The last time Boston College volleyball defeated North Carolina was in 2018, when the Eagles swept the Tar Heels for the first time ever.
Seven years later on a Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C., BC fell yet again to North Carolina 3–1, giving the Tar Heels a 26–1 advantage in the all-time series.
While the Eagles (7–7, 0–2 Atlantic Coast) dominated the matchup in the first few plays of the first set, UNC (10–1, 2–0) then took control of the matchup, capitalizing off consecutive BC service errors, and the Tar Heels never looked back from that point on.
The first set went back and forth with four lead changes and 11 ties—until BC’s sloppiness began to show in the last few volleys. The Tar Heels went on a 6–0 run in the latter end of the first set, taking the lead 24–18. BC prevented the Tar Heels from ending the set with the first set point following a service error by UNC’s Zoe Behrendt, but the Tar Heels were able to close it out with a kill to make the score 25–19.
After the first set, it seemed as if the Eagles’ chances of taking a set were rapidly diminishing, and that a UNC sweep was in the works. But BC would not go down so easily.
While UNC started the second set with a 3–0 lead off two consecutive kills and a BC service error, the tables started to turn for BC. Slowly, the Eagles chipped away at the Tar Heels’ advantage.
After a Jackie Taylor kill for UNC to bring the score to a 18–16 Tar Heel lead, BC started to heat up. After going on a 6–1 run, the Eagles held a 22–18 lead.
A few minutes later, with the score tied 24–24, the teams battled for a second frame victory. BC ended the set victorious after a bad set by UNC’s Mabrey Shaffmaster and an attack error by Chelsea Thorpe.
The Tar Heels tallied 13 kills in the second frame compared to BC’s 17, giving the Eagles an edge going into the third frame.
But the next two sets proved to be less than successful for the Eagles.
Even though BC took the first point of the third set, which it had failed to do in previous sets, the Eagles were unable to sustain consistency in their on-net attacks and blocks.
With the score at a 16–16 standstill in the third set, UNC’s Shaffmaster launched herself into the air, swiftly slamming the ball into BC’s side of the court. But they were not done. Point after point, UNC hammered the BC defense as it went on a 6–0 run.
After a powerful UNC stretch, the Eagles were unable to stand their ground, and the Tar Heels took the set 25–23 going into the final set.
UNC closed the game by capturing the fourth set with hardly any opposition. With just nine kills in the final frame, the Eagles were no threat against the Tar Heels’ 15 kills.
The difference maker for UNC was Shaffmaster, who posted 19 kills in the match alone. The Tar Heel trio of Shaffmaster, Safi Hampton, and Alexis Engelbrecht each notched double-digit kills against their ACC opponent.
Ending their weekend with a loss in UNC, BC walked away with yet another disappointing series.
Despite starting 6–1 on the 2024 season, the Eagles have since dropped six of their last seven, with Sunday’s matchup marking its third consecutive loss in the past two weekends.
Coming off losses to LSU and San Diego to end the LSU Invitational last weekend, BC entered its Friday game against Duke having lost four of its last six games.
Duke, too, came into the match on a two-game losing streak after leaving the Big Ten/ACC Challenge last week 0–2 with losses to Michigan State and Michigan.
BC failed to capitalize on a 4–1 opening lead and traded the lead four times in the first set. Although the Eagles ultimately secured a 25–22 win in the first set on a kill from Halle Schroder, they dropped three and ultimately surrendered a 3–2 loss to Duke.
In another tight second set, the Eagles and Blue Devils began tied at 4–4 and remained close until an ace from Morgan Riddle and a kill from Schroder forced a Duke timeout. Following the timeout, Duke took a 21–19 lead and closed out the set 25–22 to tie the match.
The Eagles finally broke through a close third set, finding a 22–17 lead late in the set. While a late rally from the Blue Devils seemed promising, the Eagles won the set 25–21 after a commanding kill from Sam Hoppes at the net.
Coming into the fourth set 2–1, the Eagles lost momentum early on and were only able to respond to the Blue Devils’ advance with a late four point run to cut the gap to 24–20. Duke won the set 25–20 to equalize the match, sending both teams into a game-deciding fifth set.
Trading points early in the fifth set, the Eagles held the Blue Devils to a one-point game until Duke pulled ahead 13–11, and eventually earned a 15–12 win.
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