Match Stats
- North Carolina defeats Syracuse 3-0 (25-21, 25-12, 25-21)
- North Carolina improves to 18-2
- Syracuse falls to 5-15
Press Releases
UNC:
CHAPEL HILL – No. 8 North Carolina captured its 10th straight victory on Sunday afternoon, rolling to a sweep of Syracuse on national television to open ACC play a perfect 10-0 for the first time in program history. The first-place Tar Heels took down the Orange, 25-21, 25-12, 25-21, to claim their third consecutive sweep and sixth in ACC play. The win lifts UNC to 18-2 (10-0 ACC), while Syracuse takes its first winless weekend of the conference slate, falling to 5-15 (4-6 ACC).
“I am happy to come out with another 3-0 win, most importantly,” said head coach Joe Sagula. “Syracuse presented very unique challenges. They are physical on the net. They throw the ball around really well. They caught us off guard and we have to learn how to be more disciplined. I thought the second set went great, how we put pressure on them. The first set was back and forth and they made it more competitive in the third set.”
Carolina led a balanced attack against the Orange, with five hitters totaling between six and 11 kills.Taylor Treacy and Taylor Leath led the match with 11 kills apiece, while Hayley McCorkle tallied eight, Taylor Borup struck seven and Taylor Fricano slammed six.
“I am happy with how Taylor Borup is progressing,” said Sagula. “She is really important going forward into games this weekend. I think she is getting better. I really like how she passed.”
Mariah Evans and Abigail Curry did a good job distributing the ball to all five attackers, as Evans put up 18 assists and five digs while Curry totaled 16 assists, eight digs and one of UNC’s three aces.
Libero Sheila Doyle led Carolina’s back line with 10 digs in the three-setter, and fellow seniorTatiana Durr was a key contributor in the serve and pass game and totaled five digs.
“(Tatiana) is an incredible server,” said Fricano. “She is very scrappy on defense. She knows the game well. She reads well. Every time she goes out there she amazes me at her talent. Her positivity on the court is really great too. To see that coming into this weekend, I just got goosebumps. She is really close to my heart. She is a big reason why we did so well this weekend when we were at points where we were low.”
The Tar Heels dominated at the net, tallying 10 blocks over just three sets, led by Fricano who posted her second straight seven-block performance—both matching her career high.
A strong run served out by Evans gave Carolina a quick 10-4 lead to start the match. The Orange took advantage of Tar Heel errors to pull back within one, 13-12, but a block by Treacy and Fricano kept UNC on top. A great serving stretch by Durr helped Carolina extend the lead to 20-15, and a kill by Treacy finished off the first set, 25-21.
Carolina once again opened with a hot streak in the second set, racing ahead 10-3 off two blocks from Fricano and McCorkle and back-to-back Borup kills. The Tar Heels kept the pressure on, running away with the frame, 25-12, closed out by a McCorkle kill. UNC hit .382 in the set, with four kills each by Borup, Treacy and Leath.
“Our team is really working on controlling the controllables,” said Leath. “The first set we had serving errors, hitting errors, every kind of error you could have. The second set we really played clean volleyball. We served really well. Mariah had a great run. Everyone was playing more together. Eliminating the errors is really key for us.”
A kill by Borup gave UNC an early 8-5 lead in the third, but Syracuse surged back on three straight kills by Anastasiya Gorelina to tie the score at eight. Gorelina then served up a run for the Orange to give SU its first real lead of the match, 13-10, and a Tar Heel attack error furthered Carolina’s deficit, 19-15.
“We spoke about it before the match that one of the things this team knows how to do is come back,” said Sagula. “I like that they have that confidence, but I don’t want to be put in that situation too often. They never panic in those situations. They think we will find a way.”
And after calling timeout, UNC did just that, as Leath exploded for two straight kills to shift the momentum, and a pair of blocks gave the Heels back the lead, 20-19. Syracuse ended a long rally with a block by Gorelina and Leah Levert to tie the score, but Curry served up a four-point run, including an ace, to reach match point, and a Syracuse service error ended the match, as UNC completed the sweep, 25-21.
The Tar Heels return to the road for the final away trip of the season, kicking off the four-match road swing at Virginia Tech on Friday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m.
Syracuse:
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Syracuse volleyball team fell on the road in three sets (21-25, 12-25, 21-25) to #8 North Carolina on Sunday afternoon, closing out a four-game road stand for the Orange. Syracuse is now 4-6 in ACC play and 5-15 overall on the season.
The Orange were out-blocked by the top-ranked ACC squad, 10.0-5.0. Junior Leah Levert led the ‘Cuse effort at the net, as the middle blocker tallied four assisted stops.
Leading in kills for the Orange was sophomore Anastasiya Gorelina, who registered 10.
Sophomore Santita Ebangwese tallied seven kills of her own, hitting .778 percent on the night (7K – 0E – 9A). Ebangwese had the only Syracuse solo block of the game as well.
Leading in assists for the Orange was sophomore Annie Bozzo who had 12.
The first and third sets proved to be the most competitive of the three-game match at Carmichael Arena, as the Orange trailed by just four points at the conclusion of each set.
The Orange fell behind five points early on in the first set, leading to a timeout (9-4 UNC).
A 6-4 Syracuse run brought the game within three points, forcing North Carolina to call its first timeout of the match.
Out of the break, the pair fought back-and-forth, but the Orange were never able to take the lead, as North Carolina finished up the first game on top, 25-21.
Syracuse lost momentum in the second set, as the Tar Heels halted the ‘Cuse offense and held the Orange to just 12 points in the set. UNC finished out set two on top, 25-12.
Looking to extend the game beyond three sets, the Orange took their first lead of the game after tying at nine.
UNC sided out and tied the game back at 10, but a 5-3 Orange run put Syracuse back on top, 15-13.
Syracuse took a four-point lead in the middle of the third set to force a North Carolina timeout (19-15 SU).
North Carolina tallied a 5-1 run to tie the game at 20, and then maintained momentum over the Orange to win the third set, 25-21, and complete the sweep.
The Orange continue ACC play at home next weekend, as they host Wake Forest and Duke on Friday night and Sunday afternoon, respectively.
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