Saturday, September 18
Chapel Hill
4 PM
North Carolina
11-0,0-0ACC
3
vs
0
Davidson
4-6,0-0Atlantic 10
1
2
3
F
Davidson
16
19
23
0
North Carolina
25
25
25
3
Tar Heels Down Davidson 3-0
September 18, 2021 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL – The Carolina volleyball team kept their undefeated streak intact on Saturday afternoon, defeating Davidson 3-0, the Tar Heels' third straight sweep, to improve to 11-0. For the first time this season, Carolina had three players with double-digit kills, led by Nia-Parker-Robinson, followed by Mabrey Shaffmaster (13) and Emily Zinger (10), who had her first double-digit performance as a Tar Heel.
Meghan Neelon continued to lead Carolina in assists with 24, while Skyy Howard and Kaya Merkler ended the match with two blocks each.
How it Happened:
Set One (25-16)
Parker-Robinson set the tone early, opening the match with a kill, her first of a team-high six she had in the set. After Davidson jumped out to a 5-3 lead early, the Tar Heels retook the lead and led the rest of the set. As a team, Carolina recorded a .395 attacking clip with 20 kills, while the Wildcats were held to .219. Zinger finished the set with five kills, while Howard and Carly Peck combined for a block.
Set Two (25-19)
The second set of the match was a closer battle. UNC opened the set on a 3-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Parker Austin. The Wildcats went on a run of their own to knot up the score at 4. Carolina was able to take control with Karenna Wurl on the service line.
Six straight points that included three Zinger kills, a Shaffmaster kill and an ace from Wurl put the Tar Heels ahead 12-6.
Despite Davidson cutting the lead to 18-15 later in the set, Carolina was able to close out the set victory with a kill from Niki Khoshatefeh. Zinger and Shaffmaster had a team-high four kills apiece in the set, while Neelon had six assists and Kaya Merkler recorded a solo block.
Set Three (25-23)
The Wildcats refused to go down without a fight in what proved to be the final set of the match, posting a .387 attacking percentage. There were seven lead changes and two ties in set three, despite a hot start from the Tar Heels. With Carolina up 14-9, Davison went on a 4-0 run to tie up the game. Despite neither team able to hold onto the lead for long and Davidson up 21-19 late, Carolina scored five straight points to close out the match victory. Shaffmaster had a team-high six kills in the set.
Hear from the Tar Heels
On facing Davidson…
"That's a really scrappy team, so just relentless pursuit was kind of our mindset going after that." - graduate Nia Parker-Robinson
On whether the team expected the hot start to the season….
"I think we expected to do it, honestly. We had that cocky confidence that we talked about as a team that kind of took us as far. It was more of an expectation and a goal that we wanted to reach that we knew was reachable. – graduate Emily Zinger
On what Parker-Robinson and Zinger bring to the team…
"Their play inspires everyone around them. When Nia gets a kill, she's excited, but she also makes other people want to do the same. … Nia is a go-to player who is physical. We know when it comes to crunch time, she's going to get the ball. You need a go-to player to get the ball, and you need a go-to player on your team. Someone you can say that you got a high level of trust in and that you know that the odds are you're going to score." – head coach Joe Sagula
On looking towards next Friday's matchup against No. 4 Pitt to open ACC play…
"Pitt is a big match, but it's not the most important match of the season. We have 18 ACC matches, and obviously we have a lot of respect for how well Pitt's playing, but it's not going to determine anything other than it's just a start. That won't define us. What will define us as what we do every weekend and all those road trips and going back-to-back. I think we're going to keep it all in perspective and just come out and prepare as hard as we can give it our best shot and see how we're doing." – head coach Joe Sagula
Stay up to date with Carolina Volleyball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.
Meghan Neelon continued to lead Carolina in assists with 24, while Skyy Howard and Kaya Merkler ended the match with two blocks each.
How it Happened:
Set One (25-16)
Parker-Robinson set the tone early, opening the match with a kill, her first of a team-high six she had in the set. After Davidson jumped out to a 5-3 lead early, the Tar Heels retook the lead and led the rest of the set. As a team, Carolina recorded a .395 attacking clip with 20 kills, while the Wildcats were held to .219. Zinger finished the set with five kills, while Howard and Carly Peck combined for a block.
Set Two (25-19)
The second set of the match was a closer battle. UNC opened the set on a 3-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Parker Austin. The Wildcats went on a run of their own to knot up the score at 4. Carolina was able to take control with Karenna Wurl on the service line.
Six straight points that included three Zinger kills, a Shaffmaster kill and an ace from Wurl put the Tar Heels ahead 12-6.
Despite Davidson cutting the lead to 18-15 later in the set, Carolina was able to close out the set victory with a kill from Niki Khoshatefeh. Zinger and Shaffmaster had a team-high four kills apiece in the set, while Neelon had six assists and Kaya Merkler recorded a solo block.
Set Three (25-23)
The Wildcats refused to go down without a fight in what proved to be the final set of the match, posting a .387 attacking percentage. There were seven lead changes and two ties in set three, despite a hot start from the Tar Heels. With Carolina up 14-9, Davison went on a 4-0 run to tie up the game. Despite neither team able to hold onto the lead for long and Davidson up 21-19 late, Carolina scored five straight points to close out the match victory. Shaffmaster had a team-high six kills in the set.
Hear from the Tar Heels
On facing Davidson…
"That's a really scrappy team, so just relentless pursuit was kind of our mindset going after that." - graduate Nia Parker-Robinson
On whether the team expected the hot start to the season….
"I think we expected to do it, honestly. We had that cocky confidence that we talked about as a team that kind of took us as far. It was more of an expectation and a goal that we wanted to reach that we knew was reachable. – graduate Emily Zinger
On what Parker-Robinson and Zinger bring to the team…
"Their play inspires everyone around them. When Nia gets a kill, she's excited, but she also makes other people want to do the same. … Nia is a go-to player who is physical. We know when it comes to crunch time, she's going to get the ball. You need a go-to player to get the ball, and you need a go-to player on your team. Someone you can say that you got a high level of trust in and that you know that the odds are you're going to score." – head coach Joe Sagula
On looking towards next Friday's matchup against No. 4 Pitt to open ACC play…
"Pitt is a big match, but it's not the most important match of the season. We have 18 ACC matches, and obviously we have a lot of respect for how well Pitt's playing, but it's not going to determine anything other than it's just a start. That won't define us. What will define us as what we do every weekend and all those road trips and going back-to-back. I think we're going to keep it all in perspective and just come out and prepare as hard as we can give it our best shot and see how we're doing." – head coach Joe Sagula
Stay up to date with Carolina Volleyball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.
Team Stats
DC
UNC
Kills
39
52
Errors
11
16
Attempts
91
105
Hitting %
.308
.343
Points
44
62
Assists
36
45
Aces
0
5
Blocks
5
5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
MH/OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH/RS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballRS
/ VolleyballUNC Volleyball: Thorpe Sets New Career High in 4-Set Win vs ECU
Sunday, September 21
UNC Field Hockey: Heck's 5 Goals Propel Heels Over Stanford, 8-1
Sunday, September 21
VB: Thorpe Sets New Career High in 4-Set Win vs ECU
Sunday, September 21
UNC Men's Soccer: Tar Heels Fight for 1-1 Draw vs SMU
Sunday, September 21