University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Clemson
Tar Heels Dominate Tigers
September 25, 2009 | Volleyball
Sept. 25, 2009
CLEMSON, S.C. - The University of North Carolina volleyball team got back in the win column Friday defeating Clemson 25-23, 25-16 and 25-16 to sweep the Tigers in front of 1384 fans at Jervey Gymnasium. Carolina registered a .431 hitting percentage with 52 kills and only eight errors, as the Tigers recorded only three blocks. Clemson entered the match as third ranked blocking team in the country with 3.13 blocks per set led by freshman Alexa Rand.
North Carolina improves to 5-7 on the season and 1-0 in league play as Clemson falls to 9-4 on the year and 0-2 in league play. The 3-0 loss marks the first time since November 11, 2005 Clemson was swept at home and their first 3-0 loss since October 24, 2008, both courtesy of the Tar Heels. The win marks the second sweep for Carolina this season and snaps the four match losing streak.
Branagan Fuller and Suzanne Haydel's 11 kills paced Carolina. Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland, Heather Brooks and Courtney Johnston posted a combined 27 kills and zero errors. Cora Harms added 31 assists to service the Tar Heel attack. Kaylie Gibson and Haydel pitched in nine digs along with Fuller's eight digs to solidify the Heels' defense.
In the opening set, Carolina got out to a quick 5-3 lead behind three Heather Brooks' kills. Clemson stormed back to take their first lead of the match at 8-7 behind a pair of blocks. The Heels stretched the lead to three at 15-12 after a timely block by Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland and Cora Harms forcing a Tiger timeout. The Tar Heels claimed the set after a Branagan Fuller kill and service ace 25-23. Carolina hit at a .342 clip in the first set sporting 18 kills and only five errors in set one.
Carolina continued its strong play in the second frame, building a 12-2 lead after an 8-0 Carolina run. Courtney Johnston notched three kills early in the second before the Tigers went on a 4-0 run. The Tar Heels built another long lead at 23-13 before taking the second set 25-16. The Heels hit an amazing .515 in the second frame with 19 kills and only two errors.
The Tigers, who averaged three blocks a set entering the match, only posted three the entire match. Five Tar Heels posted five or more blocks in the first two sets, as Fuller notched 10 and Johnston posted seven. Johnston, Brooks, and Hanson-Tuntland did not register any attack errors in the first two frames serviced by Cora Harms' 20 assists. Suzanne Haydel pitched in six kills and five digs in frames one and two.
The Tigers came out strong in a competitive third set. Freshman Alexa Rand recorded a quick three kills to knot the score at nine before a 5-0 Carolina run. The Heels benefited from a few Tiger attack errors to mount another 19-14 lead forcing a Clemson timeout. The Heels never looked back winning the set 25-16 and match 3-0.
Carolina is now 49-15 all-time against the Clemson and 8-2 in the last 10 meetings. The last meeting between the Tar Heels and Tigers was Oct. 24, 2008 in Chapel Hill, N.C. as the Tar Heels won 3-0 in front of 13,797 fans. Next the Heels will travel to Atlanta, Ga. to challenge Georgia Tech Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
