Virginia Closes Fall with 3-1 Loss at North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Senior Christine Jarman (Boynton Beach, Fla.) recorded her first double-double as a Cavalier with 12 kills and 11 digs, but Virginia (1-8, 0-8 ACC) fell two points shy of forcing a decisive fifth set in a 25-20, 22-25, 25-17, 25-23, loss at North Carolina (6-2, 6-2 ACC) on Sunday (Nov. 1) to close the fall schedule.

Jarman’s 12 kills matched fellow senior Sarah Billiard (Matthews, N.C.) for the team lead. Junior Milla Ciprian (St. John’s, Fla.) added 10 kills to give Virginia three players in double figures. Billiard hit a team-best .417, setting a season high for the right side.

North Carolina also had three players in double figures, led by 16 kills from Carly Peck. Aziah Buckner added 14 and Destiny Cox 10 to balance out a Tar Heel attack that hit .252 on the match. UNC also added nine aces to its victorious effort.

SET 1: UNC 25-20

North Carolina opened the match on a 5-2 run thanks to strong service pressure which kept Virginia from recording an attack in the early points. Leading 11-9, UNC used a kill and block to extend its lead to four and force an early Cavalier timeout.

Ciprian and Jarman each produced kills in a 3-0 Virginia run that pulled the Cavaliers within a point at 14-13. Jarman’s kill was one of seven for her in the first set. The Tar Heels would slowly edge their lead out to 20-16 and finished the set hitting .400 as a team to take the opener.

SET 2: Virginia 25-22

After North Carolina opened a 4-2 lead early, two kills from Grace Turner (Cincinnati, Ohio) and an ace from Alex Spencer (North Canton, Ohio) flipped the advantage to the Cavaliers. UNC seemed to take control in the middle of the set, building a 20-16 lead.

Jarman and Mattison Matthews (Charleston, S.C.) helped Virginia back into the set with a kill each while also teaming up for a block to pull the Hoos within 21-20. Ciprian would key a 5-0 run to end the set, flooring a kill before getting her hands on a UNC attack to earn the final point as Virginia claimed a come-from-behind win.

SET 3: UNC 25-17

With a 9-7 lead, North Carolina rattled off a 6-0 run to build a 15-7 lead. The Cavaliers opened the frame hitting negative-.176 with seven errors during UNC’s run. Each team finished the set with just eight kills in a defensive frame, but Virginia committed nine errors to hit below zero while UNC added five aces in the set to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

SET 4: UNC 25-23

Jayna Francis (Virginia Beach, Va.) made an immediate impact in the fourth by teaming up with Czhen Beneby (West Palm Beach, Fla.) for a block and then flooring a kill in a 7-2 start for Virginia. After UNC pulled within 10-9, Beneby recorded a pair of kills to help Virginia rebuild a three-point lead. Francis would add two kills and join Ciprian in a block to key a 3-0 Virginia run that grew the lead to 16-11.

UNC responded with a 6-0 run to take a 18-17 lead before the Cavaliers could steady the momentum. The two teams would trade points to a 23-23 deadlock before Peck floored back-to-back kills to give UNC the win.

QUICK HITS

• The double-double was Jarman’s sixth of her career, including her freshman season at Alabama
• Jarman’s 11 digs matched her UVA-best set in 2019 at Miami
• Ciprian added four blocks to her 10-kill night and hit a season-best .409
• Beneby finished the night with two kills on three swings and added two blocks
• Megan Wilson (Brookeville, Md.) dished out 46 assists to eclipse 2,400 in her career

UP NEXT

Sunday’s match marked the end of Virginia’s fall schedule in the 2020 season. Details on an anticipated spring resumption of play will be announced at a later date.