A successful 2024 season came to an end for Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament on Saturday night. The Tar Heels won the third set against No. 1 seed Penn State in a true road environment before losing 3-1.

UNC was competitive in each of the first two sets, getting as close as 21-19 late in the first and 21-17 late in the second, but the Nittany Lions closed strong in each to take a 2-0 lead in the match. In the third, Carolina led for most of the set and held off a late Penn State run to win 25-20. Three consecutive kills from Safi Hampton with the score 22-20 in favor of the Tar Heels sealed the win.

Penn State controlled the fourth set from beginning to end, jumping out to a 7-1 lead and holding firm to win 25-15.

UNC finishes the 2024 season with a 23-8 record. The Tar Heels set several benchmarks, winning an NCAA Tournament match for the first time since 2016 and recording its best finish in the ACC standings (fifth) since that same season.

“This has been an incredible group of young people that represent our university in a lot of special ways,” said head coach Mike Schall. “And they’ve set an incredibly high standard with how we play, how we care about each other. And we’re here to win. We’re here to stay.”

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

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