University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Georgia Tech
Tar Heels Drop Heartbreaker At Georgia Tech, 3-2
October 27, 2007 | Volleyball
Oct. 27, 2007
Atlanta - The North Carolina volleyball team proved once again that it has no quit, falling behind 2-0 before battling back and forcing a fifth game that it lost in heartbreaking fashion, 17-15. Bekah Brinkley led the Tar Heels tallying 14 kills on a .684 hitting percentage in the 3-2 (24-30, 21-30, 30-20, 30-25, 15-17) defeat. Carolina will return to action on Tuesday, Oct. 30 when it hosts rival NC State at 7 p.m.
The Tar Heels jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead in the early going, quieting the hostile Georgia Tech crowd with some stellar defense and key serving from Brianna Eskola. The Yellow Jackets would battle back and cut the lead to one (15-14) before the Tar Heels answered four consecutive points to go up 19-14. Carolina struggled to put the Yellow Jackets away however, as Georgia Tech battled back with an 8-1 run to take the lead 22-20.
Lauren Prussing would cut the lead back to one (22-21) with a kill following a long rally that could have been a momentum changer as the crowd went silent once again. They would have something to respond to right away as the Yellow Jackets scored back-to-back points to lengthen its lead before putting the Tar Heels away for the 30-24 game one win. Carolina hurt itself in game one committing four service errors and hit just .167.
Head coach Joe Sagula tried several different lineups in game two trying to get a spark out of his team. Bekah Brinkley and Lauren Prussing stepped off the bench and delivered four kills apiece to lead the Tar Heels in game two but it was not nearly enough as Georgia Tech cruised to the 30-21 win and a controlling 2-0 match lead. Carolina hit better in game two with a .206 percentage but it was nowhere near the Yellow Jackets' number of .394. Carolina led just once in the second game and unfortunately it was at the wrong end as Megan Owens put the Tar Heels ahead with a kill to open the game and give UNC a 1-0 lead.
The team that will not quit lived up to its reputation in game three as the Tar Heels answered the 2-0 deficit with an impressive 30-20 win to pull within a game at 2-1. Carolina hit a match-high .375 in the win as Brinkley and Prussing tallied four more kills apiece. The Tar Heels turned the tables on Georgia Tech in the third game as the Yellow Jackets held the 1-0 lead before Carolina took control.
A kill by Georgia Tech's Ulrike Stegemann cut the Carolina lead to one (4-3) but a 9-1 run from the Tar Heels that featured a pair of kills apiece from Megan Owens and Christine Vaughen put the game away. The closest the Yellow Jackets would get after that point would be six points (21-15) before Carolina sealed the deal for the 30-20 win. The back row provided a defensive presence for the Tar Heels as Ashley Board recorded seven digs in the game. The front row, however, was even more impressive as they tallied five blocks and helped hold the Yellow Jackets to a .098 hitting percentage.
With their backs against the wall once again in game four, the Tar Heels responded with another win to force a decisive game five. Carolina battled back as the Yellow Jackets took the early lead at 13-8 before the Tar Heels took advantage of four Tech errors to go along with a Lauren Prussing kill to even the game. The teams would trade points from there before Carolina went on a mini-run that was capped off by back-to-back kills from Noelle Dyk to give Carolina a 21-17 lead. The second of Dyk's kills came following back-to-back impressive digs from Stephanie Jansma that saved the Tar Heel rally.
Georgia Tech would cut the lead to three at 27-24 before Sagula subbed in Megan Owens and contributed with instance production delivering a kill and pushing the Tar Heels to the 30-25 win. The win forced a game five, the seventh of the season for the Tar Heels who were 2-4 in five-game matches entering the contest.
Game five copied the match perfectly as both teams had chances to close out the match late and there was never more than a three-point differential. Things were interesting throughout the fifth game but they were even more interesting late in the contest. Georgia Tech had a chance to take a two-point lead and close within one of ending the match when Brinkley stepped up once again and delivered her 14th kill of the night to even the game at 13-13. A kill from Ulrike Stegemann once again gave the Yellow Jackets a 14-13 lead and a chance to close the door. Christine Vaughen would not have it as she stepped up and delivered a monstrous kill from her middle position to even the score at 14-14.
Vaughen would have another chance on the very next point but would be denied as the Yellow Jackets blocked her attempt but the Tar Heels were there to keep the rebound alive and have the potential to deliver a free ball. As the Georgia Tech defense retreated in anticipation for the ball, Stephanie Jansma deposited a perfect shot just over the net and out of the reach of a diving Yellow Jacket to give Carolina a 15-14 lead. The Yellow Jacket hitters stepped up insuring a victory as Telissa Kellog and Stegemann tallied back-to-back kills to put Tech ahead before a service ace ended the marathon match at 17-15 at 3-2.
The Tar Heels out hit Georgia Tech on the night by a .243-.223 margin as Bekah Brinkley played her second impressive match in as many nights. Brinkley finished the night with 14 kills on a very impressive .684 hitting percentage. Lauren Prussing also stepped up when called up on and delivered a team-high 15 kills in the match. Megan Owens and Stephanie Jansma tallied their second straight double-doubles as Owens finished with 10 kills and 15 digs and Jansma added 10 digs to go along with 50 assists.
The Tar Heels will be at home all next week as they take on NC State (Oct. 30), Boston College (Nov. 2) and Maryland (Nov. 4).
