Oct. 18, 2002

Box Score

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - No. 11 North Carolina won its 11th consecutive match Friday night, defeating Maryland 30-24, 30-26, 25-30, 30-19 in Ritchie Coliseum to improve to 19-1 overall and 6-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Senior outside hitter Laura Greene led the way with 20 kill and 12 digs as two other Tar Heels recorded double-doubles. Senior setter Eve Rackham had a team high 44 assists and 18 digs, while sophomore outside hitter and reigning ACC Player of the Week Molly Pyles recorded 12 kills and 11 digs. Senior outside hitter Malaika Underwood also picked up 16 digs on the night.

The Terrapins started the game with a 3-0 run, but Carolina answered with a 3-0 run of their own started by a Greene kill. The Tar Heels were again down 9-10, but Rackham found a hole in the center of the Maryland defense for the kill to tie the game 10-10. Greene gave Carolina their first lead of the match with a cross-court kill off a Maryland defender. The Tar Heels found themselves behind 17-20, but two consecutive kills by Pyles trimmed the lead to 19-20, and two points later Greene again tield the game with a kill. Carolina then took the lead for good an a Terrapin attack error, with Underwood sealing the match 30-24 with a kill.

Maryland took an early lead on Carolina in the second game, holding a three-point advantage at 15-12 before the Tar Heels took the lead on a 9-0 run that included a pair of kills by Greene and a pair of Tar Heel blocks to build a 21-16 advantage. The visitors would hold on to the lead from there, clinching the match when a serve by Maryland's Amanda Ayres went long.

Carolina held its last lead at 11-10 in the third game, as the Terripins held on to a slim lead throughout before winning 30-25. The Tar Heels fought to within two points at 26-24, but Maryland went on a 4-1 run from there with Jennifer Dewalt sealing the win with a kill for the final point of the game.

The Tar Heels took the first point of a game for the first time in the match before cruising to a 30-19 win to take the match 3-1. Carolina hit .438 in the game to Maryland's .171 in the game. A Pyles kill gave Carolina 13-9 edge in the match and three points later an Underwood ace gave UNC a seven point lead, its largest of the game. With a 24-18 lead, three of the last six Carolina points came on Greene kills including the kill that clinched the game 30-19.

Carolina travels to Charlottesville, Va. tomorrow night to take on Virginia at 6 p.m. in University Hall following the UNC vs. Virginia football game.