North Carolina
2-5
UNCW
6-1
Seahawks Stun Tar Heels in Five
September 12, 2015 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL – After a high-powered opening set, North Carolina struggled with focus on Friday night, as UNCW battled back to top the Tar Heels in five sets (25-17, 20-25, 25-20, 20-25, 13-15). The win lifts the Seahawks to 6-1, while UNC slips to 2-5.
“UNC-Wilmington should be congratulated for their energy, their spirit, and their relentless fight,” said head coach Joe Sagula. “I was impressed with them. For a team with some good, scrappy athletes, they showed what it's like to fight and just get after it. They played loose. They played with some courage, and they never backed down. They struggled early and it never took them out of their game, they just came back.
“And our team never matched up. We never came to battle when we really needed to. That was the really disappointing part. We knew this could happen. We talked to them about it, we were on them. And I take responsibility for that. I'm disappointed in myself, and I'm disappointed in how we competed and the lack of competition today. The fire wasn't there, and that's something that we have to learn how to do. We knew that after a really great match the day before that there would be a little letdown, but not to this level.”
Set one was close early, but an 8-0 run served up by Jordyn Schnabl pushed the Tar Heels ahead 15-6, and that was all the cushion that Carolina would need. UNCW fought back towards the end of the set, finishing the frame on an 8-5 run, but it was too little too late, as the Tar Heels took the first set, 25-17.
After hitting .343 in the first set, the Tar Heels were held to just .027 in the second due in large part to seven Seahawk blocks, and UNCW pulled away down the stretch to even the match at one set apiece with a 25-20 win the second.
The third set was a back-and-forth battle, as UNC took an early 6-3 lead, but Wilmington replied to go up 7-6 and again 9-8. An attack error then put the ball in Tatiana Durr's hands, and the Carolina libero served up a 6-0 run to push the Tar Heels in front 15-9. The Seahawks crept back within two, 16-14, but UNC pushed back in front 21-16, and a pair of Wilmington errors sealed the third set, 25-20, in favor of the Tar Heels.
The fourth set was as close as they come, with neither team taking a two-point lead until UNC went ahead 13-11. The Seahawks re-tied the score at 13 then took their first multi-point lead of the frame up 18-16, but this time they did not relinquish the lead, pulling away to with the final three points to win the fourth, 25-22, and force a deciding set.
The Tar Heels used a pair of blocks to start the fifth and a service ace by Leigh Andrew made it 4-1 UNC. Carolina maintained that lead for the majority of the set, soon leading 11-8. However, UNCW came back firing after calling time out to win four straight and take its first lead of the set, 12-11. A kill by Hayley McCorkle tied it at 12, but a Seahawk block made it set point, 14-12. McCorkle erased their first try with her career-high 19th kill, but Nicole Lott finished a long rally to win the fifth, 15-13, for UNCW and take the match in five.
McCorkle led the match with a career-high 19 kills, and Andrew followed with her third double-double of the season, tallying 14 kills, 12 digs and a career-high three aces. However, none of the Tar Heel attackers hit over .300, as the Carolina offense made a season-high 41 errors to hit just .140 on the night.
Setters Schnabl and Abigail Curry both had double-doubles, as Schnabl led with 30 assists, 13 digs and two aces, while Curry tallied 25 assists and 11 digs. Libero Tatiana Durr tallied a personal-best 19 digs, and Taylor Leath put up 13 digs and seven kills. The Tar Heels combined for 9.5 blocks, led by five from Paige Neuenfeldt, but were out-matched at the net by UNCW, who put up 15, including at least six each from Anna Moss, Meredith Peacock and Nicole Lott.
The Tar Heels continue their homestand next weekend when they host the ACC/Big Ten Classic, beginning with a visit from Michigan State on Friday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m.
