University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Clemson
Nelson Spurs UNC to 3-0 Victory Over Clemson
October 5, 2014 | Volleyball
CLEMSON, S.C. – The North Carolina volleyball team pulled off two incredible comebacks to sweep the Clemson Tigers 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-23) Sunday afternoon in Jervey Gymnasium.
UNC trailed by four points late in sets two and three before rallying and winning each set by two points.
Chaniel Nelson led all Tar Heel players with a season-high 17 kills on a .517 attack percentage. Paige Neuenfeldt added five kills and five blocks, while Jordyn Schnabl added 20 assists, nine digs, and one service ace.
“Chaniel was just tremendous in this match,” said Head Coach Joe Sagula. “Her attacking and blocking on the right was key to our victory today. She was willing to carry the team when we needed it most.”
“Clemson is a tough team playing at home, who got better as the match progressed. Their blocking was strong today, and we had moments where we got out of rhythm.”
Balance was the word in set one for North Carolina as four Tar Heels knocked down three kills and hit .400 or better in the frame. Neuenfeldt and Victoria McPherson combined to hit .750 in the set as the duo in the middle had six kills on eight swings with no errors.
Clemson jumped out to an early 6-5 lead in the first frame, but the Tar Heels responded with a 5-0 run on the serve of Lauren McAdoo. McAdoo capped the run with an ace that forced a Clemson timeout with UNC up 10-6.
Carolina pushed the lead to 16-9 behind a kill from Nelson, her second kill of game one. The Tigers would get no closer than five points the rest of the set as UNC finished the game on a kill by Neuenfeldt.
In set two the Clemson block came on early as the Tigers earned a quick 3-1 lead. Clemson had eight team blocks in the second frame, after earning only one block in set one.
After trailing early North Carolina responded with a kill by Leigh Andrew to take a 9-7 lead, the largest of the set for the Tar Heels.
The Tigers regained control and led by two for the majority of the set before extending their lead to four at 24-20. Instead of conceding the set, the Tar Heels survived four straight set points to send the game to extra volleyball.
After Nelson pounded a kill to get the serve back, Carolina forced two straight Clemson errors to draw the score to 24-23. Andrew then dropped an ace down to tie game two. The Tigers responded with a block to regain the lead and grab another set point at 25-24.
Andrew then pounded a kill out of the back row to tie the game at 25-25, and then the double-block of Neuenfeldt and Tatiana Durr ended the set for Carolina, 27-25.
“It took our team settling down and focusing in on themselves again to make these late game comebacks. Our team should play better at the start of games, but it is a testament to their mental strength that they can rebound and play well to end a set,” said Sagula.
Despite the momentum at the end of set two, North Carolina fell behind early again in set three. Clemson bolted to a 4-2 lead, eventually building a 15-10 lead in the frame. The Tar Heels rallied with Durr behind the service line to cut the score to 16-15 after a block by Neuenfeldt.
The Tigers responded with a run of their own, as Clemson won five of the next six points to take a 21-16 lead in set three.
However, the Tar Heels would not roll over as they mounted another late run on the back of Nelson. Trailing 23-19 in set three, Nelson knocked down four kills to mount a 6-0 UNC spurt to edge the Tigers. Carolina finished the run with an ace by Ece Taner, her third of the match, to take a 25-23 set three win and a 3-0 match victory.
Taner had 13 digs, four assists, and three services aces for the Tar Heels in her second straight match with 10 or more digs and three or more service aces. Leigh Andrew had eight kills and five digs for UNC, while Abigail Curry had 14 assists and one dig.
North Carolina will return to Chapel Hill for an ACC home match against Virginia on Friday, October 10 at 6 p.m. against Virginia in Carmichael Arena.
