Virginia's Rally Against North Carolina Falls Short, 3-2
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Oct. 12, 2012
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—The Virginia volleyball team dropped a tough five-set match to North Carolina, 25-18, 21-25, 26-24, 17-25, 15-11, Friday night at Memorial Gymnasium.
North Carolina (14-4, 5-3 ACC) hit .185, while Virginia (5-13, 0-8 ACC) hit .287 and held an advantage in kills, 61-56. UNC hit nine service aces with eight errors, while UVa only had five aces and 18 service errors.
The Cavaliers were led by senior Jessica O’Shoney (Austin, Texas), who hit .433 with 17 kills, and freshman Natalie Bausback (Carlsbad, Calif.), who added 18 kills and nine digs.
Fellow freshmen Vivian Burcescu (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) and Kayla Sears (Moorpark, Calif.) each hit 11 kills. Sophomore Tori Janowski (Sterling, Va.) added a double-double with a career-high 52 assists and 10 digs.
In the first set, North Carolina hit .321 with four blocks on the way to a 25-18 win.
North Carolina cut the Cavalier lead in the second to 22-21, but UVa won the last three points of the frame, accented by a Bausback block to finish the set.
In the third, UNC led 24-22, but a kill by O’Shoney and a Tar Heel attack error tied the set at 24. North Carolina went on to win the next two points, ending with a block, to take the frame.
Virginia hit .345 in the fourth, including five kills from Bausback and four from O’Shoney, on the way to a 25-17 win.
In the fifth and decisive set, the Cavaliers fell behind, 4-0, before winning five straight points to lead, 5-4. After the teams exchanged points and were tied at 10, the Tar Heels won five of six points to win the set, 15-11.
North Carolina was led by Emily McGee, who hit .361 with 18 kills.
The Cavaliers’ next match is Saturday (Oct. 13), when they face NC State at 7 p.m. at Memorial Gymnasium. Fans who attend Saturday’s UVa football game against Maryland can bring their ticket stubs and receive free admission to Saturday night’s volleyball match against NC State (based on availability).