One State player hit the ball straight up in the air and turned around to get out of the way. The ball came down between her back and the net and momentarily came to rest on her backside before continuing to the floor. The referee called a carry on State (3-23, 0-8 in the ACC) and awarded the point to UNC.
The play summed up State's night of frustration against the No. 11 Tar Heels (21-1, 8-0).
"It was a good match," said UNC middle hitter Aletha Green. "Everyone got to play; everyone got to play well, and that was important. We might have lost our focus a little bit but it shows how strong of a team we are to come back and get right back on track."
Playing without senior middle hitter Holly Strauss, who sat out the game with an injured ankle, North Carolina was led by Green and outside hitter Laura Greene, who each recorded 9 kills to pace the team.
Sophomore McKenzie Byrd saw significant action, splitting time with starting setter Eve Rackham. Byrd recorded 13 assists, setting through the front row with Rackham playing in the back.
"We wanted to rest Eve through the front row and the net -- not take any chances," UNC coach Joe Sagula said. "McKenzie's a good blocker, and Eve's a good server. It was a way to incorporate McKenzie, instead of pressure all the way around (the rotation) and instead concentrate on this part of the game."
UNC redshirt freshman Camilla Ihenetu also stepped up, leading the team with 6 digs.
Every Tar Heel -- minus the injured Strauss -- saw action in the game as Sagula used three different starting lineups.
The first group of UNC players to take the court faced some trouble when State cut the Tar Heels' lead to 8-7. Sagula called a timeout and UNC came out of the break with renewed vigor, putting the game out of reach with a 9-2 run.
