Three wins over Duke in one season? Not too shabby for the UNC volleyball team. The Tar Heels earned their 21st victory of the season Friday night by beating the Blue Devils in five sets in Durham, their third win of the year over their arch rivals.

The teams alternated set victories throughout the match, with UNC taking close decisions in sets one and three, and the Blue Devils edging Carolina in sets two and four. Duke never led in the first frame after UNC took the first three points, with big kills from Mabrey Shaffmaster, Kaya Merkler and Amanda Phegley getting the job done for the Tar Heels down the stretch. UNC fought off two set points in the second set to even the score at 24-24, but two straight points from the Blue Devils meant the frame went the way of the hosts.

The third set strongly resembled the first, with Carolina jumping out to a lead and then keeping Duke at arm’s length throughout. The set got a little too close for comfort for the Tar Heels after the Blue Devils denied UNC on five straight set points, but Shaffmaster finally shut the door for a 25-22 victory.

Duke turned the tables in the fourth set, taking control with a 5-1 run midway through and fighting off every Carolina comeback attempt. UNC closed to within 20-19 but could get no closer, dropping the set 25-21 and sending the match to a first-to-15 fifth set.

With little room for error, Carolina came out hot in the fifth and never looked back, winning nine of the first 13 points on the strength of three kills from Shaffmaster. More offense from Nia Parker-Robinson earned Carolina a match point, which Meghan Neelon converted in style with a service ace. The fifth set went the way of the Tar Heels by a 15-9 score. Carolina has now won seven of their past eight meetings with Duke.

For the match, Shaffmaster set a career-high with 27 kills. Parker-Robinson and Merkler followed with 17 and 14 kills, respectively. Neelon racked up a match-high 53 assists.

Head coach Joe Sagula’s team finishes the regular season with a 21-8 record, their best mark since the 2016 team went 29-4. At 10-8 in ACC play, they are tied for sixth in the conference standings with Notre Dame. Though there is not an ACC Tournament in volleyball, the Tar Heels are in good shape to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The bids will be announced Sunday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

 

Featured image via Duke Athletics

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Sports: Field Hockey Beats No. 8 Duke in Overtime, Volleyball Upsets No. 7 SMU
On a frenzied Friday night in Chapel Hill, the UNC field hockey and volleyball teams each picked up thrilling ranked wins. At Karen Shelton Stadium, the top-ranked Tar Heels hosted No. 8 Duke in the regular-season finale for both teams. But the Blue Devils threatened the steal the thunder early, opening the scoring midway through […]
UNC Sports: Men's Soccer Loses, Women's Soccer Wins, Volleyball Splits Weekend Homestand
It was a busy weekend of Olympic sports for UNC, with the men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball teams all in action. In men’s soccer, the Tar Heels fell at Syracuse Saturday afternoon after the Orange netted a goal in the 36th minute. Carolina pressed for an equalizer hard in the second half, totaling 13 […]
UNC Sports: Field Hockey, Volleyball, Men's Soccer All Win
The UNC field hockey, volleyball and men’s soccer teams were in action during the weekend, and all came away with wins. Following up on its comeback win at No. 9 Syracuse Friday, the field hockey team stayed in upstate New York as it traveled to Cornell for a non-conference matchup. The Tar Heels overwhelmed the […]
UNC Volleyball Debuts New Court at Carmichael Arena
The UNC volleyball program revealed a new sport-specific, Taraflex court at Carmichael Arena earlier this week. Previously, the Tar Heels had played on a dual-use court shared with the women’s basketball program. It’s here and it’s perfect! pic.twitter.com/RDDYoxEke1 — Carolina Volleyball (@UNCVolleyball) October 15, 2025 Taraflex, described as “the first choice for volleyball flooring,” provides […]
UNC Sports: Volleyball, Field Hockey Win; Women's Soccer Falls at Duke
Plenty of UNC Olympic sports teams were in action Sunday, as the field hockey and volleyball teams picked up big wins while the women’s soccer team lost at Duke. In volleyball, the Tar Heels traveled down to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech and came away with their first win against the Yellow Jackets since 2017. […]
UNC Volleyball Sweeps Doubleheader vs. Duke, Now 4-0 in ACC Play
Carolina won two matches in the span of four days against rival Duke this week, beating the Blue Devils first in Chapel Hill and then in Durham to stay unbeaten in conference play this season. In Wednesday’s match at Carmichael Arena, strong performances from Safi Hampton and Hailey Pearce propelled the Tar Heels to a […]
UNC Volleyball Beats Wake Forest, NC State to Begin ACC Play
Carolina earned home wins against in-state rivals Wake Forest and NC State at Carmichael Arena during the weekend, sending the Tar Heels off to a 2-0 start in ACC play this season. Against the Demon Deacons on Friday, the Tar Heels led from the start in a three-set sweep. A 5-0 run late in the […]
UNC Volleyball Sweeps No. 11 Florida, Improves to 5-0 to Begin 2025 Season
Carolina earned its biggest regular-season win of head coach Mike Schall’s tenure Tuesday night in Carmichael Arena, sweeping No. 11 Florida in three sets as part of the ACC-SEC Showdown at the Net. Worked ‘em silly😏#GoHeels | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/AgyqudaApa — Carolina Volleyball (@UNCVolleyball) September 10, 2025 UNC took the lead midway through the opening set […]
UNC Volleyball Beats Maryland and Coastal Carolina in First Matches of 2025
The UNC volleyball team earned a pair of four-set wins in Conway, S.C. during the weekend against Maryland and hosts Coastal Carolina to begin the 2025 season. In the season opener against the Terrapins Saturday, the Tar Heels rebounded from a 25-21 defeat in the opening seat to win the next three sets all by […]
UNC Volleyball Reveals 2025 Regular Season Schedule
On the heels of an NCAA Tournament appearance and first-round victory in 2024, the UNC volleyball program has announced its regular season schedule for the 2025 campaign. The moment you’ve all been waiting for 👀 Our 2025 schedule is finally here‼️ pic.twitter.com/ZP2DwvUGMG — Carolina Volleyball (@UNCVolleyball) July 21, 2025 UNC’s season begins with a pair […]
›