CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The North Carolina volleyball team saw its pursuit of the ACC title fall short Sunday, as the fifth-seeded Tar Heels lost to the defending champion and seventh-seeded Maryland Terrapins, 30-24, 30-24, 30-17, at Virginia's Memorial Gymnasium.
Senior Molly Pyles, who was selected to the All-tournament team, led UNC with a match-high 17 kills. Sophomore Amy Beaver also was named to the all-tournament squad.
The Tar Heels fell behind for the first time in the tournament by dropping game one, 30-24.
Maryland used outstanding blocking to limit the UNC offense and hold the Tar Heels to a .075 hitting percentage in the frame. The lone bright spot was Pyles, who had seven kills and only one error.
The Terps outblocked UNC 7-1, with four coming from middle blocker Rachel Wagener. Wagener also had five kills, as Maryland hit .279 in game one.
UNC was victimized by both the Maryland block and its own errant hitting in game two, as the Terrapins rolled to a 30-24 win and 2-0 lead in the match.
Through two games, the Tar Heels had committed 21 attack errors to only seven for UM, while the Terps had outblocked North Carolina 11-1.
Maryland was dominant in game three, winning 30-17 to sweep the match and complete an improbable run to the ACC crown. The Terps again used superior offense and blocking to neutralize the UNC attack.
The Tar Heels had at least 10 team blocks in each of the first two matches of the tournament but finished the final with only three.
