STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – An upset-minded Yale volleyball team took the first set 25-18 against eighth-seeded North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night at Penn State's Rec Hall. But the Tar Heels responded by winning the second set 25-13, then overcame an early 9-4 Yale lead to take the fourth set 25-17. UNC then finished off the 3-1 win with a 25-20 win in the fourth.
Yale, the Ivy League Co-Champion and Tournament Champion, finishes the season with a 19-6 overall record (12-2 Ivy League). UNC (23-7, 14-6 ACC) advances to the second round to face the No. 1 seed Penn State, which beat Delaware State 3-0 Friday night.
Statistical Leaders
- Betsy Goodenow had 17 kills, the most of any player in the match (Emani' Foster led Penn State with 13).
- Gigi Barr added 10 kills and hit .350, as did Laurece Abraham (nine kills).
- Cara Shultz had a team-best 10 digs and three service aces.
- Carly Diehl had 42 assists, matching her total from last year's NCAA first-round match against Penn State in Kansas.
Set 1 Recap
- After the set was tied 1-1, 2-2, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6 and 7-7, the Bulldogs went on a 3-0 run to start separating from the Tar Heels. Barr had two kills and Lauren Kellen had the other in that span. UNC got within one twice after that, but a 10-4 run by the Bulldogs closed out the 25-18 win. Goodenow and Kellen finished with six kills each.
Set 2 Recap
- After Yale closed within 10-8 on a Payton Bryan kill, UNC went on a 7-1 run and never looked back, finishing with a 25-13 win.
Set 3 Recap
- A kill by Abraham capped a 9-4 start for Yale, but UNC gradually chipped away at that lead and eventually tied the score 14-14. The Tar Heels then scored the next nine points. A UNC attack error momentarily disrupted the momentum, but the Tar Heels regrouped to claim the win 25-17.
Set 4 Recap
- Trailing 7-1 early, the Bulldogs did not go quietly. They rallied to tie the score 11-11 on a UNC attack error (with the block by Goodenow and Barr). The Tar Heels went ahead 23-14 before another Yale run, this one 6-1. UNC finally put the Bulldogs away, 25-20, on a kill by Mabrey Shaffmaster.
Notes
- This was Yale's 10th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bulldogs have now taken a set off their opponent in each of the last two appearances, the first time they have done that since 2012-2013 (lost to Bowling Green 3-2 in 2012, lost to Utah 3-1 in 2013). The Bulldogs won first round matches in 2004 (3-1 over Albany at Lee Amphitheater) and 2008 (3-2 over Ohio).
- Yale head coach Erin Appleman and her daughter Emma both competed in this year's NCAA Tournament. Emma is a senior setter for the College of Charleston, which earned the automatic bid out of the Coastal Athletic Association and fell 3-0 at Utah Thursday.
- Diehl concludes her career with 3,668 assists – second all-time in program history. Jacqueline Becker (2002-05) is the all-time leader with 4,222.
- This was the final match for Diehl, Shultz, Bella Chan, Fatima Samb and Mila Yarich, Yale's five graduating seniors. That group has led Yale to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, three Ivy League Championships and three Ivy League Tournament Championships.
Head Coach Erin Appleman
- "I'm really proud of the effort that we gave. It's sad to see the seniors leave, and I'm just really thrilled with what we did tonight. Wish we could have at least gone five, but I still feel like we did a good job representing Yale and the Ivy League tonight."
- On her 10th NCAA appearance: "Every one is special. The neatest thing about being a fall sport is every semester is a different team, and every team has its quirks and its special things. This group was just a really hard-working group. Basically we've had a very similar lineup for three straight years. We're going to be starting fresh, and it will be interesting. For me, coming back to Penn State [where she was an assistant coach] is always a pleasant thing."
Betsy Goodenow
- On the keys to her 17 kill night: "Being aggressive – we talked a lot about that, especially in the second half of the season, with me and with everybody on the team just going for it. I think that worked. It was fun."
Gigi Barr
- On winning the first set: "We came out firing. That's something that we've talked about all season, having a great start. We've had a few great moments and that was absolutely one of them, one of the best in my career for sure. We just came out, we believed in ourselves. We had the confidence and we knew that we could compete with that team, and that's exactly what we did."
Cara Shultz
- On concluding her Yale career: "I just love this team. It's really inspiring to be coached by such a fierce coach, and to have such a fierce team behind her. I just love this team. And I've loved every team that I've been on, and I think that's just great recruiting. The relationships we've built go so much deeper than volleyball. I treat every girl on our team like a sister – and I even got to play with my sister, which is also awesome. I really do just love this team, and I'm proud of how we fought tonight. I'm proud of our team, through it all."
