Tar Heels respond after FSU loss

As the ball just barely rolled over the net and onto the floor of Florida State’s Tully Gymnasium in the third set, it was not the score the North Carolina volleyball team was paying attention to.

“At that point, I didn’t want to know how close it was,” said junior middle blocker Victoria McPherson. “I just thought, ‘OK, the next two points are important to keep pushing.’”

That last point — the oddest of the game — ended a hard-fought battle between No. 12 UNC and No. 6 FSU (13-0, 2-0 ACC) on Friday, giving FSU a 3-0 win. The third set alone ended with the Seminoles escaping 32-30.

On Sunday, though, UNC (10-2, 1-1 ACC) turned things around at Carmichael Arena — beating Syracuse (7-7, 0-2 ACC) 3-0.

But on Friday, the sweep by FSU didn’t reflect the intensity and the closeness of the match.

Down 21-24 in the third set and facing a two-set deficit, the players and Coach Joe Sagula knew they could not back down.

“Sometimes it’s a matter of inches, of little things,” Sagula said. “A couple more inches could make the difference, and that’s why you keep fighting.”

Two kills by sophomore outside hitter Tatiana Durr and a service ace by senior libero Ece Taner tied the set at 24 and brought UNC within striking distance.

The teams traded points, with both getting numerous chances to win the set until it was 30-30.

But a service error by UNC and a kill-that-almost-wasn’t by FSU kill leader Nicole Walch ended the game in the Seminoles’ favor.

Sagula said the team was disappointed in the loss and plagued by a plethora of unforced errors.

“I think we just shot ourselves in the foot,” Sagula said. “If we had made half the errors we did, we could have really changed the course of the game.”

But UNC refused to let the loss to FSU define the its weekend.

“I think it has brought us together,” said redshirt sophomore Hayley McCorkle. “It made us realize that we need to step up our game and step up our level.”

Behind strong performances by junior Leigh Andrew and redshirt senior Chaniel Nelson, UNC bounced back and dominated Syracuse in straight sets for its first ACC home win of the season.

“We’ve been playing so hard in the tournaments we’ve had,” Nelson said. “And especially coming off this weekend, we kind of deserved to play well and build our self-esteem back up to play back on the road next weekend.”

And after that heartbreaking final point at FSU, it was the team’s confidence that needed a boost.

“I just kept talking to them, building their confidence and telling them how good we are and letting them know that one match, a loss, doesn’t define how good or bad we are and neither does a win,” Sagula said. “So just go out and play the game and play like you love the game.”

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