Two wins.
Two very different reactions.
For the No. 19 North Carolina volleyball team, not every victory feels the same. The Tar Heels defeated Clemson and Georgia Tech on Friday and Sunday, respectively, improving their record to 22-3 and 11-3 in ACC play. But after the win against Clemson, when coach Joe Sagula was asked what he was most impressed with, he had an interesting response.
“That I didn’t go crazy and start yelling and scream at them during the match. That impressed me,” Sagula said. “That I didn’t lose my temper a lot earlier. I talked to them sternly after the match.”
UNC won the match in four sets, (25-19, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23) but sophomore middle blocker Paige Neuenfeldt struggled to describe her teams’ mood after defeating the Tigers, who hold an overall record of 12-13.
“We’re frustrated,” Neuefeldt said. “We’re happy we get this win, but at the same time we’re not happy with how we’ve been playing. It’s a win-lose situation right now. It’s kind of like we’re sad when we win, so it’s a lot of mixed feelings.”
The Tar Heels were led by outside hitter Jovana Bjelica’s 14 kills and a career high 28 digs from libero Ece Taner. And after taking the first two sets, they looked to be on their way to a straight-set victory.
But too many errors and a lack of focus forced UNC to fight through a tight fourth set to secure the win, leaving Neuefeldt to wonder what her team needed to change heading into the match on Sunday.
“We just need to put aside all these thoughts we’re having now,” she said. “We think a lot, we talk a lot and we just need to let our actions speak. Just stop talking and do work.”
