University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
5-0
TCU
4-1
Tar Heels Capture 1000th Victory In Home Opener
September 4, 2016 | Volleyball
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| Postgame Infographic |
CHAPEL HILL – No. 12 Carolina continued its perfect season on Saturday night, winning its fifth straight to open the year and first in Carmichael Arena with a 3-0 sweep of TCU. The victory over the Horned Frogs (4-1) marked the 1,000th win all time for the Tar Heels, doing so in straight sets: 25-23, 25-20, 25-18.
“This was a really good match,” said head coach Joe Sagula. “TCU is a tough team with a lot of offensive weapons. They come at you and they run that fast slide. They had a tough middle but we were prepared for her and able to still score points.
“Our defense looked better than it did two nights ago. I thought we also served tougher tonight. I really liked the pressure we put on them with our serving.”
Carolina's offense hit a season-high .380 against TCU, who was receiving votes in this week's AVCA poll, with three pin hitters attacking above .400 in the match. Julia Scoles led the Tar Heels with 14 kills, hitting .448, and Taylor Treacy hit .474 with 12 kills. Freshman Taylor Borup slammed six kills without an error to hit .545 over the final two sets, while Taylor Fricano was a perfect 4-for-4 with three blocks.
“I was hoping Taylor Treacy would have this kind of match,” said Sagula. “She's one of our leaders. I thought she played with a lot of energy and a feistiness that really energized the rest of the team, both on blocking and hitting. It means a lot to say you did this against a really good team, and next weekend when we play two really good teams here, we'll call on that.”
Carolina spread around the digs, with five players tallying at least seven. Libero Sheila Doyle led the defense with nine digs to go with six assists and the team's lone ace. Abigail Curry and Mariah Evans split the setting duties, with Curry totaling 30 assists and eight digs while Evans dished out 12 assists and eight digs.
The Tar Heels, who entered the match leading the nation in blocks, tallied 8.5, with four each from Treacy and Sydnye Fields.
“Taylor Borup, Sydnye Fields, a lot of (the freshmen) are building a lot of confidence,” said Sagula. We had 13 people play tonight and I'm excited about that, that it was a shared effort by the whole team.”
The 3-0 victory was the 1,000th for the Tar Heel program since its inaugural season in 1971. Prior to Saturday, just one ACC team had reached the 1,000-win mark, as Florida State did so in 2013. Coincidentally, Pittsburgh also won its 1,000th match on Saturday, with a five-set victory over No. 25 Colorado State.
“It means we've been fortunate to be part of some great teams with so many players over the years,” said Sagula. “I've been fortunate that I've been here 27 years, but also the legacy that was left before me by coaches and players at Carolina. We've always been a winning program, and it's great we've been able to carry that on.
“I really think it's an important thank you to every player and alumnus that's been part of this program, that they've contributed to those 1,000. So thank you, it's been an awesome opportunity to see it and to do it at home. To do it here is really, really neat.”
TCU opened up a 4-1 lead to start the match, but a great service run by Doyle helped UNC take a 5-4 lead. A 4-0 run by the Horned Frogs gave TCU a 13-11 lead midway through the frame, but a sneaky dump by Curry helped Carolina tie the score at 15. Kills by Treacy and Fricano pushed the Tar Heels in front, 23-20, but a pair of UNC errors allowed the Frogs to tie the score once again at 23. A strong rip by Taylor Leath put Carolina back on top for set point, and a Fricano-McCorkle block sealed the deal for a 25-23 UNC win in the first.
Three straight kills gave UNC a 3-0 advantage to begin set two and the Tar Heels never fell behind, taking a 2-0 match lead with a 25-20 decision. Taylor Treacy was the driving force of UNC's offense, slamming six kills on six swings in the frame, while Scoles added four kills.
TCU won the first two points of the third set, but after trailing 7-5, the Tar Heels went on a 5-0 run to pull ahead 10-7 and force the Horned Frogs to call a timeout. TCU surged back to tie the score at 10, then regained the lead, 12-11. Nevertheless, Carolina pushed back in front, 17-13, and a Scoles kill extended the lead to 21-16. The Tar Heels never gave in, and back-to-back kills by Scoles and Treacy closed out the match, as UNC took the third set, 25-18, and completed the sweep of TCU.
The Tar Heels continue their homestand next weekend with a visit from a pair of top-10 programs for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. UNC will host No. 2 Wisconsin and No. 6 Minnesota, as well as fellow-ACC member No. 21 Louisville in a battle for conference supremacy. The tournament opens at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9 with Louisville vs. Minnesota, followed by Wisconsin vs. UNC at 6:30 p.m. All four matches of the Challenge will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra on WatchESPN.
