The No. 6 North Carolina volleyball team swept N.C. State 3-0 behind a stifling attack (25-16, 25-11, 25-19).
What happened?
The Tar Heels didn’t wait to flash their toughness and energy, jumping out to an 8-2 lead over the Wolfpack behind kills from redshirt senior Hayley McCorkle and defensive prowess from redshirt sophomore Taylor Leath. N.C. State narrowed the deficit to 15-11 with some quick kills to the back of the court, but a kill from Julia Scoles and a block from Hayley McCorkle effectively shut down the Wolfpack momentum.
North Carolina carried that same tough performance to the second set, bursting ahead of N.C. State for an 8-2 lead. N.C. State surged in response, going on a 7-1 run to tie the game at 9, but North Carolina remained undeterred, and went on a 14-2 run in response to take the set 25-11.
UNC topped off the night with a dominant third set. While the Wolfpack challenged the Tar Heels more consistently, North Carolina was unrelenting, and closed out the match with a 25-19 final set.
Who stood out?
Fresh off being named AVCA National Player of the Week and ESPNW National Player of the Week last week, Taylor Leath certainly did not disappoint. She lead the Tar Heel attack with 15 kills, and tacked on six digs and four blocks.
Julia Scoles ignited the Tar Heels with her hustle. At one point, when the ball fell deep behind the boundary line, the first-year bolted about 10 feet behind the service line for backwards bump that soared over the court and narrowly crossed the net, setting up North Carolina to win the point. Scoles ended the night with nine kills, eight digs and a block.
Beth Nordhorn proved to be a strong defensive presence, totaling seven blocks in the match — more than any other player on the court. Nordhorn shined on the offensive end as well, tallying four kills.
