UNC rebounded from dropping the first set to beat No. 6 seed UTEP in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Madison, WI Thursday night.

UNC had a chance to steal the opening set after trailing by as many as six points early. Back-to-back blocks had given the Tar Heels a set point at 24-23, but the Miners responded with three straight points to win the set 26-24 and take the early lead in the match.

Carolina left nothing to chance in the second, roaring out of the gate by winning 10 of the first 12 points. The Tar Heels cruised to the set win from there, with kills from Bridget Malone and Chelsea Thorpe helping to finish the Miners off and even the match at a set apiece. UNC started hot again in the third set by taking a 10-5 lead and never let UTEP get closer than three points after that, securing the set 25-18 to move one frame away from advancing.

It was another strong start in the fourth set for the Tar Heels, who won seven of the first 10 points thanks to kills from Laynie Smith and first team All-ACC honoree Safi Hampton. With its season on the line, UTEP made several strong pushes and tied the set up at 16-16, 17-17 and 19-19, but the Tar Heels never fully relinquished the lead. After the 19-19 tie, Carolina won six of the final eight points, finishing off the win on two consecutive attacking errors by the Miners.

Thorpe led the way with 12 kills, while Hampton and Smith each had nine. Jackie Taylor accounted for nine of UNC’s 15 blocks on the evening, which was more than UTEP’s entire team (five).

Carolina has now won NCAA Tournament matches in consecutive seasons for the first time since doing so in 2015 and 2016. The Tar Heels will face either No. 3 seed Wisconsin (the host of Thursday’s match) or unseeded Eastern Illinois in the second round Friday night at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Dan Sanger

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Volleyball's 2025 Season Ends vs. No. 3 Wisconsin in NCAA Tournament
No. 3 seed Wisconsin swept UNC in three sets in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night in Madison. Carolina’s 2025 season is over. The Badgers dominated the first set and won 25-14, earning an early advantage in the match. But the Tar Heels stayed close in the second, cutting what had been […]
UNC Volleyball to Face No. 6 UTEP in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
The UNC volleyball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season. The Tar Heels will face No. 6 seed UTEP in the tournament’s first round Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time in Madison, WI. It’s all about the Heels 🫡 pic.twitter.com/7FbGHNaxbw — Carolina Volleyball (@UNCVolleyball) December 1, 2025 The winner of […]
UNC Volleyball Falls in First Round of NCAA Tournament
The UNC volleyball program’s most successful season in five years came to an end Friday night in Columbus, OH, as the Tar Heels fell to Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Volunteers won the first two sets, then put Carolina away in the fourth to seal the match. UNC fought hard […]
UNC Volleyball Receives Bid to NCAA Tournament; First Bid in 5 Years
The UNC volleyball team is partying like it’s 2016. The Tar Heels received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament Sunday night, and will appear in the tournament for the first time in five seasons. 𝙒𝙀'𝙍𝙀 𝘿𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙄𝙉𝙂! #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/ZCl20rVtWy — Carolina Volleyball (@UNCVolleyball) November 29, 2021 Carolina will face Tennessee in their opening round match. […]
Chansky's Notebook: Déjà Blue
For the second straight year, a Duke-UNC game served as an omen for the end of the Blue Devils’ season in the NCAA Tournament.
UNC Women's Basketball Falls to No. 1 UConn in NCAA Sweet 16
UNC could not generate enough offense to run with No. 1 UConn in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 in Fort Worth, TX Friday evening, falling to the undefeated Huskies 63-42. The Tar Heels’ season is over in the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year. The Tar Heels struggled against a suffocating UConn defense all […]
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: UConn
UNC will play in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season Friday in Fort Worth, TX. If Carolina wants to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2014, it will have to spring a major upset over the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed and defending champion: UConn. The Huskies are […]
UNC Women's Basketball Beats No. 5 Seed Maryland to Advance to NCAA Sweet 16
No. 4 seed UNC outscored No. 5 Maryland 24-16 in the fourth quarter and beat the Terrapins 74-66 in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 at Carmichael Arena Sunday afternoon. The Tar Heels now advance to the tournament’s Sweet 16, which will be played in Fort Worth, TX next week. SO 𝙎𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙏. pic.twitter.com/ZfyaHTTQsx — Carolina […]
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: Maryland
No. 4 seed UNC will face No. 5 seed Maryland Sunday at Carmichael Arena with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. The winner will play in the regional semifinals in Fort Worth, TX next week. Carolina is seeking its second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16. The Terrapins defeated No. 12 seed […]
UNC Women's Basketball Throttles Western Illinois in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
UNC’s defense limited Western Illinois to just 17 made shots in 40 minutes as the No. 4 seeded Tar Heels defeated the No. 13 Leathernecks 82-51 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday in Carmichael Arena. It’s Carolina’s fifth consecutive win in the tournament’s Round of 64 under head coach Courtney Banghart. Round […]
›