After coming off a 3-0 win at Virginia, the North Carolina volleyball team (20-8, 9-8 ACC) fell to Miami (23-4, 14-3 ACC) in four sets on Senior Day.
What happened?
Senior Day ceremonies preceding the game honored seniors Annabelle Archer, Amanda Phegley, Ryan Shannon, Emily Zinger and Erin Boone as well as graduate transfers Meghan Neelon, Emma Reynolds and Nia Robinson, at Carmichael Arena.
In the first set, UNC took the lead early by earning five points in a row to jump ahead, 7-2. First-year Mabrey Shaffmaster’s strong service game at the start of the set helped the team gain early momentum.
Although the Tar Heels stayed in the lead for most of the set, Miami came back to trim the deficit to 16-13. UNC called a timeout and followed it up with kills by Shaffmaster, sophomore Kayla Merkler, Robinson and Phegler. Consecutive kills by Shaffmaster finished off the set and the Tar Heels won by a four-point margin, 25-21.
Despite the early set victory, UNC was not able to continue its winning trend in the following three sets.
The Tar Heels fell behind 14-10 in the second set after losing four points in a row. UNC came back at the end of the set with multiple kills by Robinson, which tied the score at 23. Ultimately, the team’s efforts were not enough and Miami won the set, 26-24.
The Tar Heels were down for the majority of the third set, but they stayed in it until the very end. They fought through six set points only to lose the set, 29-27.
UNC also lost the fourth and final set to Miami, 25-21. Miami outshined UNC at the end of the game with more consistent and precise blocks and kills.
