The No. 12 UNC volleyball team stretched its lead at the top of the ACC standings, coming from two sets down to defeat Florida State 3-2 in Tallahassee on Sunday.
What happened?
Unlike the 3-1 win over Miami on Friday night, things got off to a rocky start for UNC, as Florida State jumped out to a quick lead in the first set, grabbing a 9-5 advantage. It was an advantage that would only grow, and the Seminoles won the final six points on their way to taking the first set 25-13.
The second set was no better. After getting off to a 7-4 lead, UNC let Florida State back into the set, as the Seminoles cut North Carolina's lead to 16-15. The Seminoles then went on a tear, winning five straight points to make it 20-16. UNC ultimately dropped the set 25-21.
Despite facing its first 0-2 deficit since September, North Carolina refused to back down. The team took a 5-1 lead before senior defensive specialist Sheila Doyle served eight straight points to make it 17-6. A kill by Beth Nordhorn closed out a 25-11 set win for the Tar Heels.
UNC first-year Julia Scoles went on a serving run of her own to get the Tar Heels to an 8-1 lead in the fourth set. But Florida State fought back to take a 20-17 lead. But a Florida State service error and kill by redshirt senior Taylor Treacy shifted momentum, and UNC went on a five-point run to ultimately take the set 25-22.
Florida State took the lead 9-5 to open the tie-breaker. A Seminoles kill made it 13-10 and put them two points away from victory. But three straight kills — two from redshirt sophomore Taylor Leath and one by Nordhorn — leveled the score at 13. From there, an attack error set up Nordhorn and Leath to make a match-winning block, completing an improbable comeback.
Who stood out?
Taylor Leath was the star performer of the game for the Tar Heels, registering 26 kills, the most by a UNC player since 2005. She has stepped up the most this season against the best opposition, and is now averaging over 22 kills a game against opponents ranked in the top 10.
