With a minute and six seconds left to play in Thursday night’s game against Pittsburgh, a familiar face bounded off the North Carolina bench and onto the court.
Paige Neuenfeldt — senior middle hitter and star of the UNC volleyball team — made her debut on the women’s basketball roster when North Carolina (14-14, 4-9 ACC) gave up a 76-60 loss against Pittsburgh (12-14, 4-9 ACC).
An All-ACC first-team member for her junior and senior seasons, Neuenfeldt didn’t want to end her athletic career.
“I’m not really doing anything now that volleyball’s over,” she said, “so I couldn’t really get a hold of the non-student-athlete life that well.