In a battle with the unbeaten No. 2 team in the country, the North Carolina volleyball team (18-7, 7-7 ACC) came out fighting against Louisville (23-0, 13-0 ACC) but ultimately lost in four sets.
What happened?
The Tar Heels came out with a strong start, securing the first set in convincing fashion with a score of 25-14. The Cardinals committed numerous errors in the first set and combined with strong initial defense by the Tar Heels, UNC was able to get an early lead aided by an eight-point run.
UNC scored many of its points thanks to multiple short points and the team’s aggressiveness enabled the Tar Heels to take the early lead.
In the following three sets, Louisville was able to slow down the game with longer rallies and reduce its errors while the Tar Heels increased theirs. Louisville’s adjustments were successful with the team looking immediately like the dominant roster that their record would suggest.
The Cardinals won the second set by a score of 25-11 that included a run of seven points to end the set before winning the third set, 25-18, and the fourth and final set by a score of 25-17. In the last two sets, the Cardinals were able to hold off a late challenge by the Tar Heels.
The Tar Heels suffered from numerous self-inflicted wounds as they had a combined 33 attacking and serving errors compared to 25 by the Cardinals. These errors made huge differences as the Tar Heels were unable to keep their momentum going into the second, third and fourth quarters.
Who stood out?
Graduate transfer Nia Robinson and first-year Mabrey Shaffmaster were the two most effective offensive players that the Tar Heels had with 15 and 12 kills, respectively. Both were also able to contribute on defense with Robinson registering three digs and Shaffmaster having five digs herself.
