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The Daily Tar Heel

UNC volleyball sees third straight sweep in loss to Syracuse

Volleyball v. Pitt, Hunter Atherton

Setter Hunter Atherton (10) dives for the ball along with her teammate during a game against Pittsburgh on Friday Oct. 11, 2018 in the Smith Center.

The UNC volleyball team got swept, 3-0, by Syracuse on Friday night, its third straight match without winning a set.

What happened?

The Tar Heels started out in the first set with a quick three points, but Syracuse found a spark of energy to put them up 7-5. The two teams battled with long rallies and were tied 14-14 before Syracuse took advantage of Tar Heel errors at the net, winning the set 25-23. 

Syracuse continued to control most of the action at the net during the second and third sets and engaged all its hitters. The Orange closed the second set 18-25. 

The Tar Heels opened the third set with some fight in their play matching the Orange point by point. Blocking continued to control the game for Syracuse as they pulled ahead on UNC, 15-10. UNC pushed points to come within one but was unable to gain a lead and lost the final set 25-22. 

Who stood out?

Skylar Wine had eight digs, eight kills and one ace in the match. Hunter Atherton added 30 assists to her season. Atherton, Aristea Tontai and Mia Fradenburg all had two aces each. 

When was it decided?

UNC had a season-high seven aces, but it was not enough to knock Syracuse on its heels. Both teams battled in each set and had their own runs of dominance throughout the match. Strong defensive plays from UNC’s Casey Jacobs and Greer Moseman kept the Tar Heels alive in the third set. Ultimately the Orange came out on top hitting .365 and left the Tar Heels, hitting .155, to continue on their losing streak. 

Why does it matter?

The Tar Heels are still trying to find an 800th career win for head coach Joe Sagula. They are currently on a six game losing streak, with their last win being at home against NC State — their only ACC win this season. The Tar Heels are currently last in the ACC and have won just seven sets in 10 conference matches this season. 

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels play again on the road, in another conference matchup against Boston College on Sunday at 1 pm. Boston College (12-9, 2-4 ACC) has a seven game losing streak coming into Sunday’s match. 

@brewsybeast

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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