University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Delaware
Heels Fall In Five To Blue Hens
September 18, 2009 | Volleyball
Sept. 18, 2009
NEWARK, DEL. - North Carolina dropped their third consecutive match Friday night 3-2 to Delaware. The Heels got off to a great start winning the first two sets 25-21 and 25-19. The Blue Hens fought back to win the next three 25-22, 25-20 and 15-12. The Heels were led by Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland's 17 kills and Kaylie Gibson's 39 digs. Carolina falls to 4-6 on the year and Delaware improves to 5-5 on the young season.
Carolina built a 2-0 lead behind senior middle blockers Heather Brooks and Hanson-Tuntland attack. Hanson-Tuntland's tied a career high in the match with 17 kills, a mark she matched a week ago against Tennessee. The Heels were able to hold the the Blue Hens to a .169 hitting percentage in the match behind libero Kaylie Gibson's career high 39 digs.
The third set was certainly the turning point of the match as Carolina built a quick 17-10 lead. Megan Owens and Suzanne Haydel led the early attack in third set with assists from setter Erica Behm, who posted 48 assists in the match. The Blue Hens fought back to tie the set at 22 and never looked back winning the set 25-22.
Carolina never led again after the third set as the Blue Hens' Katie Dennehy notched a match high 23 kills. The Heels were plagued by 13 service errors to drop their third straight match this season. It was one of the better starts to a match for the Heels this season, who have now played in four five set matches in their first ten games going 2-2. The offense was led by Hanson-Tuntland's 17 kills, Haydel's 15, Brooks' 13 and Owens' 9.
Carolina is now 5-2 all-time against the Blue Hens. The Heels and the Blue Hens played in front of a record crowd of 2,517 fans at the Bob Carpenter Center. The official attendance set a new record for a collegiate volleyball match in the state of Delaware. It also marked the highest attendance in a home game for a Delaware team in a sport besides football or basketball in school history. The last meeting between Carolina and Delaware was Sept. 16, 2000 in Chapel Hill, N.C. as the Tar Heels won 3-0. Next the Heels will travel to Washington, D.C. to challenge American University Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
