DeRoeck sparks UNC rally

The North Carolina volleyball team duked it out this weekend in two draining road matches against ACC foes Georgia Tech and Clemson.

The Tar Heels posted a five-game win, 30-28, 28-30, 22-30, 30-14, 15-13, against Clemson on Saturday after they fell to the Yellow Jackets in three intense games, 34-32, 30-26, 30-26, the day before.

"(The Ga. Tech match) felt a little like a heavyweight fight," said Coach Joe Sagula. "We were just slugging it out - pow, pow - back and forth."

But UNC tired first, recording 20 fewer kills than its opponents.

"It hurt a lot of us to lose to Georgia Tech," said senior defensive specialist Caroline deRoeck.

Georgia Tech is the perennial rival for the Tar Heels. The teams often battle for the top spot in the conference, though the Yellow Jackets swept both matches last season by a combined score of six games to one.

But after playing Georgia Tech on Friday, the team decided it was sick of losing.

"It was good we had Clemson the very next day because we had that fire and we had passion and we wanted to win," deRoeck said.

Her defensive play helped UNC win 11 of 12 points in the middle of the fourth game.

"Coach had been on me all match," she said. "I just wanted to get him off my back and show him I could do it."

And she did, tying a career high with 28 digs.

"I told my staff that if she keeps playing like that, we'll win the match," Sagula said. "But if I need to stay on her back, I will continue to do so."

DeRoeck, along with most of her teammates, really picked up the pace in the fourth game. Sagula told setter McKenzie Byrd only to set the ball to the outside hitters, Dani Nyenhuis and Molly Pyles, and to keep doing so until Clemson stopped them.

"They never got stopped; they just crushed the ball," Sagula said. "(Middle hitters) Amy Beaver and Katie Wright were the workhorses, very selfless. ... We asked them to block without getting any swings in return."

The differences between the two matches were hitting and deRoeck's defensive play.

The team outblocked Ga. Tech 13-8 but was severely outhit. Against Clemson, the hitting returned.

Said Sagula, "We blocked really well against Georgia Tech, but we hit really well against Clemson."

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.