Volleyball Sweeps Clemson, Ekes Past Ga. Tech

The play capped a weekend in which the Tar Heels, led by Pyles and fellow outside hitter Laura Greene, left Georgia Tech and Clemson bruised and battered while UNC stayed atop the ACC standings.

The No. 13 Tar Heels swept Clemson 3-0 on Saturday, one night after pulling out a dramatic 3-2 victory over the No. 23 Yellow Jackets.

"The most important thing was to beat Georgia Tech," said UNC coach Joe Sagula. "I think Clemson is a very good team, and to beat them 3-0 is a really great indication for us."

Sagula said the Tar Heels (23-2, 10-1 in the ACC) were concerned that there could be a letdown after beating Tech, but they squashed those concerns by jumping on Clemson (15-12, 6-6) early, eventually closing out the Tigers 30-27 game one.

In the second game, Sagula gave a couple of regulars some rest. Coming off the bench, Katie Wright racked up five kills and a block, while Dani Nyenhuis nailed the game-clinching kill.

"Anytime you come in you just want to play your absolute best, bring up the intensity of the team, and it was pretty crucial for anybody coming in tonight to bring exactly that," Wright said.

After taking a 2-0 game lead, UNC fell into another third game funk, a problem the team has been battling all year.

But Pyles snapped them out of their doldrums with her overpowering service ace that jumpstarted an 8-1 run.

"It was actually at a really good time for that to happen because we were down a little bit," Pyles said. "I think that helped turn the momentum around."

Pyles stroked 14 kills on the night while Greene led the team with 22 kills and 14 digs.

The sweep helped UNC avoid the same fate that had struck them in their previous two matches. Against FSU on Oct. 27, the Tar Heels were up 2-0 before dropping the final three games.

And it nearly happened again against the Yellow Jackets (23-5, 9-3). The Tar Heels claimed a pair of 30-27 wins to open the match, but UNC blew the chance for the sweep, losing the last two points of the third game after it was tied at 28.

With their new-found confidence, Georgia Tech dominated most of the fourth game, opening up a 26-14 lead. But the Tar Heels responded with a spirited comeback, getting as close as 29-27.

"Last weekend, we didn't have that," Greene said. "And if you don't have momentum going into the fifth game, because it's so short, you don't have a chance."

The momentum swung back in Tech's favor as they opened up a 10-5 lead. But the Tar Heels had one more rally, using a 10-2 run to cap off the victory.

UNC clinched the win when Malaika Underwood, from her knees, dug out the ball, setting up Pyles for the winning kill.

In a statement game for UNC, it was Pyles, who set career highs with 23 kills and 27 digs and Greene (26 and 28) who supplied the exclamation point.

"The ball's going to go to them -- we know it, the opponent knows it, and they're scoring," Sagula said. "They're just so good and dynamic -- in my opinion two of the best outside hitters in the ACC."

There had been questions following the teams' first meeting as to who was the superior team after UNC eked out a five game win in Atlanta on Oct. 5.

Tech coach Bond Shymansky said he wanted to exact revenge for the loss to UNC, but the Yellow Jackets ultimately couldn't match up to the Tar Heels.

"They beat us in our place, and we said, 'No, that's not going to happen again,'" Shymansky said. "But they're a better team than us -- it's that simple."

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