In a five-set battle, the No. 11 North Carolina volleyball team took down No. 2 Wisconsin Friday night (25-23, 25-27, 23-25, 25-20, 15-11).
What happened?
At first, UNC (couldn’t seem to stop the Badgers’ kills or sneak past their blocks.Trailing 8-2, the Tar Heels called a timeout, and the change was immediate. UNC went on a 5-1 run to cut the lead to 7-9 and nip close behind the Badgers’. UNC didn’t take a lead over the Badgers until a kill by Taylor Fricano put them up 19-18. From there, the teams were knotted in a narrow fight until UNC broke away for a 25-23 win in the first set.
The second and third sets were gridlocks, and neither one broke in UNC’s favor. The Tar Heels fell short in the second set, as the Badgers edged past a UNC in the final points for a 27-25 behind back-to-back kills by Tionna Williams. The Badgers almost broke away again in the third set, claiming a 18-13 lead over the Tar Heels. UNC battled back to trail 21-20, but the Badgers battled back to escape the set with a 25-23 win.
At the risk of elimination, North Carolina burst past Wisconsin in the fourth set was a different story to hold a lead for most of the match and claim a 25-20 set.
In the match-deciding set, North Carolina exploded, starting off with a kill by Taylor Treacy and two blocks by Treacy and Sydnye Fields to claim a 3-0 lead and force the Badgers to call a timeout. Leath and Scoles came up with a flurry of kills to smother the Badgers. In a powerful team effort, UNC locked in the victory 15-11.
Who stood out?
Taylor Leath proved to be a fierce force for the Tar Heels. She dominated the match with a career-high 23 kills. Taylor Fricano, who transferred to UNC from Wisconsin in 2015, tied career-high in kills (15) and tallied seven blocks.
Meanwhile, Sheila Doyle kept UNC engaged in the point by leading the team with 27 digs, and first-year Scoles contributed 18 kills and 15 digs.
