In a thrilling match that saw all four sets decided by three points or less, the No. 10 seed UCLA Bruins outlasted the seventh-seeded Tar Heels 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 28-26) in their NCAA Volleyball Regional Semifinal match in Minneapolis on Friday.

The loss was just UNC’s fourth of the season (29-4), as the Bruins (27-6) ended the Tar Heels’ chances of bringing the program its first ever national championship.

Redshirt sophomore Taylor Leath–the ACC Player of the Year in 2016–led UNC on both sides of the court, registering 20 kills and 16 digs.

Leath was joined by ACC Freshman of the Year Julia Scolesk, who also tallied a double-double with 12 kills and 15 digs.

The Tar Heels were highly competitive throughout the match, but UCLA simply had more in the tank when things got down to crunch time.

It seemed every time a set would be reaching its conclusion that the Bruins were able to find an extra advantage that UNC simply didn’t have in this game.

Still, though, the Tar Heels end the season having achieved the highest rankings in school history for the sport–and having reached the NCAA Regional for just the third time ever.

Plus, with a young core of stars in Leath and Scoles leading the way, head coach Joe Sagula should expect plenty more opportunities to get back to this stage in the future.

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