The ball spun out of her hands and found an open space on the hardwood for a service ace. 23-24.
Repeating her same routine, Neuenfeldt jogged behind the service line. The ball hit the net, titled over to Stanford’s side and dropped between several Cardinal players. Tie game.
The crowd erupted and gave UNC the momentum as the Tar Heels (2-4) eventually swept Stanford in their first home game of the season.
“(The match) was great for us,” Neuenfeldt said. “Everyone knows we started off the season a little rocky against some Big Ten teams, but we learned a lot from those games and worked our butts off in practice preparing for this game. It was an awesome way to start off my senior season.”
In Thursday’s match-up, Neuenfeldt led the team with 10 kills and a .533 hitting percentage. She was second on the team with 2.5 blocks. Through six games this season, the senior has tallied 46 kills, second to only senior Leigh Andrew — who has 50.
Coach Joe Sagula said once Neuenfeldt gained momentum, it opened up the court for several players, including redshirt freshman Taylor Leath, redshirt sophomore Taylor Fricano and redshirt junior Taylor Treacy. Each had at least seven kills versus Stanford (3-2).
“She was on her game tonight. She was such a force,” Sagula said. “I think we all looked to Paige because we’re so used to that and how emotional she is. Her play is what allowed others to play well and they responded.”
“She played like a senior today and a veteran middle — one of the best in the country.”
