Tar Heels fall to No. 25 FAMU

Until No. 25 Florida A&M scored its 17th point against the North Carolina volleyball team Sunday, it looked as though the match might be close.

But the Rattlers stole the next four points from the Tar Heels and never looked back, as UNC lost the momentum it had gained from its victory against Virginia Tech on Friday and fell to FAMU in three games, 30-23, 30-25, 30-20 at Carmichael Auditorium.

Florida A&M (10-2) took over the match with a nonchalant yet poised demeanor that eventually took away the Tar Heels' energy.

"Their players are very experienced," said UNC coach Joe Sagula. "Even when we got close, they just kept playing composed."

The Tar Heels (11-8, 6-1 in the ACC) took a slight lead early in the first game, as junior Dani Nyenhuis emphatically slammed down a kill to make the score 3-2.

The score remained close, with 15 ties and five lead changes before the Rattlers took the lead at 17-16 and ran away with the game.

"Every time I thought we had an opportunity to move forward, they made some good plays or we made an error," Sagula said. "The difference is with other teams we play, we put pressure on them."

North Carolina struggled with the international style of FAMU, which is made up of predominantly foreign players. The Rattlers' unique style combines unemotional and relaxed play with solid hitting and passing.

But after trailing most of the second game, North Carolina looked as though it was on the verge of a miraculous comeback. Senior Caroline deRoeck served up consecutive aces to bring the Tar Heels to within one at 22-21.

But the disciplined repose of Florida A&M helped secure the game, and the Rattlers also stumped the Tar Heels in the third game of the match, finishing off North Carolina, 30-20.

"I feel like you look at this loss, and it felt bad," said senior Molly Pyles, who had 15 digs in the match. "The fight wasn't there, the hustle wasn't really there. It was just kind of a flat game. The best thing you can take out of it is making sure it doesn't happen again."

The Tar Heels had extended their ACC winning streak to five games with a solid victory against Virginia Tech (9-8, 4-2) on Friday 30-19, 31-33, 30-17, 30-21.

UNC dropped a tight second game, but after that it was smooth sailing. The Tar Heels bounced back to easily take the final two games.

The match against Va. Tech also produced a milestone for deRoeck.

She surpassed former Tar Heel Katie Galloway in career digs to become second on the all-time list with 24 Friday. She has recorded 1,280 digs in her career.

The Tar Heels will benefit from their experience with Florida A&M when they take on Miami and Florida State next weekend, which play a similar style as FAMU.

"It will only benefit us because a loss stings," said senior Katie Wright. "When something hurts, it hurts a little, but the next thing we want to do is get better from it.

"I would have liked to have won it, but at least we've played a team like this now so we can practice with that in mind all week going into the Florida weekend."

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.