University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
9-2, 1-0ACC
NC State
7-6, 0-1ACC
Tar Heels Battle Back To Top State In ACC Opener
September 23, 2016 | Volleyball
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| Postgame Infographic |
RALEIGH, N.C. – After a strong opening set, No. 12 North Carolina found itself trailing 2-1 at crosstown rival NC State, but the Tar Heels roared back to take the match in five and win the first Atlantic Coast Conference match of the season, 25-17, 20-25, 21-25, 25-14, 15-7. The win lifts UNC to 9-2 (1-0 ACC), while NC State falls to 7-6 (0-1 ACC).
“This was a great win for us,” said head coach Joe Sagula. “What I'm most proud of is the way our team played in the fourth and fifth sets. I thought we got after it with courage, with aggressiveness and a lack of concern or worry with the pressure of knowing that we had to win. I thought we just went out and played hard, and I'm really excited that that's what we're capable of doing.”
Freshman Julia Scoles unleashed five kills on eight swings in the deciding fifth set to finish the night close to a triple-double with 18 kills, 10 digs and a personal-best seven blocks. The rookie outside hitter made just one error all night, hitting .386. Senior opposite Taylor Treacy also made just a single error, hitting an impressive .448 with 14 kills and six blocks, while redshirt sophomore Taylor Leath recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 15 kills and 16 digs.
"I thought the energy level was really high,” said Scoles. “We really came together and knew we had to accomplish a common goal, keep the energy up and keep supporting each other to be better.”
Senior Abigail Curry navigated the Tar Heel offense with a season-high 42 assists to go with eight digs, while Mariah Evans added 10 assists in somewhat limited action. Senior libero Sheila Doyle paced the back row, tallying her fourth 20-dig performance of the year and 12th overall with a total of 22 digs.
After a quiet weekend in Fort Worth, the conference-leading Carolina block returned to form on Thursday night, posting 15.0 total blocks to hold the Wolfpack to just .138 hitting. In addition to Scoles (7) and Treacy (6), middles Taylor Fricano and Beth Nordhorn combined for 11 block assists, with Nordhorn's five coming over the first three sets.
“In particular, I thought our middles did a great job of closing blocks in the fourth and fifth sets,” said Sagula. “I think that really helped us significantly. They really worked so hard to make things happen, and our defense got better because of that.”
The Tar Heels won the first two points of the match, and although the Wolfpack tied the score at five, two straight kills by Leath pushed UNC back in front and Carolina never again trailed. Back-to-back blocks by Nordhorn made it 23-16, and a kill by the junior middle finished out the first set, 25-17. Carolina out-hit the Wolfpack .310 to .087 in the opening frame, propelled by seven kills from Leath.
NC State controlled the second set early, but three kills and a block by Scoles helped turn a 10-8 deficit into a 16-11 Carolina lead. However, the Wolfpack replied with a 7-0 run served out by Rachel Eppley to retake the lead, 18-16. Taylor Borup subbed in a struck a kill, but four late Tar Heel attack errors helped NC State down the stretch, as the Wolfpack evened the match with a 25-20 victory in the second.
The third set began contested, but a 6-0 run by NC State midway through the frame pushed the Wolfpack in front, 18-12. Carolina did not back down, pulling within two, 22-20, on a kill by Scoles, but a service ace helped the Wolfpack finish out the set, 25-21, and take a 2-1 match lead for the first time since 2012.
“I think we became complacent and they took advantage of it,” said Scoles. “We realized we needed to play our game and not play to the level of the opponent.”
A nine-point run by the Tar Heels lifted Carolina to a daunting 15-6 lead in the fourth, as UNC cruised to a 25-14 win to force a fifth set. The Tar Heels hit an impressive .414 with five blocks in the frame to keep the match alive.
“We knew that this was it,” said Scoles. “In the fourth set, we had to come out and give it everything we had to turn it around, because that was the one chance that we had to get to the fifth game. Everyone put in 100 percent effort and the outcome was good.”
NC State won the first three points of the fifth set, but a service error kicked off a 10-1 UNC run to give the Tar Heels a 10-4 lead in the shortened final frame. Scoles and Treacy combined for eight kills on just 12 errorless swings and Hayley McCorkle went 2-for-2 including landing the final kill of the night to complete the Carolina comeback with a 15-7 victory in the fifth set.
The Tar Heels' extended road stretch continues this weekend with a trip up north to face Boston College on Sunday, Sept. 25. Opening serve in Chestnut Hill is set for Noon.
