler (12)
» Hitting percentage: Parker Austin (.500, 7 kills on 14 attempts)
» Assists: Annabelle Archer (31)
» Blocks: Emily Zinger (4.0)
» Digs: Karenna Wurl (13)

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