UNC volleyball returns to form, continues hot October start

Four matches. Four sweeps.

The North Carolina volleyball team (8-7, 5-1 ACC) continued its October dominance against Virginia (11-5, 3-2 ACC), sweeping the Cavaliers in three sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-19).

With Friday’s win, UNC extended its winning streak to four matches. Since the Sept. 27 loss to Pittsburgh, the Tar Heels haven’t dropped a set.

“I thought this was a really good win for us,” said senior Paige Neuenfeldt. “For us to get a 3-0 sweep of them at home was really awesome and kept our confidence rolling.”

In its most recent victory, the team relied on contributions from unlikely sources.

Redshirt first-year Taylor Leath had a hitting percentage of .500 and notched eight kills, her highest since the UNC’s match against Stanford.

“I though tonight’s win was great, we definitely needed it,” she said. “We’re definitely trying to step up our play and be consistent.”

But Leath wasn’t the only outside hitter with an impressive performance. After accumulating 21 kills in the previous three matches, redshirt junior Taylor Treacy added nine more against UVa.

And after Friday’s win, Coach Joe Sagula acknowledged the importance of strong play from a supporting cast to the team’s recent success.

“We weren’t doing that in August and September,” he said.

After a disappointing 4-7 start to the season, UNC has gotten back on track by winning 12 straight sets in the month of October.

“It’s awesome to see everyone start implementing what we’ve been doing in practice and seeing the success on the court,” Neuenfeldt said.

Despite notable performances across the board, Neuenfeldt still led the way. Days after earning ACC Player of the Week honors, the senior led the team with 12 kills and six blocks in Friday’s match.

Since the start of October, the Preseason All-ACC middle hitter has contributed 32 kills and 19 blocks to fuel UNC’s winning streak.

And alongside fellow Preseason All-ACC middle hitter Victoria McPherson — who has tallied 37 kills and 28 blocks during that span — the dynamic duo has pulled the Tar Heels to above .500 for the first time this season.

But Sagula knows his team’s stretch of four straight sweeps doesn’t happen by chance.

“It’s very deceiving. I told the team to win 3-0 looks easy,” Sagula said.

“It’s not easy. To win is really hard and if we’re making it look easy, it’s because we’re working really hard.”

The Tar Heels won’t be able to match their success from 2014 — when the team went 29-3 and ripped off 20 consecutive wins.

But an undefeated start to October is a step in the right direction.

sports@dailytarheel.com