With two victories this weekend, the North Carolina volleyball team proved that coming dangerously close to losing can be just as beneficial.
Friday night, Florida State pushed the Tar Heels to the limit. After losing the first two games to UNC, the Seminoles rallied to win the next two, setting the stage for a decisive fifth game.
In game five, FSU took an 8-1 lead and UNC's first loss in nine matches seemed inevitable. But the Tar Heels roared back behind eight kills from Nicole Reis, going on a 14-5 run that stunned the Seminoles and led to a 15-13 win that decided the match.
"We were down 8-1 in that fifth game, and I said `Oh boy' because we were down like that against Santa Clara and we didn't perform all that well," UNC coach Joe Sagula said. "But it was an unbelievable comeback. Unbelievable."
After seeming sluggish and tentative during parts of Friday's match, the team's intensity and focus were evident Sunday afternoon, as they defeated Georgia Tech 3-0 (30-27, 30-26, 30-22).
After topping the Yellow Jackets
30-27 in the first game, a seesaw battle which saw eight lead changes, UNC (14-3, 6-0 in the ACC) took an early lead in game two. A pair of service aces by Underwood and two service errors by Georgia Tech (8-4, 4-2) helped the team grab a 9-1 lead.
Although Tech battled back, they never got closer than three points. The Tar Heels took the game 30-26 as Laura Greene tallied six kills.
In the third game the Yellow Jackets took a 6-1 lead, causing Sagula to call timeout. But unlike Friday night, when the team faded after taking a 2-0 lead, UNC remained in the game.
