CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia dropped a ranked battle to No. 25 North Carolina at Memorial Gymnasium on Sunday.
The Cavaliers (5-10, 1-5 ACC) were led by middle Emily Fowler and outside hitter Reese Wuebker with six kills apiece while Fowler also led the Hoos with four blocks. Outside hitter Safi Hampton led the Tar Heels (11-3, 6-0 ACC) with 10 kills while fellow pin hitters Laynie Smith and Chelsea Thorpe had eight each. Smith also contributed six blocks while middle Jackie Taylor led the team with six.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: North Carolina 25 (1), Virginia 13 (0)
The Hoos battled early as a kill from Emily Fowler evened it at 4-4, but the Tar Heels ran away with the opening set after a 7-1 run put them ahead 11-5. Virginia got it back within three at 12-9 though a strong finish from North Carolina saw the Tar Heels claim 13 of the final 17 points.
Set 2: North Carolina 25 (2), Virginia 16 (0)
Virginia claimed an early 3-1 lead but Carolina stormed back with a 6-0 run and never trailed for the remainder of the set. Virginia got within one 13-12 with a 4-0 run fueled by a pair of Fowler blocks, though the Tar Heels closed on a 12-4 run, which included the final six points of the set.
Set 3: North Carolina 25 (3), Virginia 15 (0)
Virginia earned the first three points of the set, including a pair of blocks from Caroline Lang and Lauryn Bowie, though the Tar Heels followed with a 4-0 run and led the rest of the way. The Hoos stayed within one at 9-8 and 10-9, but a 10-1 Carolina run put the UNC lead at 21-11 before the teams split the final eight points.
MATCH NOTES
- The match with North Carolina was Virginia’s second against a ranked opponent. The Hoos fell at No. 13 Stanford last Saturday.
QUOTABLE
“Their stats show that they’re a great blocking team so we knew that going in. All week we had worked on attacking the hands. I thought we did a great job of that against Duke, and we got a lot of scoring and a lot of great opportunities. They [UNC] are just fast. They’re big and physical on the pins and their middles are big and physical. They close the seams really fast and we’re just not used to seeing that in our own gym. I thought in the first set we didn’t adjust very well, and in the second and third sets we did a much better job.” - head coach Shannon Wells.
NEXT UP
The Commonwealth Clash returns next week, with Virginia hosting Virginia Tech at Memorial Gym on Wednesday before facing the Hokies again in Blacksburg on Friday.