University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
16-2, 8-0
Louisville
6-12, 1-7
No. 8 Carolina Soars Past Cardinals In Three Sets
October 16, 2016 | Volleyball
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| Postgame Infographic |
LOUISVILLE – No. 8 North Carolina extended its winning streak to eight straight on Sunday afternoon, taking down 2015 ACC Champion Louisville in straight sets (25-11, 25-21, 25-17). With the win, UNC improves to 16-2 on the season and matches its best start to ACC play since 2002 with a perfect 8-0 record. With the loss, the Cardinals slip to 6-12 (1-7 ACC).
Freshman Taylor Borup made her second career start against the Cardinals and dominated on offense, leading the match by hitting .524 with 13 kills and three blocks. Sophomore Taylor Leath totaled 11 kills, hitting .333, and Taylor Treacy was next with five kills.
Senior Abigail Curry led Carolina's efficient offense with 17 assists, while Mariah Evans dished out eight. Libero Sheila Doyle, who posted an unprecedented 40 digs on Friday night, led the match with 13.
The Tar Heels' serving was on point, serving up a total of seven aces in the match, including five in the first set. Doyle and Evans brought their A-game, landing three apiece, while Curry served up an ace to open the second set.
A great serving run by Doyle spotted Carolina a quick 4-1 lead to open the match. The libero then led Tar Heels on another key run, featuring back-to-back aces, to push UNC in front 20-10. A pair of aces by Evans helped Carolina reach set point, and a block by Fricano and Borup closed the first frame, 25-11.
Louisville overcame an early 5-1 deficit to tie the score at eight in the second set. The remainder of the frame was highly contested, and soon the score was knotted at 20. An ace by Lyndsay Palmer put Louisville back on top, 21-20, but three straight kills by Borup helped Carolina to win the final five points of the frame and claim the second set, 25-21.
UNC won the first three points of the third set and Evans' third ace of the match helped increase the lead to 8-3. Louisville fought back to pull within two, 9-7, and again, 13-11, but a kill by Borup helped propel the Tar Heels to a 15-11 advantage at the media timeout. The Tar Heels did not let up after the break, closing the match on a 10-4 run to complete the sweep with a 25-17 victory in the third.
UNC returns home on Friday, Oct. 21, to host Boston College in the annual Get REAL & HEEL event for breast cancer awareness. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to show their support on Friday, with first serve set for 6 p.m.
