Volleyball Extends Winning Streak

A torrid start was followed by a tepid second game, in which the Blue Devils (14-6, 2-3 in the ACC) dominated a sloppy UNC squad.

But the Tar Heels (16-1, 4-0) turned things around, winning the last two games for the victory. However, the win didn't erase North Carolina's mid-match missteps.

"This is one of those ones that leaves us very unsatisfied in the level of play," said UNC coach Joe Sagula. "When we came out, I was so excited with how well we were playing early, and I just want to see us maintain that level."

One Tar Heel who maintained it throughout the match was outside hitter Molly Pyles, who led the team by matching her career-high with 18 kills and recording a personal-best 17 digs.

Middle hitter Aletha Green also had an above-average day, tying her career-best with 11 kills.

The Duke-UNC rivalry was omnipresent and emotions ran high -- notably in UNC senior Malaika Underwood.

Underwood let loose primal screams after making big plays and constantly implored her teammates to pick up their games.

"Every time we play Duke, we want to get up and have a good game," she said. "There's the rivalry, and we play hard every minute. So I am a little more emotional when we play Duke."

UNC used the rush to handily win the first game.

The Tar Heels dropped the first point of the match, but never trailed again on their way to a 30-22 win.

In game two, however, it was Duke's turn to be fired up. After UNC went up 6-5, the Blue Devils took over, and the Tar Heels looked out of sorts.

With North Carolina behind 19-14, a visibly upset Sagula called a timeout.

He fired a quick comment at his players before stalking away from the huddle and facing the empty court for all but the last few seconds of the break.

"I was disappointed with our effort, level and focus," he said. "I was trying to get this team pumped up."

The message didn't sink in, and UNC dropped game two to the Blue Devils, 30-20.

The Tar Heels came out with renewed vigor in game three, going up 7-1 on the strength of two services aces from freshman Taylor Rayfield. UNC never trailed in game three and won, 30-23.

Game four was a back-and-forth battle until the Tar Heels scored four consecutive points to close out the match.

"We're struggling right now to play our hardest game, but we're still searching for it, and we're still winning," Green said. "We just need to learn to finish teams, and finish games and know that we're the No. 11 team in the country and play like it."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.