The UNC volleyball team won a match on Friday night for the first time in five tries this season, as it knocked off LIU-Brooklyn in straight sets (25-23, 25-16, 25-21).
Carmichael Arena played host for the match, which was part of the Carolina Classic event and served as the Tar Heels’ home opener in 2017.
Last season’s ACC Player of the Year–redshirt junior Taylor Leath–led UNC with 16 kills in the match, while Taylor Fricano and Beth Nordhorn added 11 and 10, respectively.
It was exactly the type of performance the home crowd of over 2,000 fans was looking to see following the tough road trip to open up the season.
“I think that this game was big for not only me but for the whole team to kind of get in a groove and set the tone for what we want our team to look like going forward, no matter who we are playing,” Leath said afterwards.
Redshirt freshman Holly Carlton also played a big role in the victory, contributing a whopping 27 assists to the effort.
LIU-Brooklyn dropped to 4-4 this season after the loss.
The Tar Heels will now look to build off the win and get some momentum rolling, after being picked to win the ACC in the preseason.
“We have made a lot of progress,” Leath said. “We’ve been putting a lot of different girls on the court and working with that team chemistry. Playing next to each other, it can be difficult sometimes. We’ve definitely gotten to be more comfortable with each other as a team and as a unit.”
Up Next:
UNC will finish off the Carolina Classic with a match vs. LSU on Sunday.
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