University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
14-10, 11-5ACC
Clemson
7-21, 2-14ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson | 20 | 18 | 12 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Tar Heels Sweep Clemson on Senior Night
November 11, 2017 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina completed its second consecutive perfect ACC home slate on Saturday night, defeating Clemson, 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-12), to close out the final homestand of 2017. North Carolina out-hit the Tigers .278 to .051 in the match, behind an 11.5 team blocking effort. The win marks UNC's fourth straight, as the Tar Heels improve to 14-10 (11-5 ACC), while Clemson slips to 7-21 (2-14 ACC).
"What a great crowd," said head coach Joe Sagula. "Over 2,800 people! I'm just so excited, because I feel like the people that came here came to appreciate seniors, the team, being at home and I'm just really excited for this. I couldn't ask for more. Then, to get a win 3-0 is great. I'm just happy and thankful for [seniors] Beth [Nordhorn] and Taylor [Fricano] for what they've done in the program and the growth that they've made."
Carolina led a balanced offense on Saturday night, with all six starters recording between four and eight kills in the match. Redshirt freshman Holly Carlton had a stellar all-around performance, hitting .500 with eight kills, eight digs and a career-high tying seven blocks to go with 13 assists. Senior Taylor Fricano hit .333 with seven kills, and Katharine Esterley (.667) and Taylor Leath (.455) each had six kills.
"If we are going to get more continued offense like this from Holly, that is significant," said Sagula. "I think for a while she kind of struggled, but we have been working on her rhythm and timing, and it looks like it is paying off. She looks like she has taken another step of comfort on the court and confidence in herself. We have asked a lot of Holly this year, but I know she's coming around and I'm just happy to see this development."
Kendra Koetter matched Carlton with 13 assists and eight digs, while libero Casey Jacobs tallied eight assists and seven digs. Leath chipped in eight digs and two service aces, while Greer Moseman put up five digs and an ace.
The Tar Heels totaled 11.5 over just three sets, led by Carlton (7), Esterley (6), Beth Nordhorn (5) and Taylor Borup (4). Nordhorn and Borup also combined for nine kills.
"How about Katherine Esterley?" said Sagula "She is just a blocking machine. What a great opportunity she has made this year. Everyone is making the most of what they can do. That's all we want them to do, for everyone to play their game."
Saturday's win marked the Tar Heels' 11th straight home victory as UNC finished out its second straight 10-0 ACC home season. Carolina went 13-1 overall at home this season, and extended its ACC home winning streak to 26 straight matches. UNC is 460-140 (.767) all time in Chapel Hill, including an outstanding 131-18 (.879) over the past 10 years.
"I think the home crowds just help support us," said Sagula. "I'll tell you one thing I really enjoy this year in particular was the marketing. We got great crowds. It makes you feel really good when you play well and you feel appreciated. The appreciation that the administration has for what we're doing is great. It's really exciting for the fans and the fan base that we've had here. You see all these kids and their parents and they just really enjoy our girls being athletic and playing and they appreciate that. That's inspiring to me and I think for our team and for me that's why we do it. You know, to make a difference."
North Carolina raced out to a 15-6 lead to open the match, but Clemson put together a 10-1 run to tie the score at 16. A kill by Nordhorn kept the Tigers from take the lead, and kills by Leath and Carlton made it 20-18. Clemson tied the score at 20, but three CU attack errors helped Carolina rattle off the final five straight as the Tar Heels took the first set, 25-20.
"Clemson is a really good team," said Leath. "They had a lot of fight in them. They made their adjustments and then we were able to make ours as well. We were really resilient and continued to focus on the basics, not letting our game break down in the middle. Sometimes, you know, it goes back and forth, but we had that extra push in the end."
The Tar Heels began the first set up 4-1, but Clemson replied with four straight to pull ahead 5-4. The Tigers stretched their lead to 9-7, but a four-point Carolina run put UNC in front, 11-9. Carolina took control down the stretch, using a 5-1 run with kills by four different Tar Heels to pull in front 20-16, then back-to-back blocks finished the set for a 25-18 Tar Heel victory.
The third set began close, but a four-point Carolina run made it 10-5 UNC. Clemson did not score on a single serve down the stretch, as the Tar Heels cruised to a 25-12 victory to complete the sweep. Seniors Nordhorn and Fricano scored the final two points of the match on their Senior Night, as Nordhorn teamed up with Borup for a block to set up match point, and Fricano had the final kill of the night in her last match at Carmichael Arena.
"That was great," said Fricano, after scoring the final point of the match. "It's funny. You visualize a lot of different things, and I visualized a block between me and Beth, but the play before, Beth got an insane block and I was like 'Okay that was her piece. I feel like mine is coming up.' And I got a little nervous, but to finish it – I heard the announcer say 'And senior Taylor Fricano!' and I was just like, 'Wow, that's the last time I'll hear my name.' It was pretty much like a story book. You don't always get the storybook ending and it was really cool for it to be like that tonight."
Carolina closes the 2017 regular season with a four-match road trip, beginning with a trip to the Midwest to face Notre Dame on Friday, Nov. 17. Carolina will continue on to Louisville on Sunday (Nov. 19), followed by Wake Forest on Wednesday (Nov. 22) and the season-finale at Duke on Friday, Nov. 22. All four matches will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra, with Friday's match set to begin at 7 p.m.
