No. 21 UNC volleyball stays undefeated beating Syracuse in four sets

No. 21 North Carolina defeated the Syracuse Orange in four sets on Sunday afternoon from the Women’s Building.  

It was a packed crowd at home, and despite the Orange having the crowd in their back pocket, the Tar Heels took the match 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-14, 25-13), staying undefeated in conference play with an 8-0 record. 

“We had multiple matches now, back-to-back-to-back, where we had a full arena,” head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam. “The fans were incredible, supportive, and very helpful when we competed today.”  

Gabby McLaughlin led the way for the Orange with 14 kills, while hitting .154 during the match.  

Skylar George also added 12 Kills, which is her fifth straight game with 10 or more kills.  

Tehya Maeva was honored during pre-game for her achievement of reaching 2,000 career assists, and she continued to show out for the Orange, adding 34 assists, generating plenty of offense for Syracuse.  

A back-and-forth first set, which saw eight ties and the Orange making it 23-22 at one point, but the Tar Heels’ hitting ability would be the ultimate prevailing factor, earning a 25-23 win in the first frame.  

The second set was one for the ages for the Orange, as they were down 8-4, but after the team rallied during a crucial stretch, they turned that momentum into a 24-22 lead and ultimately closed the frame 25-23.  

It wasn’t the fact that the Orange recorded 9 of the final 13 points that made it one for the ages; it was the fact that this was the first set win against a ranked opponent since 2021, when the Orange played then-ranked No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers, and Ganesharatnam’s first set win against a ranked opponent in his Syracuse tenure.  

“That’s what we’re building this program for, that’s what we’re building this team for, again, it’s been a process we’re in it, every year we’re trying to get closer and closer,” Ganesharatnam said.  

Set three would be a completely different tale than the first two, as the Tar Heels found their groove playing a complete game offensively and defensively. They would take full control, hitting .375, while the Orange were limited offensively as the Tar Heels would take the frame 25-14.  

The fourth set was played very similarly to the third set, with the Tar Heels taking an early 9-3 lead over the Orange, and then ultimately going on to win the fourth frame 25-13.  

With the loss against the Tar Heels, the Orange now fell to 4-4 in conference play and 12-5 overall.  

“I feel like we’ve improved a lot,” McLaughlin said. “I think all the teams that we’ve played in conference have been really great competition.”  

The Orange are back on the road this Wednesday against Boston College at 7 p.m. on the ACC Network.