Dec. 5, 2002

Box Score |  Quotes

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-North Carolina, the 11th seed, topped Winthrop 3-0 (30-24, 30-20, 30-18) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Carmichael Auditorium Thursday night. The Tar Heels advance to play South Carolina, which topped American in the first match 3-1, Friday at 7 p.m.

"Winthrop played a good match. It is tough to come into this environment in this situation and win a match," said head coach Joe Sagula. "We are delighted to be moving on to play South Carolina in the second round. Tomorrow will be a whole different match."

Senior middle hitter Holly Strauss led the Tar Heels with 12 kills and six total blocks while hitting .321. Logan Pierce had 13 kills for the Eagles, but also hit .000 with 13 errors. For Carolina, senior setter Eve Rackham had 33 assists while senior outside hitter Laura Greene and sophomore outside hitter Molly Pyles each recorded 19 digs.

The first game featured a strong defense on both sides, with the Tar Heels hitting .077 and the Eagles just .060. Pyles had a game-high 10 digs for Carolina. After that match was tied 1-1, Carolina went on an 11-2 run to take a 12-3 lead, but Winthrop would battle back with a run of its own to tie the score at 18-18 and 19-19. A Greene kill put UNC up for good 20-19 before taking the 1-0 lead 30-24.

In the second game, Carolina held Winthrop to a .056 hitting percentage and broke out offensively hitting .375 with 18 kills and just three errors. Strauss led the way for Carolina, hitting .500 with five kills and four block assists. After the game was tied 2-2, the Tar Heels broke out on a 10-3 run to build a 12-5 lead. The Tar heels continued to build a lead, holding an 11-point edge at 20-9. Winthrop closed the margin down the stretch, but North Carolina put the match away with a Strauss kill at 30-20.

Carolina's defense set the tone in the final game, winning 30-18 while holding Winthrop to a -.025 hitting percentage. Greene led the Tar Heels with seven digs in the game.

North Carolina meets South Carolina in the second round Friday night at 7. The Tar Heels hold the all-time series edge 10-5, with the last meeting coming in the 2001 NCAA Tournament in Carmichael, a 3-1 UNC win.