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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
(4-7, 1-1ACC)
Pittsburgh
(12-2, 2-0ACC)
Pitt Hands Tar Heels First ACC Loss in 19 Matches
September 27, 2015 | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – The North Carolina volleyball team battled a fierce Pittsburgh squad on Sunday afternoon in a gritty standoff at Fitzgerald Field House. In a match that featured 21 tie scores, it was the Panthers who would come out on top, winning the match, 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-23), to hand North Carolina its first conference loss in 366 days. With the win, Pittsburgh improves to 12-2 (2-0 ACC), while UNC slips to 4-7 (1-1 ACC).
Senior middle Victoria McPherson led the Tar Heels with 11 kills in the match, hitting .478 without an error. Taylor Fricano followed with nine slams, and Taylor Treacy added an additional seven.
Jordyn Schnabl registered her 23rd career double-double, leading the Tar Heels with 18 assists, 13 digs and the lone ace of the match, while Abigail Curry put up 15 assists and libero Sheila Doyle tallied 11 digs.
Paige Neuenfeldt led the Tar Heels at the net, stuffing six blocks, two solo, to overtake Heather Brooks '09 and move into second place all time at North Carolina in career block assists. The senior middle needs 73 more block assists before the end of her final season to take over the all-time record (464), which was set by Tori Seibert in 1999.
The Tar Heels got off to a slow start, falling behind 7-3, but a strong service run by Neuenfeldt pulled UNC back within two, and back-to-back Pitt errors knotted the score at 12. The Panthers replied to drive right back in front, 17-12, but North Carolina did not back down, and tough serving by Leigh Andrew helped the Tar Heels tie the score at 19. Both teams traded points over the next nine plays, but North Carolina was never able to take a lead, and Maria Genitsaridi finished off a long rally for the Panthers to take the first set, 25-23.
Carolina won the first point of the second set, but three early service errors kept the Tar Heels from gaining any momentum and they soon fell behind 5-3. After a kill by Kadi Kullerkann made it 11-8 Pittsburgh, Neuenfeldt used back-to-back solo blocks to tie the score at 11. The Senior CLASS Award candidate then teamed up with Treacy to stuff a Panther attack and put UNC ahead, 15-13. After calling timeout, Pitt roared back to tie the score at 15, then used a pair of blocks to regain the lead, 19-17. A UNC timeout did not stop their momentum, as the Panthers finished the set on an 8-1 run to take a 2-0 match lead with a 25-18 decision in the second.
The Tar Heels burst out of the locker room energized and soon stole a 9-4 lead to open the third. However, Pitt pushed its way back within one, 9-8, and a pair of blocks gave the Panthers the lead, 13-12. A three-point run helped the Panthers ahead, 16-13, but a kill by Taylor Leath off a key save at the net by Neuenfeldt tied the score at 18. A kill by Fricano once again tied the score at 20, but a ball-handling error helped the Panthers reach match point, 24-21. A kill by Leath and a dominant serve by Andrew erased Pitt's first two tries, but Genitsaridi had the final slam of the match to win it for Pitt in three, 25-23.
The Tar Heels return home next weekend to take on cross-town rival Duke at Carmichael Arena. The ACC showdown will air live on ESPNU beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2.
