After Sunday's volleyball game with Maryland, a throng of Girl Scouts huddled around the North Carolina team, listening intently to a clinic being conducted. Perhaps the Terrapins' squad should have stuck around and taken some pointers, too. The Tar Heels dominated every aspect of their contest with Maryland, destroying the Terrapins 3-0 (15-10, 15-5, 15-3) in a little more than an hour. "Our intensity and our level of play were outstanding today," UNC coach Joe Sagula said. "We put forth a great team effort today and really controlled the game." The surprising play of freshman Aletha Green highlighted the performance of the Tar Heels (19-4, 9-1 in the ACC). Green was tabbed a starter because fellow middle hitter Krista Buchholz was attending a wedding, and she made the most of the situation. Green tallied 11 kills while compiling a hitting percentage of .625. "I'm prepared to step in at any time and play well," Green said. "I practice a lot against Holly (Strauss) and Krista (Buchholz), so they prepare me well." Said Sagula, "Aletha stepped in and did a great job for us today." Maryland's players, conversely, were not prepared, especially for the scoring sprees on which UNC is fond of going. The Tar Heels reeled off 10 straight points in both games two and three, quickly ending any hopes that the Terrapins (12-9, 4-5) might have harbored about winning a game. UNC jumped out to an 11-2 lead in game two and a 12-2 lead in game three. "We did a great job blocking, and that led to the runs," hitter Laura Greene said. "Blocking helps the defense, which leads to transition offense." The transition offense, which comes after an opposing team's hit is dug and successfully controlled, worked well for the Tar Heels largely because of the rapid tempo of their setting. Setter Eve Rackham, who notched 40 assists, positioned the ball not only with pinpoint accuracy, but also with great quickness. "The fast tempo of our setting kept everyone moving out there," Sagula said. "It allows us to control the flow of the game. Eve played great today." Rackham played great Friday night as well, as UNC beat Florida State 3-1 (15-10, 11-15, 15-10, 15-8). The sophomore posted 62 assists, paving the way for a hard-hitting Tar Heel attack that overwhelmed the Seminoles. Casey Simpson made 17 kills and 12 digs, and Greene chipped in with 14 kills and seven digs. Unlike its first meeting with the Seminoles, UNC won the first game and was in control of the entire contest, even when it appeared FSU was poised to go on a big run. "We played well against Florida State," Greene said. "We made a point of coming out stronger in the first game because we've been dropping two and coming back, and we did come out strong and remained strong." The league-leading Tar Heels will need to remain strong this week as they prepare to face Duke and Wake Forest, two teams tied for third place, next weekend. Wake is the only team in the ACC to beat UNC this season. The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.
