UNC volleyball upsets Duke in five sets

North Carolina volleyball (8-18, 4-13 ACC) traveled to Durham and upset Duke (14-11, 8-8 ACC) on Saturday afternoon in a five-set victory. 

What happened?

North Carolina came into the game as an underdog, as they lost in straight sets to Duke just 15 days earlier. The Tar Heels, who are sitting in last place in the ACC, had nothing to lose and came out with a mentality to have fun and compete. 

The infamous UNC-Duke rivalry lived up to its hype with the first two sets neck and neck and neither team could pull away. 

However, it was an ugly first couple of sets for both teams hitting-wise. In the first, North Carolina hit at -.061 percent. Duke didn’t do much better, hitting at an even .000 percent clip. 

Because of the poor hitting, defense was key. In the blocking category, Katharine Esterley led the Tar Heels with seven, Aristea Tontai chipped in six and Ava Bell recorded five blocks. North Carolina also logged 70 digs, including a whopping 22 from Mia Fradenburg, 14 from Casey Jacobs, 13 from Skylar Wine and 10 from Greer Moseman. 

Duke was up 2-1, but the resilience of North Carolina showed late. In the fourth set, the Tar Heels posted a .300 hitting percentage and forced a fifth set after winning a close one 25-21. 

The grit showed made head coach Joe Sagula proud of his team.

“It means everything," Sagula said. "I was pretty emotional after this win with the team. I couldn’t be any more thankful. Yesterday at practice they were spirited, they were into it, and they knew they wanted to play well today."

Who stood out?

This was a true team win, with many contributing in some way. 

“When you get to five sets, it’s hard to say one person stood out,” Sagula said after the game.

However, statistically, Bell was the best player on the floor. In addition to five blocks, she had 15 kills on 33 attempts with only a single error. In fact, after the first set, she was the only Tar Heel hitting positive. 

“I have Hunter (Atherton) to thank for all of those sets, she found me perfectly,” said Bell, crediting her setter who also put up an impressive 38 assists in the win.

Other notable offensive performances came from Destiny Cox, who had 11 kills, and Skylar Wine, who had 10. 

When was it decided?

The match wasn't decided until the last couple points. In the final set, neither team could break away. They traded points until it was tied up at 12. It was then when North Carolina was able to close out the match on a 3-0 run with two big kills and a huge block from Bell. 

The celebration that ensued from the coaches, bench and players on the court was one of pure elation. 

Why does it matter?

This match didn’t have much of an impact on North Carolina’s season overall. They have posted a sub-par record this year, but the win in Durham was a morale booster as well as a win they can be very proud of looking back. 

“Nobody has been happy with the record, but everybody has come every day and worked hard, so to me as a coach, that’s all I can ask for,” Sagula said.  

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will play next and final match this season against Florida State on Wednesday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. in Chapel Hill. 

@andrewmontross | @DTHSports

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