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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Duke
UNC Falls To Duke
October 19, 2011 | Volleyball
Oct. 19, 2011
Sagula Postgame Podcast (mp3) | Season Statistics
DURHAM, N.C.-- North Carolina fell to Duke, 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-22) in a nationally televised match with the Blue Devils from Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Tar Heels remain second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with an 8-2 mark, 16-5 overall, while Duke improves to 7-3 in the conference, 13-6 overall.
"I'm disappointed, obviously," said head coach Joe Sagula. "I don't think we played at our best tonight. And I give Duke a lot of credit. They were really sharp, played really well. We had a really difficult time stopping their slide and their right-side attack. I think that was the difference in the match.
"They hit for a high percentage, which is uncharacteristic of us to allow an opponent to hit for a high percentage. And for us to hit .226, in a tough match, that might be okay. But against a good offensive team like Duke, it just wasn't enough. And we have a few things we need to work on."
Duke posted a .500 attack percentage en route to a first-set victory (25-18). The Blue Devils' Amanda Robertson tallied five kills on an .833 hitting percentage and Christina Gray also had five kills (.625). The Tar Heels held the early lead (6-4) after a kill by Tia Gaffen, but Duke's Kellie Catanach assisted Gray on a kill to go ahead of UNC, 7-6. Chaniel Nelson evened the score at 10-all with a kill but Duke went back ahead (11-10) on a kill by Sophia Dunworth. The Blue Devils led the rest of the way, capturing set point on a kill by Chelsea Cook. Nelson collected seven kills in set one with a .455 attack efficiency.
The second frame was tight throughout, featuring 13 tie scores and six lead changes. Duke jumped out to an early 3-0 advantage, but Carolina rallied to take a two-point advantage (5-3) on a service ace from Kaylie Gibson. The teams exchanged leads twice more, before Duke's Sophia Dunworth knotted the score at 15-all with a kill. UNC won the next three points to go up by three (18-15), its largest lead of the set. Duke battled back to retake the lead at 21-20 on an attack error by Emily McGee. The Tar Heels evened the score three more times, but the Blue Devils ultimately closed out set two in extra points (27-25), winning set point on a kill by Jeme Obeime and blocking error by Gaffen.
Carolina looked strong early in set three, grabbing a four-point lead (12-8) after a kill by Gaffen, assisted by Erica Behm. But Duke responded by taking six of the next seven points to pull ahead of the Tar Heels by one (14-13). After exchanging points on the next two possessions, the Blue Devils took the lead for good (16-15) on a kill by Robertson. Obeime closed out the third set for the Blue Devils (25-22) and the match with a kill, assisted by Catanach.
"I think this is a match that kind of gets our attention to say we have got a lot more work to do," said Sagula. "We can't just sit back on what we have done in the first half. And if we are going to make a run in the conference and in the NCAA Tournament, we need to reinvest at this, the halfway point, and get better at a lot of the little things."
Duke recorded a .356 hitting percentage for the match compared to Carolina's .226. The Tar Heels came into the match holding their opponents to a .177 percentage, the fourth-lowest total in the ACC.
McGee compiled 14 kills to go along with 12 digs, marking the sixth time in the last seven matches she has recorded a double-double. The junior outside hitter from Naperville, Ill., has posted double-digit kills in 18 of UNC's 21 matches.
Carolina next travels to Winston Salem, N.C., to challenge the Wake Forest Daemon Deacons, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m.
