UNC's Lauren Adkins provides a spark off the bench

After a rocky start to the weekend for the North Carolina volleyball team, sophomore outside hitter Lauren Adkins had an impressive, off-the-bench performance that turned things around for her team.

Friday, the Tar Heels were away from home in a tough ACC opener against rival N.C. State.

In the hostile road environment, UNC took only one set, and the Wolfpack claimed the match 3-1.

After the Tar Heels dropped the first two sets of the match — the first time since their season-opening loss to Kentucky — head coach Joe Sagula decided to make personnel changes.

“After the second set, we rotated the lineup a few different ways to try to get some different looks and different match-ups,” he said. “It did a good job until the fourth set.”

One of those changes to the lineup was bringing Adkins into the game.

The sophomore contributed five kills, three blocks and a service ace, helping prevent N.C. State’s first sweep of UNC since 1991.

Though Adkins’ effort wasn’t enough to beat the Wolfpack, she showed a spark that would be fully ignited for UNC’s match against Ohio on Saturday .

After the Tar Heels dropped a hard-fought first set to the Bobcats, they needed something to shift the momentum back in their direction.

Adkins’ presence was that something.

“When (Sagula) subbed me in and we were down, I knew we had to get back somehow,” Adkins said. “If I can do any little thing to help bring it back, as far as just energy or being on the court bringing everything I can, that’s what I have to do.”

She did just that, tying the score at seven early in the second set with a kill. She followed that up with back-to-back service aces to give UNC a lead that it would not relinquish.

Senior outside hitter Emily McGee praised Adkins’ energy and leadership.

“Volleyball is a game of errors, so you have to really bounce back and get the next point, and not let one point turn into two,” McGee said. “Lauren did a fantastic job of that today.”

For the match, Adkins recorded 15 kills — with just three errors — as well as three service aces, six digs and a block.

Her performance helped keep the Tar Heels undefeated at home, one of the team’s biggest objectives this season.

“We knew we had to come out here and win today, because that’s one of our goals,” Adkins said. “We weren’t going to lose in Carmichael (Arena). We’re trying to defend our home.”

Although she doesn’t start, Adkins said she realizes her role, and she’s happy to help her team in any way she can.

“I just know when I have to go in that it’s my job to bring positive points into the game,” she said.

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