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6 p.m.
Volleyball
at Coastal Carolina
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Wednesday, November 26
Chapel Hill, N.C.
2:00 PM
Duke University
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at
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North Carolina
No. 7 North Carolina Escapes No. 21 Duke in Five
11/26/2014 6:39:00 PM | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – In a back-and-forth battle between two of the ACC's elite, No. 7 North Carolina found a way to elude No. 21 Duke's upset bid, escaping the Blue Devils 3-2 (19-25, 26-24, 19-25, 32-30, 13-15) Wednesday afternoon at Carmichael Arena.
After North Carolina's (25-2, 16-1 ACC) vaunted defense limited Duke's (21-7, 13-4) dynamic duo of Emily Sklar and Jeme Obeime to 10 kills in the teams' previous encounter Oct. 19, the pair combined for an astounding 50 kills in the rematch. Both Blue Devil outside hitters registered career highs as Sklar led all players with 26 kills and Obeime poured in 24.
In addition, Sklar picked up a career-best 22 digs, registering her sixth-straight double-double in the process. Sklar's 22 digs paced the Blue Devils, followed by libero Sasha Karelov's 18 and defensive specialist Chloe DiPasquale's career-high 15.
The teams were almost dead even in kills and digs with North Carolina owning narrow 76-75 and 98-97 advantages, respectively. The biggest statistical edge went to UNC's defense, which entered Wednesday leading the league in both opponent hitting percentage and blocks. The Tar Heels totaled 17.5 blocks and limited the Blue Devils to a .184 hitting percentage. Duke had hit under .200 just three other times this season.
UNC libero Ece Taner picked up a match-high 30 digs to contribute to the Tar Heels' defensive presence.
Three Tar Heels – Leigh Andrew, Jordyn Schnabl and Abigail Curry – notched double-doubles. Andrew led North Carolina with 18 kills while also chipping in with 15 digs. Schnabl and Curry, both setters, combined for 59 assists and 26 digs.
Duke won five of the first eight points to start the match, but surrendered the lead following a 3-1 UNC run. Up 11-10, the Tar Heels knocked down four-straight kills to take command of the frame. The Blue Devils were able to trim the margin to three at 19-16. However, a service error and subsequent ace nullified the threat and North Carolina went on to capture the set, 25-19.
Obeime tallied four kills to pace the Duke offense in the opening frame. The Blue Devils struggled to find a rhythm, hitting .103 in the first set.
After totaling 11 kills in the set one, Duke amassed 22 in the second. Duke dashed to an early lead, using eight kills and a pair of blocks to take a 10-2 advantage. The Blue Devils built a 17-10 lead before the Tar Heels made their move, putting together a 9-2 spurt that tied the frame at 19-all.
With the lead gone, the Blue Devils turned to Obeime, who dropped three of her seven second-set kills over the next four points. The Tar Heels continued to fight, tying the score at 23-23 on a block. Sklar answered with a kill, one of her seven in the second set, and added back-to-back kills to clinch a 26-24 Duke win.
The Blue Devils got off to a strong start in the third before giving way to a late Tar Heel rally. Duke used 11 kills to build a 14-10 margin, but recorded just two kills the rest of the way. North Carolina outscored the Blue Devils 15-4 over the remainder of the frame, winning it 15-19.
Led by Andrew's six kills, North Carolina hit .357 in the third set compared to Duke's .122 clip. The Tar Heels capitalized on 5.0 blocks, including three from Paige Neuefeldt.
Neuenfeldt was one of two Tar Heels to accumulate a match-high eight blocks, joined by Victoria McPherson.
Duke shook off a sluggish fourth-set beginning and fought off five match points to extend the contest with a 32-30 win. UNC had match point at 24-23 before a Sklar kill knotted the score. The Tar Heels took a one point lead four more times, but each time Duke had the answer to tie the set. A UNC service error brought the set to a 30-30 stalemate and the Blue Devils finished off the marathon frame with consecutive Sklar kills.
Sklar totaled 11 kills in the fourth while Obeime had five.
In the fifth and final frame, Duke opened with a 5-4 advantage. North Carolina countered with five unanswered points. Down 9-5, the Blue Devils outscored the Tar Heels 5-1, including two Sklar kills and a Laura Williams ace. UNC won the next two points and the teams traded tallies before a Chaniel Nelson kill sent UNC to victory.
With the win, North Carolina clinched at least a share of the 2014 ACC Championship.
Duke wraps up the regular season Saturday, Nov. 29 at NC State. The Blue Devils will discover their NCAA Tournament fate Sunday, Nov. 30.
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