The North Carolina volleyball team fell to Virginia Tech, 3-2, in Blacksburg, Virginia, in its last match of the regular season. With Friday's loss to the Hokies, UNC has lost its last two games after winning 12 of 14 matches.
What happened?
The Tar Heels (15-13, 12-6 ACC) got on the board first in the opening set, earning an early 2-0 lead, but it was the Hokies (11-20, 4-14 ACC) who would eventually take the set by a score of 25-21.
Virginia Tech went on four-point runs on two separate occasions in the first set. The first came when UNC had a 5-4 lead, and the second came when Virginia Tech held an 11-9 lead.
In the second set, the Tar Heels were able to earn a 24-21 lead, only needing one point to take the set. But the Hokies did not make it easy, scoring two straight points to make it 24-23 and only needing to score one more to force the match point to 26.
However, a kill by redshirt first-year Lauren Harrison from sophomore Annabelle Archer secured the second set for the Tar Heels, 25-23.
In the third set, North Carolina was able to earn an early 3-2 lead before Virginia Tech ran rampant. The Hokies scored 14 straight points to take a 16-3 lead and dominated the set with a 25-9 win.
Needing a win in the fourth set to keep the match alive, the Tar Heels started off strong. UNC was able to take a 24-22 lead, but an attacking error by North Carolina's Destiny Cox gave the Hokies a chance. On the next play, another attacking error, this time from the Hokies, sealed a 25-23 win in the fourth set for the Tar Heels.
In the fifth set, the Hokies jumped out to a 12-3 lead after a barrage of kills from junior outside hitter Kaity Smith. UNC attempted to bridge the gap with an 8-2 run, but the deficit proved to be too much to overcome, and Virginia Tech won the fifth set, 15-11, to take the match.
