Following North Carolina volleyball’s sweep over Virginia on Saturday's Senior Day game, James Taylor’s “Carolina in My Mind” filled Carmichael Arena as the seniors reminisced over their time at UNC.
One of these seniors was middle hitter Skyy Howard, who finished her final game in Chapel Hill with seven crucial kills.
“All my teammates were super supportive of the seniors, and we were playing together, playing for us,” Howard said. “I wanted to go out and have a good game because all my family was here, and I just wanted to show out in my last game (at Carmichael).”
Howard’s performance helped North Carolina establish its dominance from the onset of the match. The Tar Heels scored the first point of Saturday's game and didn’t trail until the beginning of the third set when Virginia scored the first two points. However, with the help of a 3-0 run, UNC quickly regained the lead and seized control of the match once again.
Head coach Joe Sagula said the Tar Heels' performance against the Cavaliers was the team’s most dominant showing all year.
“I wish we were playing more because I felt like this team has finally hit their stride,” Sagula said. “We played inspired. We came out strong. Our serving game was great, our blocking was great. When you can finish on a high note like that, it’s very rewarding.”
Despite North Carolina's domination, Virginia attempted to make its way back into the game multiple times, most notably in the third set.
After relinquishing their lead to UNC, the Cavaliers later managed to get within one point of the Tar Heels several different times in the final set. Each time, though, North Carolina managed to pull away, something the team has previously struggled with.
“I think we just got a little unfocused because we were all sad that it was near the end of the seniors' last game,” sophomore outside hitter Mabrey Shaffmaster said. “It’s happened in the past where we’ve just lost focus a little bit, but (today) we got back and finished it.”
