SPARTANBURG, SC The UNC Greensboro volleyball team picked up a Southern Conference road win, with a 3-1 victory over Wofford on Sunday afternoon in Benjamin Johnson Arena. UNCG won the match by scores of 22-30, 30-27, 30-24 and 30-23.
UNCG (15-13, 8-6 SoCon) had three players with double-digit kills and was led by Branagan Fuller who tallied a match-high 17 kills. Emily Lindborg and Alissa Beaudway also tallied 14 and 10 kills, respectively in the win. The Spartans also had four players with double-digit digs. Catherine Hanners led the way with 18 digs on the afternoon.
Shanna Hughes and Stacy Byrd led Wofford (9-18, 2-12 SoCon). Hughes tallied a team-high 13 kills in the loss while Byrd contributed 12 kills. Hughes also led the Terriers on defense with 19 digs.
The Spartans found themselves in a battle in game one which featured three ties in the opening minutes. Wofford was able to take a 13-10 lead and didn't look back. The Spartans were able to get as close as one point at 22-21 but the Terriers went on an 8-1 run to close the game, taking game one 30-22.
UNCG rebounded in game two and opened with a 6-0 run. Wofford would fight back and managed to take a 15-14 lead after forcing several ties. The teams traded points for the rest of the game with neither team taking more than a one point lead. The Spartans were able to take control down the stretch and with a 28-26 lead used kills from Kayren Finney to take a 30-27 victory to tie the match.
The third game was much like the other two and featured several ties and lead changes. UNCG was able to capitalize on a bad set from Wofford's Joanna Suddath and a kill from Fuller to take a 22-19 lead before going on an 8-5 run to take a 30-24 win and 2-1 match lead.
Wofford looked like they were going to run away early in the fourth game, opening with a 5-0 run but the Spartans kept their composure and used a 10-3 run to take a 10-9 lead and didn't trail after that point. The Terriers forced several ties but with the UNCG leading 23-21, the Spartans closed out the match with a 7-2 run to seal the victory.
The Spartans held a .155 to .1330 hitting percentage advantage but the teams were equally matched in all other statistical categories.
UNCG returns to the court Nov. 3 when they head to Boone, NC for a match with SoCon rival, Appalachian State. First serve is set for 2 pm.
AGATE:
UNCG def. Wofford 22-30,30-27,30-24,30-23
UNCG (15-13, 8-6 SoCon) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Branagan Fuller 17-3-1; Emily Lindborg 14-0-2; Alissa Beaudway 10-0-1; Kaitlyn Nortz 8-0-5; Kayren Finney 4-0-1; Katherine Hart 3-0-0; Lisa Fawell 1-0-1;Catherine Hanners 0-1-0; Kayleigh Knerr 0-4-0; Kimiko Naito 0-1-1; Lauren Keiser 0-2-1; Totals 57-11-8.0. (Assists) - Kimiko Naito 29; Lisa Fawell 21. (Dig leaders) - Catherine Hanners 18; Lauren Keiser 17; Branagan Fuller 13; Kayleigh Knerr 12
Wofford (9-18, 2-12 SoCon) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Shanna Hughes 13-2-0; Stacy Byrd 12-0-1; Liz Sheets 7-0-8; Catelyn Amende 7-0-2; Sarah Palmer 4-1-0; Anna Gustafson 3-0-1; Joanna Suddath 3-0-8; Lindsey Richardson 1-0-1; Brittany Thompson 1-0-0; Carolyn Rivers 0-1-0; Totals 51-4-11.0. (Assists) - Joanna Suddath 43. (Dig leaders) - Shanna Hughes 19; Sarah Palmer 15; Carolyn Rivers 12; Brittany Thompson 9; Stacy Byrd 9; Joanna Suddath 9
- UNCG -
