University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
3-5
Coastal Carolina
3-6
No. 24 Tar Heels Hold Off Chanticleers In Five
September 16, 2017 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL – No. 24 North Carolina found itself heading into a fifth set for the second time in two nights, but after dropping a 3-2 decision on Friday night, the Tar Heels exploded for a .625 hitting percentage in the final deciding set to defeat Coastal Carolina, 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 18-25, 15-8). UNC finishes nonconference play at 3-5, while the Chanticleers fall to 3-6.
"It was a great fifth set," said head coach Joe Sagula. "I am troubled, still, by the fourth set, and we have a lot of work to do to figure that one out. I don't believe it's a physical thing. It's a mental thing where we kind of shut down. I don't know if that's just maturity, that we haven't learned how to handle the success and how to keep building on it. That's what it seems like. It's a responsibility with winning and how to maintain it.
"I'm really happy for them, that this will hopefully build some confidence, knowing, 'OK, we overcame an obstacle,' and it was a big one."
After falling a single kill shy on Friday night, redshirt freshman Holly Carlton registered the first Tar Heel triple-double since 2005, recording 25 assists, 10 digs and a career-high 10 kills. The setter/hitter is just the third Tar Heel in the rally-scoring era (since 2001) to post a triple-double, following McKenzie Byrd, who tallied 59 assists, 10 kills and 10 digs against Wake Forest on Nov. 6, 2005, and Malaika Underwood, who put up 12 kills, 11 assists and 10 digs against South Carolina in the 2001 NCAA Tournament opening round on Nov. 29. All three Carolina triple-doubles came in five-set matches, although Carlton completed the triple-double with her 10th dig in the fourth set.
"Don't tell her, but she's really important," Sagula laughed. "She's played eight matches in her career and she's going to do nothing but get better and better. It's a tough position and she came off of an ankle injury. We want her to be healthy. We need her. We knew she was going to be a key member of our program when we recruited her, and we've held her to that."
Outside hitter Taylor Leath led the match with 19 kills, hitting .341, and made it a double-double with 13 digs. Beth Nordhorn posted her fourth-consecutive double-digit kill performance, hitting .524 with 13 kills and a career-high two aces. Taylor Fricano, playing primarily on the left side for the first time, totaled eight kills, including going 5-for-7 in the key fifth set.
Sophomore libero Mia Fradenburg registered her third 20-dig match of the year, leading the Tar Heels with 22.
"Mia Fradenburg was unbelievable," said Sagula. "She was nails tonight at times. She failed a little bit in the fourth set, and some others did, but then she picked it up. When she was on, she dominated serve receive."
Freshman Sehrena Hull, in her first-ever start, totaled a personal-best 13 digs, while Kendra Koetter put up season highs with 24 assists and eight digs.
"I thought this was the best Sehrena has played, especially from the service line," said Sagula. "I know she made one service error, but from what we started doing with her three to four weeks ago, she's been really steady. I think she's looking a whole lot more comfortable, especially handling a tough serve in serve receive."
North Carolina posted its fifth consecutive double-digit blocking performance, led by redshirt freshman Katharine Esterley with six. Sydnye Fields, playing on the right side, stuffed five blocks, while Nordhorn tallied four.
"Sydnye is such a good blocker," said Sagula. "It certainly paid dividends tonight. She gave us some positive feeling out there. They had to work to get the ball past her, so that was important."
UNC took a quick 4-2 lead to start the match, but a 6-0 run served out by setter Kate Federico put the Chanticleers in front, 8-4. Back-to-back kills by Carlton helped the Heels cut the deficit to two, 9-7, then a pair of CCU attack errors tied the score at 14. Coastal pushed right back ahead, 18-15, but a kill by Nordhorn pulled the Tar Heels back within one, then she and Fields teamed up for back-to-back blocks to take the lead, 22-21. Two CCU errors made it Carolina set point, and Nordhorn closed out the frame with her third kill to win the first, 25-22.
The Tar Heels began the second set with a 4-1 lead but Coastal quickly tied the score at five. Carolina pull ahead 14-10 on a kill by Nordhorn, but the Chanticleers battled back to tie the score at 17, and a solo block by Larissa Dos Santos made it 20-18 CCU. A service error set up Coastal set point and an attack out of bounds ended it, 25-21, as the Chanticleers knotted the match at one set apiece.
Back-to-back blocks by Leath and Esterley helped the Tar Heels open up a 12-5 lead out of the break. Kills by Leath and Carlton made it 22-13, and a block by Carlton and Esterley made it set point Carolina. Coastal wiped off three UNC attempts, but Carlton had the final say, as UNC took the third set, 25-18, and pulled ahead 2-1 in the match.
Coastal Carolina took a rapid 5-1 lead to start the fourth, but the Heels fought right back to pull within one, 7-6. The Chanticleers rallied to go back ahead 12-9, and North Carolina was unable to re-tie the score, as CCU won the fourth set, 25-18, to force a fifth set.
After falling behind 0-5 to start the fifth set on Friday night, North Carolina exploded to an 8-3 lead behind three Fricano kills and a strong service run by Hull. Coastal came as close as three, 10-7, but two kills and a block by Fricano made it match point, and Fradenburg ended it with a service ace to give the Tar Heels their first fifth-set victory of the season, 15-8.
"We actually talked about that right before the fifth set," said Esterley. "Our team captain, Taylor Leath, said, 'Remember last night. Remember how that felt. Remember what we need to do.' So, it was a great opportunity to get another fifth set and pull it out. It was a great game for us."
The Tar Heels open ACC play across the Triangle next weekend, traveling to NC State on Friday, Sept. 22. The conference opener will air live on ACC Network Extra, with first serve set for 7 p.m.
"We still have the same goals," said Esterley. "We still want to win that championship. We have a really tough road ahead of us. The ACC is really strong, so we've got to work really hard and take care of ourselves."
"It's going to be a tough environment, but it's going to be a good challenge for us," said Sagula. "It's a tough weekend being on the road there. But, I'm glad we don't have to travel very far. It's almost like a home weekend for us, so a chance for us to be rested, work on a couple more things this week and to do it with a win, I think they'll feel good about themselves and hopefully they'll work even harder."
