Nov. 25, 2006

Box Score

COLLEGE PARK, Md. --- Amy Beaver had 17 kills and eight blocks in her final career match, but North Carolina fell to Maryland in five games, 30-25, 26-30, 32-30, 21-30, 15-12, Saturday afternoon at the Comcast Center Pavilion. Maryland's Jade Brown led all players with 27 kills, while UNC's Brianna Eskola had a match-high 24 digs.

Game one was close throughout, but Carolina (11-20, 9-13 Atlantic Coast Conference) held a late three-point lead at 24-21. The Maryland block would turn the tide, however, as the Terrapins won nine of the final 10 points to take a 30-25 win. The Terps got three of their six blocks in the final nine points, including a stuff by Katie Usher and Mary Beth Brown to seal it.

UNC opened game two with a 12-3 run fueled by four straight kills by Beaver. Maryland pulled within one on several occasions, the last coming at 23-22, but Carolina never relinquished the lead on the way to a 20-26 win. Megan Owens, who had a team-high 18 kills on the day, put down the game-winner.

Game three featured 21 ties and eight lead changes and ended in a 32-30 win for the Terps. Beaver and Lauren Prussing teamed up for a block to fight off Maryland's first game point at 29-28, and Prussing notched a kill at 30-29 to spoil another. But Usher got a side out to give the Terps a third game point, and a Carolina attack error gave Maryland a 2-1 lead.

Carolina broke open a tie game with a 14-5 closing run to end game four, squaring the match at 2 with a 30-21 win. The difference was eight Terrapin ball handling errors, as Maryland outhit the Tar Heels .200-.194.

Jade Brown had six kills on seven errorless swings in the final game to lead Maryland to a 15-12 match-sealing win. Carolina trailed 8-5 at the changeover before pulling within one at 11-10 on Beaver's final kill of the match. The Terps would stretch the lead out to four to get to match point at 14-10. A Stephanie Jansma kill and a block by Beaver and Jansma extended the match to 14-12, but Mary Beth Brown delivered the game-winner a point later.

Eskola concluded one of the best defensive seasons in school history with 574 digs. That is the third-highest single-season total in Carolina history, and her 5.12 digs/game average ranks No. 2 at UNC. Beaver concludes her Tar Heel career with 347 block assists, the third-best total ever at Carolina.