UNC played two very different matches of volleyball during the weekend at Carmichael Arena, sweeping Clemson Friday and then coming back from two sets down to beat Georgia Tech Sunday.
The Tar Heels had little trouble with the Tigers Friday, winning each set by at least five points. UNC set the tone early, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first set and winning it 25-15. The second set was the most competitive of the evening, as Clemson won four consecutive points to cut what had been a 21-16 Tar Heel lead down to 21-20. UNC answered in kind, promptly winning the next four points to take the set. That momentum carried over into the third, as an early 7-0 run propelled Carolina to a 25-14 win and the sweep. Hailey Pearce and Addison West tied for the team lead with 10 kills each.
Sunday’s match against Georgia Tech proved far more eventful. The Yellow Jackets took each of the first two sets by thin margins, winning four of the final five points for a 25-23 victory in the first and then fighting off a late UNC run to win the second 25-22. The Tar Heels were a set away from their first home loss of the season.
Georgia Tech continued to play well in the third, holding four match points at 24-20. Aided by a Mike Schall challenge on what would’ve been the match-winning point for the Yellow Jackets, UNC fought back from the brink to tie the match at 24-24, then overcame two more Georgia Tech match points at 25-24 and 26-25. Finally, kills from West, Safi Hampton and a Yellow Jacket attacking error on set point gave UNC a 28-26 win and a lifeline back into the match.
Carolina took the lead on the first point of the fourth set and kept it the rest of the way, winning 25-22 to force a decisive, first-to-15 fifth set. Once again, UNC never trailed in the frame, using a 7-1 run to break open a 2-2 tie into a 9-3 lead. Hampton, Chelsea Thorpe and Laynie Smith all contributed kills down the stretch, and Carolina had its third five-set victory of the season. The Tar Heels are unbeaten in such matches.
UNC is now 9-3 overall and 4-0 in ACC play this season, having won five consecutive matches. The Tar Heels will now hit the road for their next four outings, starting with a visit to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg Friday at 6 p.m.
Featured image via UNC Volleyball on Twitter
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