CHATTANOOGA, TN – Leslee Ball tallied a match-high 25 kills as Chattanooga defeated UNC Greensboro, 3-0 in Southern Conference volleyball action at Maclellan Gym on Saturday afternoon.
UNCG (12-11, 5-4 SoCon) was led by Kaitlyn Nortz, who tallied a team-high 16 kills. Katherine Hart and Kayren Finney also tallied double-digit kills with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. The Spartans also had three players with double-digit digs and were led by Catherine Hanners who tallied 20 digs in the loss.
Chattanooga (12-8, 7-1) was led by Ball who posted a .500 hitting percentage with 25 kills on 38 attempts with only six errors. Laura Newberry led the way on the defensive side of things with a match-high 28 digs. Teammates Bethany Herndon and Jamie Engel also had double-digit digs with 17 and 12, respectively.
In game one the Spartans kept things close early and took a 4-1 lead with a Chattanooga error and kills from Hart and Nortz. Chattanooga got their offense going and tied the game at 5-5 before going on a 9-3 run midway through the game to pull ahead 15-8. The Lady Mocs didn't look back and took game one 30-23.
The second game started much like the first game with the Spartans pulling out to an early 4-1 lead. Chattanooga cut the lead to 11-8 behind kills from Ball and Herndon before rattling off four consecutive points to take a 13-12 lead. UNCG wouldn't go away and forced two ties down the stretch. With Chattanooga leading 27-26, the Spartans couldn't stop the Mocs offense as they took a 2-0 match advantage with a 30-26 victory.
The third game was a hard fought game which featured nine ties. The teams traded points for the better part of the game before Chattanooga tallied three consecutive points to take a 17-13 lead but a 4-2 run by the Spartans cut the lead to 19-18. With the game tied at 29-29 the Spartans couldn't pull it out as Chattanooga took the game and the match with a 31-29 win.
The Spartans continue their road swing as they head to Cullowhee, NC to take on Western Carolina on Sunday. First serve is set for 2 pm at the Ramsey Center.
AGATE
Chattanooga def. UNC Greensboro 30-23,30-26,31-29
UNC Greensboro (12-10, 5-4) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Kaitlyn Nortz 16-0-5; Katherine Hart 12-0-1; Kayren Finney 11-0-2; Branagan Fuller 9-1-2; Alissa Beaudway 3-0-1; Catherine Hanners 0-1-0; Lisa Fawell 0-0-4; Totals 51-2-8.0. (Assists) - Lisa Fawell 40. (Dig leaders) -Catherine Hanners 20; Branagan Fuller 10; Kayleigh Knerr 10; Katherine Hart 8
Chattanooga (12-8, 7-1) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Leslee Ball 25-2-2; Aurore Kullak 9-0-0; Bethany Herndon 6-0-1; Julianna Martinez 5-0-0; Jamie Engel 5-1-0; Sarah Bass 5-0-1; Lara Newberry 0-1-0; Totals 55-4-2.0. (Assists) - Bethany Herndon 41. (Dig leaders) – Lara Newberry 28; Bethany Herndon 17; Jamie Engel 12; Bailee Chastain 9
- UNCG -
