Volleyball Continues Hot Start With Wins Over Wofford & ECU

Saturday, September 4

Chapel Hill, N.C.

12 PM

North Carolina

5-0,0-0ACC

Wofford

2-4,0-0SoCon

Wofford

North Carolina

Photo by: Jerome M. Ibrahim

September 4, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

CHAPEL HILL – Carolina matched its best start since 2016 with back-to-back sweeps in Carmichael Arena on Saturday, improving to 6-0 on the season. The Tar Heels opened the day with a 3-0 win over Wofford before capping it off with a 3-0 victory against East Carolina.

Amanda Phegley combined for 16 kills and nine blocks, both team-highs, posting a match-best .786 hitting clip against Wofford.

The Heels have now won 21 of their 25 sets this season, with four sweeps through the first six games.

GAME 1: UNC 3, Wofford: 0

The matchup on Saturday afternoon was the first meeting between the two schools in program history. The Heels opened the match by jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the first set. It proved to be a set of weathering runs, with the largest run coming at the end of the set with the Terriers scoring five straight to cut the Carolina advantage to four points, 23-19. The Tar Heels closed out the set with back-to-back kills from Phegley and Austin Parker.

Phegley and Emily Zinger controlled the net in set two, each recording four kills.
In set three, the Heels held Wofford to just 13 points, the lowest scoring set for a Carolina opponent this season.

The Tar Heels hit .400 in each of its three sets versus the Terriers, its first time hitting .400 or better in a match since Feb. 18, 2021, against App State. Carolina also tallied eight blocks, 45 kills and four aces against Wofford. Phegley led the squad with 11 kills, while Erin Boone recorded her first collegiate kill.

GAME TWO: UNC 3, ECU: 0

After falling 3-0 to the Pirates just a season ago, the Tar Heels were able to reverse roles and get the sweep this time around.

Carolina set the tone early, earning the first four points to open the match. Nia Parker-Robinson highlighted the set with four kills, but nine Tar Heel errors brought the team's hitting clip to .108, the lowest of the season so far.

Set two proved to be a closer battle between the two teams. After the Heels took the first points of the set, ECU went on a 5-0 run to take control. The Pirates held the lead until it was 12-9, when Carolina scored four unanswered to a take a 13-12 lead. UNC finished the set with five straight points, that included four kills and a service ace. In the set, there were seven tie scores and six lead changes.

The Tar Heels held control of the third set from the first serve. Carolina had its best hitting percentage of the match, .237, and Mabrey Shaffmaster had three service aces to close it out.

Zinger set a new career record with a .500 hitting clip against the Pirates.

UP NEXT
The Tar Heels travel to Michigan for a matchup with Michigan State on Sep. 10 and then a trip to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan on Sep. 12.