In a match hastily scheduled after their initial opponent pulled out due to COVID issues, the Tar Heel volleyball team made lemons out of lemonade, sweeping rivals Duke in Ann Arbor, MI on Saturday.

Carolina was originally scheduled to play at Michigan State before the Spartans were forced to cancel.

UNC overcame a slow start in the first set, eventually overtaking Duke 19-18 after falling behind early. Now with the lead, the Tar Heels used kills from Kaya Merkler, Nia Parker-Robinson and Parker Austin to close out the Blue Devils and take the first frame, 25-22.

Set number two was just as competitive, and Parker-Robinson was just as deadly. The transfer from Northwestern racked up seven kills as part of an efficient Tar Heel attack. Carolina took the second set by an identical score of 25-22.

UNC came out firing in the third, winning 15 of the first 22 points and never looking back. All Duke rallies were snuffed before Carolina was in any real danger, and the Tar Heels took the third frame 25-21 to seal the match.

Parker-Robinson led the Tar Heels with 13 kills on the afternoon, followed by Amanda Phegley and Merkler with nine. Merkler also added six blocks, one shy of a career-best.

The victory over the Blue Devils is Carolina’s seventh straight, and their 7-0 start is their best since starting 15-0 in 2015. The volleyball team is now 64-57 all-time against Duke, though this is the first time the two programs have ever met in the state of Michigan. Up next is perhaps Carolina’s toughest test yet: a true road matchup with Michigan on Sunday.

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