The No. 22 North Carolina volleyball team’s hot streak continues.
UNC (19-8, 16-2 ACC) captured its 11th straight win in a 3-0 sweep (25-23, 25-22, 25-13) over Virginia (18-11, 10-8 ACC) on Saturday night in Charlottesville.
“The victory tonight was huge. It was their senior night, and they had a lot of energy and a lot of emotion. I think that we matched that and, at most points, exceeded that,” redshirt first-year Taylor Leath said.
In the first set, the Tar Heels quickly jumped to a 7-2 lead, but the Cavaliers battled to eventually take the lead 17-15. With the game then tied at 21, a block by seniors Leigh Andrew and Victoria McPherson gave UNC set point, and a kill by Andrew finished the set.
The drama continued in the second set, which saw 11 ties and five lead changes. After trailing 9-5, the Tar Heels fought back to tie the game at 9-9. With the game again tied at 21, two Virginia errors and two kills by Leath sealed the deal for UNC, who took a 2-0 lead in the match.
“The trio of Heather Gearhart, Sheila Doyle, and Tatiana Durr were very impressive on defense tonight,” Coach Joe Sagula said. “Usually our offense is what stands out and gets the credit, but I’m really proud of how our defense played tonight. It made the difference for us when we were down.”
The Tar Heels dominated the third set from the outset, starting off 2-0 and never conceding their lead. UNC outhit the Cavaliers .364 to .172 and posted five aces.
“What really made the difference in the third set was our serving,” Sagula said. “Our team needs to keep in mind how successful we can be when we serve that well.”
