UNC Sweeps Maryland Eastern Shore, Falls to Michigan State

Saturday, September 1

Chapel Hill, N.C.

1 PM

North Carolina

2-2

Maryland Eastern Shore

0-5

MDES

Mia Fradenburg, Skylar Wine UNC Volleyball vs. Michigan State

September 1, 2018 | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

CHAPEL HILL – On the final day of the Carolina Classic, North Carolina began the day with a commanding 3-0 win over Maryland Eastern Shore, before falling in four sets to Michigan State in the tournament finale on Saturday evening.

Junior Mia Fradenburg and redshirt-sophomore Hunter Atherton earned all-tournament honors as the Tar Heels finished the Carolina Classic second overall with a tournament record of 2-1. UNC sits at 2-3 on the season while the Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore slide to 0-5 and Michigan State Spartans improved to 5-1.

North Carolina 3, Maryland Eastern Shore 0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-22)

For the second match in a row, Skylar Wine led Carolina's offense by hitting .647 with 13 kills. Each with three blocks, Raleigh Clark and Katharine Esterley tacked on seven and six kills, respectively. Each of UNC's setters saw the court with Atherton and Annabelle Archer logged double-digit assists to UNC's 40 kills.

A kill by Wine put Carolina on the board first against the Hawks. The Tar Heels got off to an explosive start hitting 7-for-11 without an error, forcing UMES to take a timeout at the 12-6 mark. After a 6-0 run, Carolina was 10-for-14 before the first hitting error in the first set. Coming off the bench in her Carolina debut, Archer slugged an ace in her first appearance of the season. Madison Laufenberg put up a solo block to clinch the first set for Carolina, 25-13.

Beginning set two, the Hawks scored first on a kill by Sola Okesanjo. However, back-to-back aces by Casey Jacobs gave Carolina all the lead it would need and forced a Hawks timeout at the 8-4 mark. Wine went hit 5-for-6 in the frame to lead the Heel's offense while Destiny Cox and Esterley connected for a pair of blocks. UMES went on a 3-0 run late in the set with Koya Sowells back to serve, but kills by Cox and Wine earned the 25-18 win.

Carolina and Shore battled through four lead changes and seven tie scores before UNC came out on top. UMES jumped to a five-point lead to begin the third stanza thanks to a pair of kills by Alexis Lee. The Tar Heels went on a 4-0 run to bring the set within on before back-to-back kills by Esterley gave UNC a 15-13 edge. The Hawks answered back, reclaiming a 21-19 lead, but Laufenberg kill brought the Tar Heels within one. The Tar Heels secured their second sweep of the weekend with an Esterley-Laufenberg block for the 25-22 win and the three-set sweep.

Michigan State 3, North Carolina 1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-18)

Despite winning the first set, Carolina was unable to come away with the win over Michigan State on Saturday night, falling in four sets. Cox and Wine led the Tar Heels with double-digit kills while Fradenburg grounded the defense with 17 digs. Michigan State's Maddie Haggerty and Naya Gros, the tournament MVP, paced the Spartans with double-digit kills as well.

Trailing by as many as five, the Tar Heels ended the set on an 8-0 run to clinch the frame, 25-22.
Carolina started off strong with a big swing by Wine. However, the Spartans were nearly perfect hitting over .500 with seven kills at the 12-9 mark. UNC brought the frame within two thanks to a kill by Cox and a Bell-Clark block. After calling a timeout to dampen UNC's momentum, Michigan State extended its lead to five. UNC was able to answer right back with an 8-0 run to clinch the set win.

Mirroring the first set, both the Heels and Spartans battled through several tie scores and lead changes. Carolina led early thanks to a pair of Wine kills and solo-block by Cox. However a five-point Michigan State run gave the Spartans all they would need. Back row swings by Bell and Cox brought the Heels within three, 21-18. A block by Atherton and Esterley forced a second set-point for Michigan State, but it was not enough to stop the Spartans from taking the set, 25-20.

Michigan State took the lead from the start in the third frame and never looked back. Carolina trailed closely behind thanks to three kills each by Wine and Esterley. Esterley stuffed the Michigan State offense, bringing the frame within one, 13-12. The Spartans lengthened their lead to four before Carolina went on a 4-0 run to knot the frame at 18-all. Michigan State's Rebecka Poljan clinched the 25-19 win for the Spartans with four kills and a block in the set.

The Tar Heels began the fourth set with a Bell-Esterley block and Cox kill. However, the Spartans quickly reclaimed the lead due to Carolina miscues. A pair of Michigan State blocks extended the lead to 8-4. A five-point Michigan State run put the Tar Heels behind early, but kills by Wine and Cox knotted the set at 9-9. A slew of errors on both sides of the net kept the frame close. However, the Spartan block stuffed 12.0 UNC attacks. Carolina forced two match points, but ultimately the Spartans took the set 25-18 for the 3-1 win.

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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