Each senior was greeted with a lavish bouquet of flowers and a decorative picture frame. Several hugs were given among teammates and several pictures were taken by friends and family members.
But as the match started, tears were wiped off cheeks. As soon as the first ball was served, all the attention turned toward the Hokies (15-13, 6-10 ACC). Showing no signs of an emotional letdown, the Tar Heels (17-8, 14-2 ACC) swept Virginia Tech to earn their ninth consecutive victory.
Coach Joe Sagula said it was difficult to play the match after celebrating the seniors, explaining that more emotion was spent on the ceremony as opposed to the match.
“I think most of the kids were OK, up until their parents show up and their moms and their dads start getting emotional,” said Sagula, regarding the pregame ceremony.
“But it’s OK. It’s a great thing. You want that. That’s the emotion you value. That’s why you play the game.”
In the match, senior middle hitter Victoria McPherson tied for the team lead with 11 kills and had no attack errors.
McPherson described the week as “surreal,” and said everything might not hit her until Wednesday, when the Tar Heels face N.C. State in the final regular season home match for the seniors. She added the team did its best to recoup from the pregame festivities.
“It was a happy cry,” McPherson said.
