TUSCON, Ariz. – The Carolina volleyball team suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday afternoon, falling to UC Davis in four sets in McKale Memorial Center.
The Tar Heels finished their season-opening weekend at the Cactus Classic, hosted by the University of Arizona in Tucson, with a 2-1 record, tallying wins over Arizona and Pacific.
Over the course of 24 hours, the Tar Heels played 14 sets of volleyball over the course of three matches.
Freshman Romani Thurman led the offense against the Aggies with a match-best 14 kills, her third double-digit performance of the weekend. The Little Rock, Ark., native, finished the tournament with 37 kills and 11 blocks.
Zoe Behrendt had three of Carolina’s seven aces, a 7-5 advantage the Tar Heels held in the match.
Carolina’s offense struggled, with the Aggies tallying 12 blocks and holding the Tar Heels to a .160 hitting clip, including a -0.056 fourth set.
“This weekend I think we did a good job of coming out and trusting each other and fighting until the end,” Thurman said. “It’s hard when you’re coming out with new players and a new coach, but I think we did a good job of figuring it out and working together to do what we know we can do.”
Up next, the Tar Heels return to Carmichael Arena for the home opener on Thursday when they host West Virginia at 6 p.m.
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