Tar Heels Sweep UNCG in Home Opener

Friday, August 31

Chapel Hill, N.C.

6:30 PM

North Carolina

1-2

UNCG

2-2

UNCG

August 31, 2018 | Volleyball

Box Score

CHAPEL HILL – A 15-kill performance by Skylar Wine paced North Carolina to a sweep of UNCG in Friday night's home opener at the Carolina Classic. The Tar Heels and Spartans battled through a three tight matches with 13 tie scores and six lead changes, including three in the final set, before Carolina secured the 3-0 win.

Wine attacked at a .682 clip without a single error while Katharine Esterley also recorded an error-less .571 attack percentage with five kills and three blocks. Hunter Atherton set 34 of UNC's 45 kills with one of her own and a trio of aces. Casey Jacobs collected 10 digs to lead Carolina's back row. UNCG's Emily Keilen slugged 13 kills with two blocks to pace the Spartans' offense.

Destiny Cox laced a kill through the block for the first point in Carmichael Arena for the 2018 season. The Tar Heels trailed by as many as four in the first frame. However, with Atherton back to serve, Carolina knotted the game at 19-all. The Tar Heels and Spartans traded points until Ava Bell clinched the first set win with a kill, 25-23.

UNCG jumped to an early 3-0 lead to begin the second frame before Madison Laufenberg swatted Carolina's first kill. Back-to-back aces by Atherton tied the game up at 9-all. Cox laced the ball through the Spartans' block to give UNC its first two-point lead of the frame. UNCG fought back to tie the frame at 21 and force a Carolina timeout. A kill by Wine and a Spartan error sealed the 2-0 lead for UNC with a 25-22 win.

The Tar Heels and Spartans traded leads throughout the final set, keeping the match within two. However, a pair of 4-0 runs late in the frame gave Carolina the lead. With Mia Fradenburg back to serve, Carolina jumped to a six-point lead, 21-15. The Spartans battled back thanks to a trio of kills in the frame by Maria Esch. Laufenberg closed the match with back-to-back kills from Kendra Koetter for the 25-19 set win and 3-0 sweep over UNCG.

North Carolina concludes the Carolina Classic Saturday, taking on Maryland Eastern Shore at 1 p.m. Saturday and Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. For more information about this weekend's tournament, visit the Carolina Classic tournament central on GoHeels.com.

Carolina wraps tournament play at Colorado, facing Oklahoma, Georgia and host, Colorado Sept. 7-9. The Tar Heels return to Carmichael Arena on Sep. 14 to host North Dakota State at 6:30 p.m.

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