UNC volleyball defeats Boston College 3-0, hopes to improve

Ten straight wins for the UNC volleyball team, but they still weren't satisfied. 

The No. 8 Tar Heels (20-2, 11-1 ACC) travelled to Chestnut Hill, Mass., Friday to take on the Boston College Eagles (10-13, 5-7 ACC). And although they came out with a 3-0 victory, their 10th consecutive, the team was not content.

“I know we definitely wished we had played better,” said junior middle blocker Victoria McPherson. “Overall, I think we played well as a team, but we know what we have to improve on from here."

But behind dominant performances by McPherson and senior libero Ece Taner, UNC was able to shake off the Eagles’ challenges and come out on top.

“Victoria – she was unstoppable (Friday),” said coach Joe Sagula. “They had no answer for that. And Ece was outstanding with her digs. She was all over the place.”

McPherson led the team with 12 kills and Taner’s 19 digs brought her into UNC’s top five all-time.

And still, neither was satisfied.

“I could have dug some balls, personally, that were hit at my toes,” Taner said. “We could have been more crisp at times, but overall we executed our game plan.”

But it might not be surprising that the team — which recently obtained its highest ranking in program at history at No. 8 — would not be completely gratified beating a team who sits at 138 in the RPI.

So maybe the team would be happier beating a team with an RPI ranking of 61 for Carolina’s 11th straight win?

Happier, definitely. Satisfied? Never.

The Tar Heels returned home to Carmichael Arena Sunday for a match-up against Virginia Tech (11-14, 4-8 ACC), a strong team coming off two big wins against Pitt and Duke.

North Carolina took the Hokies down in three sets (25-23, 25-17, 25-14).

Strong showings by junior middle blocker Paige Neuenfeldt and junior outside hitter Leigh Andrew led the team and brought back the energy after a shaky first set that could have gone in either direction.

“Virgina Tech came out confident and ready to go,” Neuenfeldt said. “They had some great kills in that first set, but after we focused and buckled down and started digging balls, settling down, we did a really great job.”

Sagula agreed that the team’s serving and the pressure they were able to apply on the Hokies were what set the two teams apart.

And while the teams UNC played this weekend would not be considered the strongest on the schedule, they provided more momentum for their two matches this week and the team’s ultimate goal: success in the postseason.

“We want to put ourselves in the position to be able to host the NCAA and make a good run in the tournament,” Sagula said. “Most importantly, we want to continue to get better. But as a coach, I’ll never be happy. There’s always a little bit more we can do.”

sports@dailytarheel.com