UNC volleyball struggles to find consistency, loses twice in ACC-Big Ten Challenge

This weekend, the North Carolina volleyball team (0-2) stepped onto the court at Carmichael Arena in front of an electric crowd as the team opened its 2019 season. When they stepped on that court, though, the Tar Heels instantly faced a challenge. 

UNC hosted the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and faced two top-10 teams, No. 3 Minnesota and No. 5 Wisconsin. In both matchups, the Tar Heels fought but were unable to overpower those highly ranked teams. Both Minnesota (1-1) and Wisconsin (2-0) swept the Tar Heels in three sets.  

“I’m glad we earned some points early and made some comebacks,” UNC head coach Joe Sagula said. “We can play against some good teams, but we need to work on consistency. Being able to compete on a consistent basis, point after point at this level is a challenge.”

On Friday night, the Gophers took control from the start and won the first set 25-16. The Tar Heels continued to fight in the second, clawing their way to an 18-15 lead over the Gophers. The set was not over yet, though, as the Gophers came back to tie the game at 26. North Carolina couldn't stop Minnesota, which pulled away to win the set 28-26. 

Even though UNC fought in the second set, the team was unable to bounce back in the third. With the match on the line, the Tar Heels could not stop the Gophers from wining the third set 25-17 to secure the victory.

On Saturday, UNC was unable to quiet the Wisconsin offense, which found its groove from the get-go and won the first set 25-20.

In the second set, the Badgers again took control and won in convincing fashion, 25-13. The Badgers secured 16 kills and had a .571 hitting percentage in the set.

In the third, the UNC fight was evident from the start, as redshirt first-year Lauren Harrison secured her 10th kill of the game and her team took an early 3-1 lead. The energy continued as North Carolina went up 9-6. While North Carolina hit its stride, senior Mia Fradenburg kept her team energized.

“One thing we're emphasizing this year is this concept of connecting. It is really easy when things are not going well to go into your own shell,” Fradenburg said. “We have been really working as a team to establish some sort of connection."

Although the North Carolina energy was high, the Badger offense could not be stopped. Wisconsin went on a six-point run and regained the lead, 12-9. The Badgers eventually secured the victory, 25-17, in the third set.

Although UNC struggled this weekend, Harrison, making her debut as a Tar Heel, proved to be a key contributor to the North Carolina offense. In her first two collegiate matches, Harrison secured 21 total kills, nine against Minnesota and 12 against Wisconsin, and led her team in the category over the weekend.  

“It feels great because last season I couldn’t play," Harrison said. "So now that I am actually back on the court, it is exciting.” 

Despite the losses, Sagula remained optimistic about the future of his team. 

“It’s going to be a long growth process for this young team,” Sagula said. “There are encouraging points. We have some depth, brought some people off the bench that helped us in the third set tonight. So we are trying to develop our team, our depth, a lot of different things. It is going to take some time, so patience is a key word for us.” 

@TorreNetkovick

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