GREENSBORO, NC – Theresa Hart, Catherine Hanners and Lisa Fawell each set a school record to lead the UNC Greensboro women's volleyball team to a 3-1 non-conference victory over Liberty on Tuesday evening at Fleming Gym.
UNCG (14-7) won by scores of 32-30, 28-30, 30-19 and 30-28.
All the records set were for a four-game match at UNCG. Hart recorded 26 kills and 25 digs to snap Kelley Evans' kill mark of 25 set back in 1997 against Davidson.
Hanners came up with 36 digs to break the previous record of 31, which was posted by Rebekah Faulise against Georgia Southern on October 17, 2004. Meanwhile, Fawell's 66 assists topped the 64 distributed by Robyn Jameson in 2000 against Georgia Southern.
In addition, sophomore Kaitlyn Nortz had 16 kills and six blocks, while junior Lauren Keiser put away a season-high 15 kills. Also, freshman Kayleigh Knerr had a season-high 27 digs.
Kendall Nichols led Liberty (5-12) with 15 kills and 15 digs, while May Alice Pike came up with 11 kills and 17 digs. Kallie Corbin led the Flames with 26 digs and 41 assists.
UNCG looked strong in the early going of game one with a 9-3 lead after a kill by Nortz. However, Liberty clawed back into it and made it a tight affair throughout. UNCG, which never trailed in the match, found itself in just the second tie of the game, 30-30, before a kill by Nortz and a Flame attack error game the Spartans a 1-0 lead with a 32-20 win. Hart paced UNCG with nine kills in game one.
Game two featured back and forth action will 11 lead changes. The Spartans led for the final time, 26-25, after a Liberty service error, but Pike came right back and squared the match with a kill to make it 26-26. With the game still tied up, 28-28, back-to-back attack errors by Hart gave Liberty a 30-28 win in game two.
After the intermission, UNCG came out and took control of game three with a 12-3 run midway through the game that gave the home team a 23-13 lead. The Flames never got closer than seven points the rest of the way as UNCG staked itself to a 2-1 lead with a commanding 30-19 win in game three. Hart had six points, while Nortz and Keiser each added three.
The fourth game mirrored the action of game two with both teams taking multiple leads throughout. But this time UNCG held on for the win. The game was tied for the final time, 26-26, when a crucial service error by Liberty put the Spartans ahead for good. Keiser would put the finishing touches on the match with a kill to send UNCG to its third straight win and fifth in the last seven games and improve to 4-1 at home.
UNCG gets back to Southern Conference action this weekend in Charleston, SC. The Spartans will play The Citadel on Friday at 7 pm and then take on the defending conference champion and first place College of Charleston on Saturday at 2 pm.
AGATE
UNC Greensboro def. Liberty 32-30, 28-30, 30-19, 30-28
Liberty (5-12) (Kills-aces-blocks) - NICHOLS, Kendall 15-0-5; PIKE, Mary Alice 11-2-4; BLACK, Autum 8-0-5; SANDERS, Alysson 8-1-1; WEBBER, Ashley 4-1-3; DENTON, Rachel 3-0-0; CORBIN, Kallie 3-4-2; STOW, Stephanie 0-0-1; BARTOLOMEO, Lara 0-2-0; Totals 52-10-13.0. (Assists) - CORBIN, Kallie 41. (Dig leaders) - CORBIN, Kallie 26; PIKE, Mary Alice 17; BARTOLOMEO, Lara 16; NICHOLS, Kendall 15; SANDERS, Alysson 14.
UNC Greensboro (14-7) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Theresa Hart 26-0-0; Kaitlyn Nortz 16-0-6; Lauren Keiser 15-0-0; Branagan Fuller 9-0-2; Liz Benzschawel 7-0-1; Lisa Fawell 0-2-5; Christin Heverly 0-2-0; Kayleigh Knerr 0-1-0; Totals 73-5-7.0. (Assists) - Lisa Fawell 66. (Dig leaders) - Catherine Hanners 36; Kayleigh Knerr 27; Theresa Hart 25; Christin Heverly 8.
- UNCG -
