UNC volleyball drops first ACC game with loss at Pittsburgh

The No. 8 North Carolina volleyball team dropped its first ACC game Sunday, as Pittsburgh outlasted the Tar Heels in a five-set affair (25-21, 19-25, 25-15, 23-25, 15-6).

What happened?

UNC (19-3, 11-1 ACC) started the match slow, unable to take advantage of a 20-17 lead in the first set. Pittsburgh (17-7, 8-4 ACC) was playing with a lot of confidence to start, and a strong 8-1 run to end the first set gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead in the match.

UNC looked to right the ship in the second set, jumping up 4-0 to start. But after the Tar Heels grabbed a 14-6 lead, the Panthers roared back on a 7-0 run. The two teams traded several points until the Tar Heels eventually broke away to notch a 25-19 win.

The Panthers turned things around in the third set, capitalizing on momentum early. A 7-1 run gave the Pittsburgh a 19-12 lead, and UNC simply didn’t have enough to respond. The Panthers won the set 25-15 and claimed a 2-1 lead in the match.

With their backs against the wall, Tar Heels stepped up in a tight fourth set. Tied with Pittsburgh 21-21, UNC made an important push to take the fourth set 25-23 on a kill by first-year outside hitter Taylor Borup.

North Carolina grabbed the first point in the final set, but Pittsburgh stayed strong. The Panthers took an 8-5 lead and looked to clinch the upset. Pittsburgh continued to dominate the fifth set 15-6 to hand UNC its first loss of the ACC campaign.

Who stood out?

Redshirt sophomore Taylor Leath had solid game, with a team-leading 17 kills and a .273 hitting percentage.

Borup also had a strong showing on offense, tallying 13 kills. Borup and Leath were the primary attackers for UNC, which is missing one of its best hitters in Julia Scoles.

Pittsburgh first-year Nika Markovic took over the match. She had 19 kills, including four in the final frame.

When was it decided?

Tied 4-4 in the last set, UNC had a chance to make a game-winning run. But three straight kills by the Panthers put UNC behind 7-4, rattling the North Carolina squad.

The Tar Heels lost their composure and Pittsburgh capitalized on the opportunity. UNC earned one point back, but then gave up a 6-0 run that built an insurmountable 13-5 deficit. Every Pittsburgh run was a blow to the Tar Heels, and this was the knock-out punch. Pittsburgh cruised to a 15-6 win to clinch the match and a big win for Head Coach Dan Fisher.

Why does it matter?

The Tar Heels set their best ACC start in school history at 11-0 and are in the midst of a four-game road stint. Dropping this game opens the door for Florida State to contend the conference title race, forcing the Tar Heels to tighten their game with a good portion of the season remaining.

Where do they play next?

North Carolina travels to Florida to take on Miami at 7 p.m. on Friday.

@YonaDagalosi

sports@dailytarheel.com