No. 10 UNC volleyball sweeps Georgia Tech in third straight conference win

The No. 10 North Carolina volleyball team swept Georgia Tech Friday to stay undefeated in the ACC (25-19, 28-26, 25-23).

What happened?

The Tar Heels (11-2, 3-0 ACC) overcame a sloppy start and fought through close sets to take down the Yellow Jackets (10-5, 1-2 ACC).

The two teams combined for 17 errors in the first set (7 by North Carolina and 10 by Georgia Tech), but the Tar Heels pulled away late with the help of 13 total kills.

The second set was much tighter. UNC committed 9 errors and fought through 13 lead changes for a 28-26 win. Huge points by redshirt senior Taylor Treacy and redshirt junior Taylor Fricano gave the team a crucial two-set cushion.

Riding the momentum of a 2-0 lead, UNC trudged through another gridlock. The Yellow Jackets forced seven ties and were gaining momentum at 23-23. But once again, one of North Carolina’s top players stepped up. A kill from freshman Julia Scoles gave UNC a 24-23 lead.

On the next play, an attack error by Georgia Tech ended the match.

Who stood out?

Sophomore Taylor Leath led all players with 15 kills. Treacy and Scoles tied for second among all players with 10 kills each.

Senior Abigail Curry had a match-high 22 assists and no errors. First-year Sydnye Fields had five blocks on the night, and senior Hayley McCorkle was efficient with nine kills.

When was it decided?

After a disappointing loss in the first set, Georgia Tech roared back in the second set. The home crowd got steadily louder as the Yellow Jackets looked to even the match at 1-1.

With the score tied at 26-26, Treacy converted a crucial kill off an assist from Curry. Fricano aced the Yellow Jackets on the next play to finish off the marathon set.

This sequence would be the turning point in the match.

With a comfortable lead, North Carolina was visibly sharper in the third set. The team committed only five errors (compared to 16 total in the two previous sets) and appeared under control.

The third set came down to the wire, but the team didn’t appear flustered by the score, or a raucous Georgia Tech home crowd.

Why does it matter?

UNC and Georgia Tech were neck-and-neck for the majority of the match. The Yellow Jackets disrupted the Tar Heels’ rhythm on plenty of occasions. The two teams committed the same number of errors (21 each) and UNC had 11 blocks to Georgia Tech’s 10.5.

North Carolina’s ability to grind out a close match was evident tonight as the team did not drop a set. The win against a talented Georgia Tech squad was UNC's sixth consecutive away game. And the Tar Heels have impressed on this road trip, going 5-1.

After a 2-3 loss to TCU on September 17, UNC has rattled off three consecutive straight wins.

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will travel to South Carolina to face Clemson Sunday at 1 p.m.

@chapelfowler

sports@dailytarheel.com