Bump, set, spike: UNC volleyball sweeps Carolina Classic

The drama was building.

With the score deadlocked at 14 in the fifth set, the No. 17 North Carolina volleyball team was feeling the pressure. No. 16 Kentucky had just reeled off four straight points and was looking for two more to seal the match.

But by the end, it wasn’t the Wildcats who roared. It was the Tar Heels.

UNC defeated Kentucky 3-2 for its first home win of the season Friday, and the momentum continued as the Tar Heels cruised to victories over Georgia Southern and Virginia Commonwealth Saturday to win the Carolina Classic.

The Tar Heels’ win over the Wildcats was the team’s second victory over a top 20 opponent this season.

Coach Joe Sagula said he was proud of the team’s comeback against Kentucky, even with the dramatic ending.

“I probably aged about five years tonight,” Sagula said. “Luckily you can’t see the gray hair, but it got a lot grayer tonight.”

The Tar Heels took a close first set, but the Wildcats stormed back to win the next two sets because of several UNC miscues.

“We lost focus, and then our passing fell apart,” Sagula said. “We didn’t make the adjustments.”

Despite being down two sets to one, the Tar Heels pushed back with a dominating 25-13 win of their own to tie the match and eventually go on to win the fifth and final set.

Senior Ece Taner, who was named the tournament’s MVP, said the team was frustrated with its performance against Kentucky at times but also said players stepped up when it counted.

“We never really stopped fighting,” Taner said. “So whenever we came in the huddle we said, ‘Play for your left and your right; play for each other.’”

Junior Leigh Andrew said the team could not dwell on the errors that filled the second and third set.

“We mentally stayed aggressive,” Andrew said. “We couldn’t just cut back the errors and stay passive. We had to just keep going at it.”

In UNC’s remaining two matches against Georgia Southern and VCU, the Tar Heels made sure to play down the theatrics.

Both matches were won in straight sets, and the Tar Heels only trailed once all day Saturday.

Senior Lauren McAdoo said that all the teams presented a challenge to UNC because of their quick offense.

But she added that the team made its adjustments, and the victories will help them later in the season.

“All of these teams were really good — probably NCAA Tournament caliber teams — and to come out with three wins, especially against No. 16 Kentucky, is awesome for us confidence-wise,” McAdoo said.

“Going forward, we know that we have the ability to beat teams of that caliber.”

sports@dailytarheel.com