University of North Carolina Athletics
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Kentucky
No. 17 UNC Knocks Off No. 16 Kentucky in Thriller
September 13, 2014 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The 17th-ranked North Carolina volleyball team opened the 2014 Carolina Classic in thrilling fashion, rallying for a five-set (25-23, 15-25, 15-25, 25-13, 16-14) victory over No. 16 Kentucky Friday night in Carmichael Arena.
Over 3,200 people filled the gym to see the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill for the first time, including a large number of students.
Down 2-1 overall, after dropping the second and third sets by 10 points, the Tar Heels rallied and dominated the fourth set. Kentucky forced UNC into extra points before the Heels picked picking up the fifth set to seal the win.
“It's awesome to win your first match at home,” said Head Coach Joe Sagula, “It was a great overall team effort to be able to fight back from being down against a really talented Kentucky team.”
Senior outside hitter Lauren McAdoo led Carolina's offense with 16 kills, her third straight match as the top scorer for UNC. Redshirt sophomore Taylor Treacy had the best match of her young career, pounding down 13 kills on a .579 attack percentage.
Junior Leigh Andrew added in her second double-double this season, racking up 11 kills and 16 digs, while senior libero Ece Taner grabbed 21 digs for the match. Setter Jordyn Schnabl chipped in 29 assists, eight digs, and two service aces, while Abigail Curry added 24 assists and five digs.
“I'm very proud of the team and the way they stepped up and handled adversity late in this match,” said Sagula. “As a group, we have faced some really tough teams during this season and I feel like that prepared us to take that extra step and come back they way they did tonight.”
North Carolina's offense started the match strong, as the Tar Heels picked up three early kills to jump out to a set one lead. Lauren McAdoo chipped in six kills in set one, and Paige Neuenfeldt added two kills on a .667 attack percentage to go with one block in the first frame.
A late Kentucky rally brought the Wildcats down just 24-23 late in set one, but a kill by Chaniel Nelson ended the set for the Tar Heels.
Despite the losing the first set, Kentucky dominated set two, winning 25-15. The Wildcats held UNC to a .100 attack percentage in the set, behind four blocks from Emily Franklin and three digs from Jackie Napper.
Kentucky built an early lead in set four behind back-to-back attack errors from North Carolina, going up 3-1 and then 9-5 early. UNC rallied to cut the lead to three in the middle of the set, but two kills by Shelby Workman propelled the Wildcats to another large victory in set three.
North Carolina (5-1) appeared to be on the verge of losing their home opener, but responded in great fashion by controlling the fourth set from the first point. UNC held Kentucky to a .111 attack percentage while hitting .406 in the set, and the Tar Heels out-dug the Wildcats 20 to 14 in the set. A kill by Leigh Andrew would give set four to UNC, 25-13, and send the match to a decisive fifth set.
Hayley McCorkle provided an offensive spark for the Tar Heels late in the match, knocking down five kills on a .444 hitting percentage in set four. McAdoo also reversed course, grabbing three kills and one block. Taner chipped in seven digs to lead the Tar Heel defense in the set.
The Wildcats shot to an early 3-1 behind the serve of Morgan Bergren, but a kill by McCorkle and a service run from Sheila Doyle helped the Tar Heels tie the set at 6-6. UNC built a 14-10 lead in the final set, positioning themselves to finish off the match after Kentucky made multiple attack errors.
However, Kentucky would not go quietly, as a Wildcat run was capped by a kill from Anni Thomasson, tying the set at 14-14. Thomasson led all Kentucky attackers with 16 kills on the night.
A service error from Kentucky, then a block by Leigh Andrew and Paige Neuenfeldt would seal the fifth set for UNC, 16-14, and give the Tar Heels their second Top-20 victory on the season.
“I want to thank the crowd for providing such an amazing atmosphere tonight,” said Sagula. “It is always good to be home and play in front of your fans. I don't know how many attended the match tonight, but the energy was so great, it felt like there were three or four thousand people packing into the stands.”
“This is another great win for our program, against a consistently strong Kentucky team that is very athletic and very well-coached. As a team, we did some good things, and we also learned some things we can work on as we continue to develop as a team.”
The 18th annual Carolina Classic continues tomorrow with four matches slated for action. The Tar Heels take the court again at 12 p.m. tomorrow to face Georgia Southern, who fell to VCU 3-1 in the first match of the tournament on Friday.
