The situation was the same for North Carolina’s volleyball team as it was on Friday night against N.C. State.
Going into yet another third set down 0-2, the Tar Heels knew that something had to change in their ACC home opener against Louisville (7-5, 1-1 ACC).
“We are learning more about ourselves,” head coach Joe Sagula said. “We are learning about what our strengths and weaknesses are, and we knew that we needed more people to step up on offense.”
The early shift in momentum of the third set went to North Carolina (4-6, 1-1 ACC) after Louisville junior setter Wilma Rivera slipped and fell, allowing the ball to fall for a UNC point.
After redshirt junior Taylor Leath earned her seventh kill of the match to tie the score at 4-4, redshirt sophomore Sydnye Fields substituted in and became North Carolina’s answer on offense.
The team felt her impact immediately. One point after entering, Fields recorded a kill off an assist from redshirt first-year Holly Carlton. After committing an attack error to give the Cardinals the 8-7 advantage, Fields tapped the ball over the net just out of reach of the Louisville defense to redeem herself with her second kill.
Midway through the third set, it was evident that the Tar Heels needed to capitalize on Louisville’s mistakes in order to force a fourth.
After a Louisville attack error, Fields rose to the challenge and slammed the ball over the net. Overcome with emotion, the middle hitter erupted into a loud shout after tying the score at 14-14.
Following a media timeout, Fields leapt up for another massive kill that turned the momentum in favor of the Tar Heels. Redshirt senior Taylor Fricano then posted a kill of her own to push the score to 17-14, which led to a huge block by Fricano and Fields that extended the lead to 18-14 and forced the scrambling Cardinals to call a timeout.
