No. 8 UNC volleyball sweeps Boston College to tie best ACC start in program history

The No. 8 North Carolina volleyball team swept ACC opponent Boston College on Friday (25-19, 25-10, 25-14).

What happened?

North Carolina (17-2, 9-0 ACC) began with a 12-1 run in the first set, forcing Boston College to use two quick timeouts. The Eagles (5-14, 0-9 ACC) quickly rallied to even the score, and then gained a 19-18 lead.

The Tar Heels responded with seven consecutive points for a 25-19 first-set win, capitalizing on ten Boston College errors.

The second set started just like the first. North Carolina quickly built up a 11-3 lead that ballooned to 17-4 and forced another Boston College timeout.

There would be no Eagles comeback in this set, however. UNC won 25-10 in what was one of its cleanest sets of the season. The team finished the set with 17 kills and zero attack errors, and had an impressive 0.607 hitting percentage.

UNC entered the final set with a comfortable lead, and it showed in the team’s play. North Carolina swept Boston College with a 25-14 third-set win. The Tar Heels had just four errors, compared to 12 by Boston College, costing the Eagles a final loss to end the match.

Who stood out?

Redshirt senior Taylor Treacy led all players with 15 kills. She also had a career-high .652 hitting percentage and tallied three blocks.

Redshirt sophomore Taylor Leath had a nice all-around effort with 12 digs, five blocks, five kills and three aces. Redshirt junior Taylor Fricano led all players with seven blocks.

Senior Abigail Curry contributed 22 assists — more than double that of Boston College’s assist leader.

When was it decided?

The match was decided after the first set. Boston College fought back from a 12-1 deficit and took a late 19-18 lead, but UNC responded with a commanding 7-0 run to take the first set.

From that point on, the Tar Heels never lost control of the match. They were efficient in the last two sets, totaling just three attack errors.

On the contrary, attack errors were the Eagles’ biggest problem — they had 25 by the end of the match. UNC totaled 40 kills, compared to 24 for Boston College. The Tar Heels also had 11 blocks.

Why does it matter?

With its ninth consecutive ACC win, the UNC volleyball team tied the best conference play start in team history. UNC also won its first nine conference games in the 2001 season.

The Tar Heels’ conference record is impressive, but it hasn’t been a cakewalk. Six of the team’s nine wins have been on the road—in different, more hostile environments than Chapel Hill. UNC has shown persistence in the face of adversity during this streak, winning three five-set matches.

North Carolina also maintained sole possession of the first place in the ACC standings with this victory.

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will remain in Chapel Hill, playing conference foe Syracuse in the team’s second straight home game on Sunday at 1 p.m. 

@chapelfowler

sports@dailytarheel.com