University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
14-11, 11-6ACC
Notre Dame
20-8, 10-7ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 13 | 20 | 14 | 0 |
| Notre Dame | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Carolina Drops Road Trip Opener to Notre Dame
November 17, 2017 | Volleyball
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – North Carolina's road woes continued on Friday night, as the Tar Heels opened their final road trip with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-14) loss at Notre Dame. Carolina entered Friday's contest on a four-match winning streak after completing a perfect 10-0 home ACC campaign, but UNC has struggled on the road, capturing just a single victory away from home. With the win, Notre Dame improves to 20-8 (10-7 ACC), while UNC falls to 14-10 (11-6 ACC).
Friday's win was the first for the Fighting Irish over Carolina since joining the ACC in 2013, as UNC entered the matched a perfect 5-0 against Notre Dame in league play. UND out-hit the Tar Heels .287 to .051 in the match, limiting Carolina to a season-low 25 kills to go with 20 hitting errors.
Sophomore Taylor Borup drove the Tar Heels' offense with 10 kills, hitting .212. Junior Taylor Leath followed with eight kills but also made eight errors. Notre Dame kept starting middle hitters Beth Nordhorn, the ACC's hitting percentage leader, and Katharine Esterley without a kill in the match.
Holly Carlton led Carolina with 11 assists, while fellow setter Kendra Koetter tallied seven and libero Casey Jacobs had six. Jacobs led UNC's back line with 12 digs, and freshman Maddie Grace Hough posted her second career double-digit dig performance with 10. Carlton neared a double-double with eight digs, and Leath added seven.
Carolina's usually-potent blocking unit was quiet on Friday, with just five stuffs in the match, led by four block assists by Esterley.
An early five-point run gave Notre Dame a 7-2 lead to start the match, and a 7-1 stretch increased the advantage to 16-8. The Fighting Irish continued to cruise, taking the opener, 25-13.
UND rode it momentum into set two, opening the frame with a 6-0 lead. A kill by Jemma Yeadon made it 20-13, but Carolina battled back to win four straight and cut the deficit to three. Back-to-back kills by Leath pulled UNC within two, 22-20, but the Fighting Irish found their groove, winning three in a row to stave off the Tar Heels, 25-20.
Carolina used a pair of blocks to take an early 6-4 lead in the third set, but Notre Dame replied with a 5-0 run to take over, 9-6. The Tar Heels pulled within two, 12-10, but Notre Dame excelled down the stretch, winning 10 of the final 13 points to claim the third set, 25-14, and complete the 3-0 sweep.
UNC's season-ending road trip continues on Sunday, Nov. 19, with a visit to Louisville. The Tar Heels will face the Cardinals at 1 p.m.
