No. 12 UNC volleyball sweeps Virginia 3-0

Merely seconds into the North Carolina volleyball team’s match with Virginia, junior middle blocker Victoria McPherson rose up on the right side of the net, wound her arm back and slammed the ball to the opposite corner for the game’s first point.

The opening kill got the crowd on its feet and provided a spark for the No. 12 Tar Heels, who swept Virginia 3-0 on Friday.

But more importantly, the play led to a familiar result for the Tar Heels — a first set victory. In every game UNC has won this year, the team has also won the first set. The last time the Tar Heels won the first set but lost the match was against Duke in the 2013 regular season finale.

Against the Cavaliers, the first set presented its challenges for the Tar Heels. It was a back and forth set that witnessed 15 ties and six lead changes.

McPherson said the first set is probably the most important one and that winning a close opening set against Virginia gave the team a boost.

“I think we play better under pressure,” McPherson said. “And when you’re playing against a good opponent like Virginia, and it’s neck and neck the whole game, you’re just fighting for every point.”

During the timeouts, junior middle blocker Paige Neuenfeldt said the team focused on two adjustments in the first set — blocking and serving.

“We weren’t really serving very tough in the first set and we were just going point for point so we needed to make a run,” Neuenfeldt said. “To make it easier for our defense, we tried to finish the blocks and serve tougher. Virginia was out of system almost the entire second and third set.”

In the two matches UNC has lost this year — at Illinois and at Florida State — the team not only lost the first set, but would go on to fall 3-0.

Coach Joe Sagula said the first set is important, but he does not think losing the first set this season has revealed any significant trend.

“The match against Illinois was so different from Florida State, way different types of situations,” Sagula said. “I think the first set does build some confidence, but we won the first set against Pittsburgh and then lost the next two. So really, it’s about coming out strong and playing smart throughout the game.”

McPherson said it doesn’t matter if the first set results in a win or loss — the message remains the same in the huddle.

“Obviously, there’s the excitement of winning, but we talk about the same things,” McPherson said.

“It’s either a happy talk or it’s not as happy of a talk, but we still check back in, see where we are with our game plan and look for things to improve on.”

And for the Tar Heels, this match’s first set brought nothing but smiles.

sports@dailytarheel.com