Unlike the five-game thriller last month in the Dean Dome, Saturday's volleyball match in Cameron Indoor Stadium was controlled solely by one team--North Carolina. The Tar Heels (19-11, 10-6 in the ACC) ended the Blue Devils' (10-18, 6-10) regular season on Senior Night, sweeping Duke 3-0.
"I'm not surprised we won like we did," UNC senior Aletha Green said. "We have gotten better, it just depends on how we decide to come out and play. For us, it is internal. We have to want it more than the other team, I think we did tonight."
From the start, North Carolina's aggressive play created trouble for the Blue Devils. The Tar Heels opened the match on a 7-1 run with the help of several blocks from junior Norma Cortez and Green.
The conservative tactics from the Blue Devils could not stop the Tar Heels aggressive offense, as North Carolina hit .300 for the game. As a result, the Tar Heels took an early lead by capturing the first game 30-20.
"We were aggressive and competitive in our last meeting, but we didn't have the passion tonight," senior Krista Dill said.
With the start of the second game, the Blue Devils seemed to have new life, as the two teams were even at 17. After calling a timeout, North Carolina went on a 13-4 run, giving them a 30-21 victory and 2-0 advantage in the match.
"We did not take advantage of the opportunities that were given to us, and we were unable to dig ourselves out of a hole when we were in one," Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said.
Mirroring the second game, the third was tied at 16 before a Blue Devil timeout. Then, the Tar Heels increased the pressured and cruised to a 30-24 victory.
The key contributors to North Carolina's success were junior Molly Pyles with 14 kills and 17 digs, and Green, who added 11 kills and six blocks. The Blue Devils were led by freshman Nana Meriwether and Dill, combining for 19 of Duke's 41 kills.
"It was a very disappointing performance," coach Nagel said. "I feel like we did not play like we practice every day. We were frozen."
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