University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Illinois
No. 11 Illinois Tops Volleyball in Three
August 31, 2014 | Volleyball
CHAMPAIGN, ILL. – A talented No. 11 Illinois squad, playing at home in front of a crowd of 3,257, was too tough for the Tar Heels as they fell 3-0 to the Illini.
“We expected that kind of environment,” said Head Coach Joe Sagula. “We wanted to put ourselves in that kind of situation, in a tough environment against a very good team on the road, in order to prepare us for the season ahead.”
The Illini hit .240 for the match while holding the UNC offense to only .079 attack percentage. Leigh Andrew led UNC with 10 kills and eight digs, while Ece Taner added 16 digs.
In set one, the Illini stifled Carolina's offense, holding the team to a -.025 hitting percentage. A late three-point run on the serve of Alexis Viliunas doomed the Tar Heels, as they dropped the set 25-19. Lauren McAdoo had three kills for the Tar Heels in the set, and Chaniel Nelson and Victoria McPherson each chipped in a block.
Early errors doomed the Tar Heels in set two, as the Illini got an 8-4 lead that they never surrendered. UNC committed nine attacking errors in the set, en route to a 25-17 loss. Taner had six digs in the frame, and Andrew added six kills and two digs for Carolina.
Carolina battled back in set three, taking the lead five times in the set. Hayley McCorkle made the move to middle blocker and provided instant offense, chipping in two kills and a block for UNC in the set.
After a back and forth game, the Illini finished the set, 25-23, and the match with a kill from Morganne Criswell, who had seven kills on the night for the Illini.
“It was a tough match, obviously. We just couldn't attack consistently throughout the match,” said Sagula. “We had our opportunities, but we will get better because of this match. We have some tough battles next week, and I think we learned a lot as a result of this match.”
Taylor Treacy had four kills in the match, with a team-high .300 hitting percentage. Victoria McPherson added five kills and four blocks on the night.
Leigh Andrew and Chaniel Nelson were named to the Illini Classic All-Tournament team. Joining them were Taylor Pippen from Southern Illinois, Tyler Jackson from Long Beach State, Jocelynn Birks and Criswell from Illinois.
Liz McMahon was named MVP for the tournament, after finishing with six kills and four blocks against UNC.
The Tar Heels take the court again next Friday, Sept. 5, at 7:00 p.m. at Michigan State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
