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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Duke
Carolina Battles Past Duke With a 3-0 Win
October 19, 2014 | Volleyball
DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina fought through a talented Duke squad to earn a tight 3-0 victory (25-23, 26-24, 25-20) Sunday afternoon in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The No. 11 Tar Heels (15-2, 6-1 ACC) used a stellar offensive performance from its seniors to pull-off the sweep. Lauren McAdoo had 11 kills on a .435 hitting percentage, while Chaniel Nelson led the offense with 13 kills, six blocks, and five digs in the match.
“Our seniors today, Lauren and Chaniel, stepped up and led our team in the match,” said Head Coach Joe Sagula.
“When our team needed a point those two wanted the ball. The team today played with a fire and intensity that came from those two.”
The Tar Heels displayed balance on both sides of the ball, dominating the match from the offensive and defensive ends. UNC hit .304 as a team and had five attackers register five kills or more in the match. Meanwhile, Carolina registered 11.5 blocks to only 3.0 blocks for the Blue Devils.
Carolina also contained the Blue Devils most potent offensive weapons, as Duke's two All-ACC outside hitters combined to hit negative in the match. Reigning ACC Player of the Year Emily Sklar had seven kills and seven errors for a .000 hitting percentage, while Jeme Obeime had three kills and five errors for a -.154 hitting percentage.
Set one was a battle as the two teams fought back and forth the entire set. UNC grabbed an early 4-1 lead behind a block from Victoria McPherson and Nelson, but Duke quickly responded to tie the game at 5-5.
An ace from Jordyn Schnabl gave Carolina a one-point lead at 12-11, but the advantage was short-lived as Duke pulled away for a two-point lead at 18-16. Duke extended the lead to 22-19 before a hitting error pulled the Tar Heels within two.
North Carolina finished game one on a 5-1 run thanks to incredible defensive efforts. A block from Nelson and McPherson pulled UNC within one and then a triple block by McCorkle, Nelson and Lauren McAdoo tied the game at 23-23. After the defense forced a Duke hitting error, Nelson pounded a sharp angle kill to take set one 25-23 for UNC.
Nelson had six kills and three blocks for Carolina in set one. Taner had five digs while Schnabl added seven assists and five digs.
Both teams continued the high-level of play into set two, as there were six lead changes and 12 ties. The Tar Heels tied the frame early at 4-4 after a McAdoo kill landed deep in the court, but then Duke spurted to a one-point lead at 7-6 with a block by Sklar.
UNC gained the largest lead of set two at 17-14 after McAdoo knocked down another one of her five kills of the frame. However, the Blue Devils stormed back with a 5-0 run to take a 19-17 lead.
A kill from McAdoo followed by a kill from Nelson tied the frame back at 19-19. The teams traded points until UNC earned a 23-21 advantage behind a block from Neuenfeldt and Taylor Treacy.
Although Duke rallied to tie the score at 23-23 and then 24-24, the Tar Heels sealed the set two victory at 26-24 with a kill from Nelson, and gave North Carolina a 2-0 lead in the match.
Early in set three the tenor of the match stayed the same, as Duke and UNC battled back-and-forth for the advantage. After McAdoo tied the game at 5-5, Duke went on a 4-1 run to go up 9-6 after a ball handling error called on Carolina.
UNC responded and fought back to take a one-point lead at 10-9 after an ace from Sheila Doyle. The Tar Heels gained their largest lead of the match after back-to-back aces from Schnabl to go up 22-17.
Carolina then cruised to a 25-20 set victory and ended the match on a block from Nelson and McPherson.
Taylor Treacy had eight kills and three blocks for UNC while hitting .538 for the match.
Setter Jordyn Schnabl earned her first double-double of the year with 17 assists, 14 digs and three aces, while Abigail Curry added 17 assists and one kill. Ece Taner led the defense with 15 digs and chipped in six assists.
“Our defense stepped up to the challenge and had another extraordinary match. Duke is a very talented team on both sides of the ball, so we had to match their intensity and then some to beat them today.”
“Jordyn and Abbey played very well. I thought they made good decisions and really bettered the ball for our attackers. Jordyn, especially, had a fantastic defensive match for us in right back,” said Sagula.
UNC returns to the Carmichael Arena for a matchup on Friday against Boston College. The match, slated for a 6 p.m. start time, is UNC's annual Pink Match for breast cancer awareness. The team will wear pink warm-up shirts and will be selling pink Carolina Volleyball shirts at the match.
