In front of a raucous crowd in Carmichael Arena, the 11-0 UNC volleyball team faced their toughest test of the year against No. 4 Pitt. Though the Tar Heels fought hard and took a dominant set from the Panthers, Pitt slowly but surely put the Tar Heels away in a three sets to one victory.

The Panthers showed why they are ranked in the nation’s Top 5 in the first two frames, winning by 25-17 and 25-20 margins. Pitt struck 31 kills to UNC’s 22 in the first two sets.

But Carolina didn’t let their perfect record go by the wayside in a sweep.

“After the second set was over, we walked out of the locker room, I had a belief that this team was going to come out and compete,” UNC volleyball coach Joe Sagula said after the match. “They weren’t gonna hang their heads, they knew that the next set was the most important one, and that we couldn’t change what happened before. This team has learned to put the past in the past.”

The Tar Heels came out of the locker room and played their best set of the season, dominating the Panthers from the start. Carolina won the first six points of the frame and 14 of the first 18, never letting Pittsburgh attempt a rally. Powerful kills from Mabrey Shaffmaster and Nia Parker-Robinson kept the UNC lead in double digits for most of the set, and the Tar Heels exploded for a 25-9 win. Four of Carolina’s five total aces came in the third set.

Nia Parker-Robinson (#18) strikes the ball against Pittsburgh on September 24, 2021.

Annabelle Archer (#5) hit one of four UNC aces in the third set against Pittsburgh on September 24, 2021.

The fourth set proved more competitive almost by default, with Pittsburgh jumping out to a 13-6 lead. Carolina whittled the deficit down to two points at 20-18, but a key service error ensured that was as close as the Tar Heels got for the rest of the match. Pittsburgh closed out the set, 25-21, and sealed their 11th win on the season.

Despite the loss, Sagula remained confident in his team.

“As a measuring stick, I’m gonna say we can compete with this team,” he said. “We have to learn how to sustain the level over a longer period of time. We did enough to say, ‘If this is No. 4 in the country, then we’re pretty darn close.'”

Parker-Robinson, playing in her first and only year at Carolina as a graduate transfer from Northwestern, praised the atmosphere inside Carmichael Arena.

“It was insane,” she said. “I want to thank so many people for coming out. That was awesome. That’s probably one of the biggest crowds I’ve played in front of [from] a student section perspective. And the band was amazing. I love the band! I’m so happy, they keep it hype. They keep it lit.”

The UNC band performs at the UNC vs Pitt volleyball game on September 24, 2021.

UNC students cheer on the Carolina volleyball team against Pittsburgh on September 24, 2021.

Carolina will have only a day to rest and recover from the loss before taking on Virginia Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill. They will not play another ranked opponent until No. 18 Georgia Tech on October 29.

“I could not think about where we’re gonna be in two weeks, three weeks, four weeks,” Sagula said. “I think about where we are Sunday: playing Virginia in Carmichael.”

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