Nov. 10, 2006

Box Score

CHAPEL HILL --- Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland had a career-high 17 kills and Stephanie Jansma had 56 assists, 17 digs, five blocks and four kills as North Carolina scored a five-game victory over Clemson, 18-30, 26-30, 30-24, 30-20, 17-15, Friday night at Carmichael Auditorium. Jeannette Abbott led all players with 23 kills to lead the Tigers, while Brianna Eskola had a match-high 24 digs.

Carolina (8-18, 6-11 Atlantic Coast Conference) was unable to overcome a sluggish start thanks to the hot hitting of Clemson, as the Tigers took game one, 30-18. The visitors, who hit .414 for the frame, ran out to an 11-3 lead and never relinquished the advantage. Clemson (16-8, 11-5 ACC) also held the advantage behind the service line, registering five aces for the game. Lia Procter led the way for the Tigers, chipping in five kills on just seven attempts.

Game two was close throughout, but Carolina was unable to put together a sustained run and Clemson triumphed, 30-26. After tying the score at 7, the Tar Heels committed three straight attack errors to give the Tigers a working lead that they would maintain for the duration. The Clemson lead swelled to six at 20-14 behind the hitting of Abbott, who had eight kills in the stanza. UNC cut the lead back to three several times in the late stages but could get no closer.

After struggling through two games, the Tar Heels put together a complete effort to claim game three, 30-24. Clemson held an 18-14 lead midway through the frame before the momentum turned toward UNC. A kill by Megan Owens and back-to-back blocks trimmed the deficit to one, and a Hanson-Tuntland kill tied it at 19. Carolina would close on an 11-5 run to seal it, with Heather Brooks putting a ball down for game point. The Tar Heel defense was the difference, holding the Tigers to a hitting percentage of .080 and posting 24 digs.

UNC closed game four on an 18-6 run to cruise to a 30-20 win. Trailing 14-11, Carolina caught fire. Led by Amy Beaver, who contributed three blocks, two kills and an ace in an 11-point stretch, the Tar Heels built a six-point lead and forced Clemson to use both of its timeouts. The stoppages did little to slow down Carolina, however, as the hosts surrendered just four points the rest of the way. Hanson-Tuntland's fifth kill of the frame ended it, forcing a deciding game five.

Carolina started the final game just as they had ended game four. Beaver notched two kills and two blocks to give the Tar Heels an 8-4 lead going into the changeover. A block by Brooks and Hanson-Tuntland pushed the UNC lead to 13-6 and it looked like the Tar Heels had sealed the match. But a spirited run by Clemson brought the Tigers all the way back to even at 13. The two squads traded side outs before Clemson got a match point at 15-14. But Lauren Prussing scored on a tip to extend the match, and Hanson-Tuntland and Beaver combined for a block to give UNC match point at 16-15. Prussing finally ended it with a kill, giving Carolina a thrilling come-from-behind victory.

Next up for the Tar Heels is Georgia Tech. First serve for Sunday's match is set for 1 p.m.