FIRESTONE FIELDHOUSE, DEC. 2 — Women’s Volleyball swept UNC, 3-0, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16.
The team is now 6-0 in set wins in the post-season.
While they have enjoyed home court advantage thus far, this year Hawaii hosts the next leg of the NCAA Tournament. Pepperdine will face Kansas State on Dec. 9.
“Everyone comes to support us [at home],” senior Stevi Robinson said. “We’re definitely going to miss it.”
The Pepperdine squad cruised through the first two rounds of play, rolling over the Tar Heels, 25-20, 25-22 and 25-22.
On the other hand, Kansas State barely upset No. 2-ranked Nebraska in five sets.
“It’s going to be the underdogs playing the underdogs,” head coach Nina Matthies said.
During the match against UNC, the Waves dominated the first set. Women’s volleyball managed to stay in control despite the strong emotional play of North Carolina.
Tar Heel junior Emily McGee nearly brought her team back, earning two points to close the gap late in the set, 21-17. However, a mistake by McGee also led to her team’s loss, as the Waves proved to be too much for them to handle (25-20).
In the second set, North Carolina put up a fight, tying the Waves 14 times. They took their largest lead of the match, 13-11.
McGee tried to put her team on her back again to maintain a handle on the set, yet junior Victoria Adelhelm recorded a kill and a block to regain the lead for the Waves, 18-16. Freshman Katie Messing closed out the set, 25-22.
Entering the third set, the Waves hit the ground running with a commanding 3-0 lead. The crowd came alive and the ladies knew what was at stake.
A flurry of blocks and kills resulted in a change of demeanor for the Waves. The momentum appeared be on their side, until back-to-back out of bounds calls allowed the Tar Heels to catch up, 16-15.
As McGee then scored a pair of points to gain a 20-19 lead for North Carolina, Matthies quickly signaled for a timeout to calm her team. It proved to be a good decision, triggering a 3-0 run for the Waves (21-20).
Ultimately an out of bounds call ended the match, 25-22, and also ended North Carolina’s season.
“I was really proud of the kids today,” Matthies said. “[North Carolina’s] outside hitters tore us apart, but we handled everyone else.”
UNC head coach Joe Sagula explained why his team lost, and also had words of praise and encouragement for the Waves.
“Our defense and blocking wasn’t as strong as it has been,” Sagula said. “Pepperdine had a lot of answers. Their serving was the toughest we’ve seen in the last two weeks.
“I give a huge advantage to Pepperdine [in the remainder of the NCAA Tournament]. They had a total game, they were composed, and they’re doing really well.”
Sagula even went as far as to claim the Waves have a shot at reaching the Elite 8, but before that happens, the Waves first need to handle their opponents in Honolulu.
In the post-game press conference, Robinson said she was prepared to face the Wildcats, and according to Matthies, the Waves have a “great fan base in Hawaii.”
