University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
12-2, 4-0ACC
Clemson
5-11, 0-4ACC
Tar Heels Finish Road Trip With 3-1 Victory Over Clemson
October 2, 2016 | Volleyball
 |
| Postgame Infographic |
Clemson, S.C. – No. 10 North Carolina volleyball concluded its extended road trip with a victory on Sunday afternoon, defeating Clemson, 3-1 (25-13, 22-25, 25-13, 27-25). The Tar Heels used efficient offense and effective serving to pick up the win, improving to 12-2 (4-0 ACC) while Clemson dropped to 5-11 (0-4 ACC).
Freshman Julia Scoles led the match with 16 kills, hitting an impressive .481 with three service aces. Taylor Leath followed with 10 kills, while Taylor Fricano hit .667 with seven kills on nine swings and Hayley McCorkle added six kills, hitting .308. As a team, Carolina hit .355 in the match, second only to UNC's .380 clip in the home opener against TCU.
Setter Abigail Curry neared a double-double with 23 assists, nine digs and two aces, and Mariah Evans dished out 19 assists with six digs and an ace.
Libero Sheila Doyle led both teams with 15 digs in the match, as the Carolina defense held Clemson to a .186 hitting percentage despite a season-low 4.5 blocks.
Carolina raced ahead 9-1 to open the match then continued to cruise, taking the first set, 25-13. The Tigers did not score on a serve until the final two rotations of the opening frame, as the Tar Heels out-hit Clemson, .417-.000, led by Fricano who was a perfect 4-for-4.
A pair of early service aces allowed Clemson to take a quick 3-1 lead to begin the second, but Carolina fought back to pull ahead 9-7. The Tigers replied to tie the score at 10, but a kill and a block by Leath put UNC back in front, 16-13. Back-to-back kills by Kailey Harvell sparked a Clemson run to give the Tigers back the lead, 17-16, and this time they kept it, as Leah Perri's fifth kill of the set won it for CU, 25-22.
The Tar Heels righted the ship in the third set, using a four-point run midway through to pull ahead 14-9. Carolina kept its foot on the gas, finishing the frame on an 11-4 run with three straight kills by McCorkle, Leath and Scoles to win it, 25-13.
Carolina pushed in front 18-15 midway through the fourth set and extended the advantage to 21-16 after a pair of Tiger attack errors. A kill by Sydnye Fields set up Tar Heel match point, 24-20, but Clemson used two blocks and an ace to tie the score at 24 and wipe the slate clean. A Leath kill gave UNC another match point, but Kailey Harvell landed a kill to tie the score once again. McCorkle gave UNC a sixth chance to win it with a kill and a fantastic serve by Doyle finished off the Tigers as the Tar Heels won the fourth, 27-25, and closed out the match in four sets.
After nearly a month on the road, No. 10 North Carolina finally returns home on Friday, Oct. 7, for a marquee matchup with No. 15 Florida State at Carmichael Arena. The Tar Heels' ACC home opener will air live on ACC Network Extra with opening serve set for 6 p.m.
