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

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