UNC volleyball goes to 4-3 in 2010

The North Carolina volleyball team traveled to Springfield, Mo., to compete in the JQH Invitational this past weekend.

The team won its first two matches against Ohio and Southeast Missouri State on Friday. During Saturday’s matches, the Tar Heels fell to Texas A&M and Missouri State.

After the tournament, the team’s season record stands at 4-3. The four matches are summarized below.

OPPONENT: Ohio University

IN 2009: 27-7, 15-1 Mid-American Conference

RESULT: UNC won 25-16, 25-22, 25-23

SUMMARY: The Tar Heels showed consistent play against the Bobcats in the opening match of the JQH Invitational. Senior middle blocker Christine Vaughen led the team with nine kills, while junior libero Kaylie Gibson earned 12 digs to help UNC win in three sets.

PIVOTAL POINT: Scoring streaks early in the first and second sets helped the Tar Heels gain momentum and pull ahead of the Bobcats.

NOTEWORTHY: Setters Erica Behm and Cora Harms tallied a combined 33 assists. Middle blocker Shelby Bleke earned a career-high seven kills.

OPPONENT: Southeast Missouri State

IN 2009: 13-7, 8-10 Ohio Valley Conference

RESULT: UNC won 25-14, 23-25, 25-15, 25-13

SUMMARY: The Tar Heels swept the first match against the Redhawks, but lost focus in the second set of their match against Southeast Missouri State, posting five attack errors and a couple of service errors. The team took control and won the third and fourth sets, earning its largest margin of victory in the fourth set.
PIVOTAL POINT: The Tar Heels clinched the fourth set with a .444 hitting percentage.

NOTEWORTHY: Freshmen Kayla Berringer and Kaitlyn Anderson made their debuts as Tar Heels.

OPPONENT: Texas A&M

IN 2009: 20-11, 11-9 Big 12 Conference

RESULT: Texas A&M won 25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 20-25, 12-15

SUMMARY: The Tar Heels went set-for-set with the Aggies before falling in the fifth set. Gibson took control of UNC’s defense, earning 24 digs.

PIVOTAL POINT: The team lost the fourth set, with the Aggies holding the Tar Heels to a .085 hitting percentage. Texas A&M carried that momentum into the fifth set and went on to take the match.

NOTEWORTHY: Senior outside hitter Suzanne Haydel led the team with 15 kills. Vaughen contributed 14 kills and recorded a .560 hitting percentage.

OPPONENT: Missouri State

IN 2009: 21-10, 14-4 Missouri Valley Conference

RESULT: Missouri State won 20-25, 19-25, 25-20, 19-25

SUMMARY: The Tar Heels lost the first two sets to the Bears, notching fewer kills than in the previous two matches. The Bears limited the Tar Heels to a .059 hitting percentage in the first set, and UNC struggled with blocking errors in the match. The Tar Heels took the third set before ultimately losing in the fourth.

PIVOTAL POINT: Missouri inched ahead of North Carolina in the fourth set at 20-18, taking momentum away from the Tar Heels.

NOTEWORTHY: Behm led the team with a season-high 38 assists.