Carolina rebounded from a first-set defeat against Yale in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night on the campus of Penn State, winning the next three sets to beat the Bulldogs and earn the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in eight years.

After Yale won the first set 25-18, the Tar Heels rebounded with a dominant 25-13 win in the second. Carolina outscored the Bulldogs 15-5 in the frame’s final 20 points to break open what had been a competitive set. Safi Hampton recorded kills on each of UNC’s final two points of the set. She ended the night with 12 kills, tied with Mabrey Shaffmaster for second on the team.

In the third set, Carolina fell behind 9-4 early but flipped the score with an 11-0 run, turning a 14-12 deficit into a 23-14 advantage. A kill from Shaffmaster sealed the 25-17 win, putting Carolina one set away from advancing.

In the fourth, UNC took a 23-14 lead thanks to three consecutive kills from Hampton. The Tar Heels had to hold on for dear life at the end, as Yale denied UNC on four consecutive set points. Finally, with the score 24-20, Shaffmaster fired home her final kill of the evening to give Carolina the 25-20 win and the match victory.

UNC is through to the Round of 32, which will be contested on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. against either No. 1 seed and quadrant host Penn State or Delaware State.

 

Featured image via UNC Volleyball on Twitter

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