University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
21-3, 13-1ACC
Florida State
18-5, 11-3ACC
Tar Heels Storm Back To Defeat No. 10 Seminoles In Five
November 6, 2016 | Volleyball
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| Postgame Infographic |
Tallahassee, Fla. – No. 12 North Carolina stormed back from an 0-2 deficit on Sunday afternoon to defeat No. 10 Florida State, 3-2 (13-25, 21-25, 25-11, 25-22, 15-13). Sophomore Taylor Leath dominated the match with 26 kills to lead the Tar Heels to their third victory over a top-10 team this season. With the win, the Tar Heels distance themselves at the top of the ACC standings at 21-3 (13-1 ACC), while FSU falls to 18-5 (11-3 ACC).
“This was momentous for our program, with us being able to get two come-from-behind victories this weekend,” said head coach Joe Sagula. “This is one of the most memorable matches I've been involved in with Carolina Volleyball. To be down two sets to none and get off to such a bad start and then to turn it around so quickly and show what we're capable of doing.
“I thought we played hard the whole match and we never gave up, and that effort really paid off in the fourth and fifth sets. Just the belief they had in each other, to be down 13-10 in the fifth set, 21-18 in the fourth, we could have easily folded but we seemed to get better. We made great plays when the pressure was on.”
Sunday's victory marks the fourth straight season that the Tar Heels have come back to win a match after trailing 0-2 on the road. UNC erased an 0-2 deficit at Boston College almost exactly one year ago on Nov. 8, and did the same to Georgia Tech in 2014 and at Ohio in 2013.
The win marks UNC's first against the powerhouse Seminoles in Tallahassee since 2008, while Carolina swept the season series with Florida State for the first time since 2000.
“This one was significant, because we haven't won here in quite some time,” said Sagula. “The manner by which we came back in the fourth and the fifth sets…To be associated with this team and this match and this kind of play, I'm just really proud to be a part of that.”
Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, native Taylor Leath stepped up in a major way once again for Carolina, posting the most kills for a Tar Heel since 2005 with 26 while hitting a team-best .360. The outside hitter has proven herself as a go-to player against challenging opponents, averaging more than 22 kills in UNC's wins over top-10 teams. Leath had a double-double in all three top-10 victories as well, tallying 13 this afternoon.
Freshman Julia Scoles showed off her strong arm with 14 kills in the match, while Taylor Borup tallied nine and Taylor Fricano had seven.
“All the pins did a great job for us,” said Sagula. “What a fantastic effort from Leath. She was outstanding. Borup's contributions over the final three sets were significant. Scoles really improved her play from Friday. We had 30 attempts again from the middle, creating more balance. We didn't pass well early and our pins took big swings and that kept us in the match.”
Libero Sheila Doyle registered her 17th career 20-dig performance, leading Carolina with 22, while Scoles added seven to go with Leath's 13. Senior Abigail Curry led the Heels in assists with 29, while freshman Mariah Evans had 17.
UNC's blocking unit had just seven stuffs in the match, with four each by Fricano and Beth Nordhorn.
The Seminoles grabbed a 3-0 lead to open the match. Back-to-back kills by Leath cut the deficit to one, 4-3, but another Florida State run put the Seminoles back on top, 8-5. FSU controlled the remainder of the frame, rattling off the final six points of the set to win the opener, 25-13.
Carolina replied to take an early 7-4 lead in the second set, and Leath's fifth kill of the set made it 12-9 Tar Heels. The Seminoles regrouped after a timeout to pull within one, but another kill by Leath kept FSU from tying the score, 13-11. However, Milica Kubura went on a tear, slamming four kills over six points to flip a 16-15 deficit to a 20-16 Florida State lead. UNC pulled back within two, 23-21, on another kill by Leath, but kills by Katie Horton and Mara Green closed out the second set, 25-21, and put UNC in an 0-2 hole for the first time in two months.
The Tar Heels opened up the third set with a 5-1 lead, then Doyle served up an eight-point run to give Carolina a daunting 17-6 advantage. The Tar Heels continued to roll, and a kill by Nordhorn closed out the third for UNC, 25-11.
Carolina rode the momentum into the fourth set, racing to an 8-1 lead on a fantastic serving run by Scoles. Florida State slowly pulled itself back in it, 14-10, then used a seven-point run to overtake the lead, 17-14. The Tar Heels cut the deficit to one, 18-17, on a block by Leath and Nordhorn, but FSU went right back ahead, 21-18. A kill by Treacy put the ball in Doyle's hands, and she kicked off a five-point service run with an ace to retake the lead. A kill by Scoles made it set point, and Borup and Fricano teamed up on the block to close out the set, 25-22, and send the match to five.
A service ace by Katie Horton gave Florida State the first real lead of the fifth set, 6-4, and a block by Melanie Keil and Christina Ambrose extended the advantage to 9-5. A kill by Horton seemingly put the match away for the Seminoles, 13-10, but Carolina never gave in as two straight kills by Leath cut the deficit to one, 13-12. Florida State called timeout, but a great serve by Greer Moseman set up Nordhorn for the kill, tying the score at 13. Natasha Calkins sent one deep and out of bounds to set up Carolina match point, and Nordhorn gave herself a present for her 21st birthday teaming up with Leath for the block to complete the comeback, 15-13.
“Greer, in two straight matches came off the bench and was the spark plug we needed to make something happen for us,” said Sagula. “We had great starters and finishers and just a great team effort.”
After playing 10 of their first 14 ACC matches on the road, the Tar Heels return home to Carmichael for the remainder of the regular season. UNC opens the six-match homestand on Friday, Nov. 11, with rematch with Clemson at 7:30 p.m. Friday's home match will be a part of a Tar Heel doubleheader, with UNC women's basketball hosting its season opener at 4 p.m.
