JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Senior Caley Redden was one of four Spartans to record at least nine kills as she turned in a team-high 16 kills to help lead the UNCG volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23) win over UNC Asheville on Friday afternoon in the opening match of the Buccaneer Classic.

The Spartans improved to 8-1 on the season, while the Bulldogs fell to an even 4-4.

"Tonight was an all-around good effort from our team," said head coach Patrick Nicholas. "As a team we had a great hitting percentage. We need to keep working as a team, though, to put out a more consistent effort. We have preached all season that we need to work on playing from the neck up and once we do that more consistently we can take our game to the next level."

Redden and her teammates helped UNCG post a season-high .356 hitting percentage for the match. In addition to Redden, Billi Baker also posted double-digit kills with 10. Senior Kayren Finney and freshman Karrian Chambers each chipped in nine kills for UNCG. Ari Lysacek posted a team-high 28 assists and Kellie Orewiler had a team-high 15 digs.

"We really stuck together as a team tonight," said Redden. "We faltered a little bit in the third set, but we bounced back and kept fighting as a team in the fourth set to come out with the win."

Cindi Miller and Kelsey Benorden led the Bulldogs as they each turned in a match-high 18 kills. Benorden added a team-high 11 digs for a double-double and Rachel Guinane posted a match-high 36 assists.

The two sides played to four tight sets in the match as neither team claimed a set by more than five points.

In the opening set, the two teams traded points early as they found themselves knotted at 10 in the early going. UNCG then used a kill by Olivia Humphries and a pair of Bulldog attack errors to take a 13-10 lead it would never relinquish. UNCA battled back to make it 15-14, but the Spartans responded with six-straight points, capped off by a Baker kill, to take a commanding 21-14 lead. UNCG got a kill Redden to give the Spartans the first set, 25-20.

The Bulldogs held a narrow lead in the second set at 9-7, but UNCG went on what has become one of its patented runs, as the Spartans took the next six points to go ahead, 13-9. UNCG would go on the stretch its lead to as many as six points as it took the set, 25-21.

Coming out of the break, the two sides played to their closest set as the teams were tied an astounding 16 different times and saw the lead change eight times. Neither team led by more than two points the entire set until the final few points. A kill by Benorden gave the Bulldogs a 15-13 lead in the set before UNCG battled back to take a 16-15 lead.

That would turn out to be the final lead the Spartans would have in the set, although the two teams found themselves tied once again at 20. UNC Asheville won the next four points, however, en route to winning the set, 25-21.

UNCG led for much of the early going, but the Bulldogs came back to tie the set at 12 and again at 15. UNC Asheville went on to win three-straight points to take an 18-16 lead. The Spartans had a rally of their own though, as they won eight of the next 12 points to have match point at 24-22.

The Bulldogs made one final push to pull within 24-23 after a UNCG error, but the Spartans called a timeout and then received a kill from Finney to win the set, 25-23, and win the match.

The Spartans will conclude their stay at the Buccaneer Classic on Saturday as they face host East Tennessee State at 12:30 p.m. before wrapping up against Austin Peay at 4:30 p.m.

AGATE

UNCG def. UNC Asheville 25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23

UNC Asheville (4-4) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Miller, Cindi 18-2-2; Benorden, Kelsey 18-1-0; Dover, Jenna 6-0-0; Foster, Meredith 3-0-1; Guinane, Rachel 3-2-0; Shelton, Holly 2-0-0; Olivo, Rachel 1-0-1; Wells, Rachel 0-1-0; Morse, Hallie 0-1-0; Totals 51-7-2.0. (Assists) - Guinane, Rachel 36. (Dig leaders) - Benorden, Kelsey 11; Stewart, Alex 10; Guinane, Rachel 9; Miller, Cindi 8

UNCG (8-1) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Caley Redden 16-0-0; Billi Baker 10-0-2; Karrian Chambers 9-1-1; Kayren Finney 9-0-3; Olivia Humphries 5-0-1; Ariel Newman 5-2-0; Alissa Beaudway 4-0-3; Kimiko Naito 2-0-0; Savannah Tomlinson 0-1-0; Ari Lysacek 0-1-0; Kellie Orewiler 0-1-0; Totals 60-6-6.0. (Assists) - Ari Lysacek 28; Kimiko Naito 17. (Dig leaders) - Kellie Orewiler 15; Caley Redden 9; Ariel Newman 8

Site: Johnson City, Tenn. (Brooks Gym)
Date: Sep 10, 2010   Attend:     Time: 1:47  
Referees: Keith Weller, Stephen Shepherd

- UNCG -