Both the UNC field hockey and volleyball teams were in action in the state of Virginia over the weekend. The field hockey team couldn’t follow up a blowout win at Saint Joseph’s Friday with a win at No. 17 Liberty Sunday, falling to the Flames 2-1. The volleyball team, meanwhile, earned two resounding wins at Virginia Tech Friday and Virginia Sunday.
In field hockey, the Tar Heels fell behind in the second quarter after the Flames scored two goals in a span of 6:05 to lead 2-0. The score stayed that way into the fourth quarter before Charly Bruder finally got UNC on the board, scoring with 7:49 remaining to cut the deficit in half. Carolina had a chance to tie with a penalty corner in the final four minutes, but shots by Dani Mendez and Jenna Narleski were both blocked.
UNC’s two shots on goal tied a season low for the Tar Heels. Sunday’s result snaps a four-game winning streak and is the team’s first loss since the trio of Mendez, Sietske Brüning and Ryleigh Heck all were granted eligibility via a court ruling. It was also Carolina’s first loss in a true road environment this season.
Now 7-5 overall, the Tar Heels will return to action when they host Boston College Friday at 6 p.m. in Chapel Hill.
In volleyball, it was another successful weekend for head coach Mike Schall’s team. The two dominant sweeps against the Hokies and Cavaliers were the Tar Heels’ sixth and seventh in a row.
Friday in Blacksburg, Carolina rolled through all three sets, never letting Virginia Tech score more than 18 points in any frame. Ironically, UNC lost the opening point of each set, but still breezed to the 25-11, 25-18, 25-16 win. Laynie Smith led the way with eight kills for the Tar Heels.
UNC was even more dominant Sunday in Charlottesville, as Virginia didn’t score more than 16 points in any set. After a commanding 25-13 win in the first set, the Tar Heels used two separate 6-0 runs to win the second 25-16. The first came after Virginia had taken an early 3-1 lead, and the second closed things out after the Cavaliers had closed to within 19-16. Virginia scored the first three points of the third set, but Carolina scored the next four and would not trail again in the 25-15 win to clinch the sweep. Safi Hampton led all players with 10 kills.
The Tar Heels have now won nine consecutive sets of volleyball after going down 0-2 to Georgia Tech in Chapel Hill last Sunday. UNC is 11-3 overall and 6-0 in ACC play, with five of the seven wins in its winning streak coming away from home. The team will remain on the road next weekend, first visiting Notre Dame Friday at 6:30 p.m. before a trip to No. 3 Louisville – the only other ACC team yet to lose a league match – the following Sunday at 1 p.m.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Dalton Wainscott
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