Tar Heels lacking killer drive in weekend losses

The killer instinct.

An abstract idea to be sure, but it is manifested in several ways on a volleyball court.

This past weekend, the North Carolina volleyball team discovered one manner in which it lacks that instinct - closing out games.

The Tar Heels faced Florida State on Friday, falling in four games 30-27, 30-25, 27-30, 30-28.

Following the Seminole match, Miami defeated North Carolina 26-30, 30-27, 30-25, 30-28 on Sunday.

Against FSU, the team's inability to finish reared its head in all three games that it lost.

In game one, UNC trailed only 21-20 but quickly fell behind 27-21. A similar thing happened in game two.

In game four, UNC held a late five-point lead, only to relinquish nine of the last 11 points to Florida State.

"We had leads at the end of games, but we just didn't learn how to close out teams and maintain the same aggressive mentality at the end," said UNC coach Joe Sagula.

Making matters worse for the Tar Heels, sophomore outside hitter Meg Eckert sprained her ankle early in game three.

She went up to block a Seminole hitter but came down on her opponent's foot, twisting her own ankle. Sagula said she likely will miss one or two weeks.

"Meg responded extremely well," Sagula said. "She was very strong about it and did not get emotional."

Had Eckert freaked out, Sagula said, the team might not have won that game.

Following Eckert's injury, Sagula decided to set primarily for outside hitters Dani Nyenhuis and Molly Pyles.

The pair responded, leading the team with 20 kills and 25 kills against FSU, respectively, and followed up Sunday with a team-leading 15 and 17 kills.

Nyenhuis said Sagula simplified the offense because the team was out of sync and missing one of its hitters.

And despite being asked to increase their roles, the two hitters stepped it up in both matches.

"Dani Nyenhuis and Molly Pyles took a lot of swings and got a bunch of kills for us," Sagula said. "Against Florida State ... we needed them to come through, and they did."

But Sagula also said that just a couple more kills from his two best hitters might have been the difference.

In the upcoming weeks, Nyenhuis and Pyles must increase their workload because of Eckert's injury. But Nyenhuis is ready for the challenge.

Sagula often mentioned his team's lack of that proverbial killer instinct.

"The qualities and the things necessary are there, it's just figuring out how to do it again," he said.

And now that the Tar Heels have isolated their biggest problem, all they have to do is fix it.

"Sometimes we get a little relaxed," Sagula said. "We need to develop that killer mentality."

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.