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Volleyball Blanks East Carolina To Improve To 2-0

Women's Volleyball UNCGSpartans.com

Volleyball Blanks East Carolina To Improve To 2-0

Box Score WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – It was a freshman feature of sorts for the UNCG volleyball team Saturday morning as three Spartan rookies made their collegiate debuts in the Blue and Gold's 3-0 (25-11, 25-22, 25-17) victory over East Carolina inside Reynolds Gymnasium. UNCG opens the season at 2-0 for the second-straight season with the win.

With the victory, fifth-year head coach Patrick Nicholas reached 199 for his career – 69 of them at UNCG.

"It feels really great to be 2-0 and to win this match with a lot of younger players competing at a high level," Nicholas said. "I really like the fact that we can put so many different lineups on the floor and enjoy some success. If the women continue to work hard and play together, we have the makings of a really good team."

Freshman outside hitter Sydney Darden (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) ended the match with a solid 12 kills on 29 attempts with only four errors for a .276 hitting percentage. She also added three aces and three digs as well as an assist. Classmate and setter Sara Hohman(Zionsville, Ind./Cathedral) ran the offense smoothly, dishing out 36 assists for an average of 12 per set to go along with three kills and four digs. Another rookie, outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South) put down five kills and racked up eight digs for good measure.

For the second consecutive contest, senior middle hitter Olivia Humphries (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) led the way as she pounded out 15 kills on 30 attempts with just three errors for a stout .400 hitting mark. She fell just short of a double-double, tallying seven digs. Junior middle hitter Kelsey Sidney (Chesterfield, Mo./Marquette HS) hit for a high percentage as well, racking up six kills on 13 swings with only two errors to end up at .308. Defensively, sophomore libero Katherine Santiago (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Colegio Adianez) was all over the floor, piling up 20 digs in three sets for an average of just under seven per set.

The Spartans dominated the stat sheet as a team, holding the upper hand in kills (41-26), hitting percentage (.276-.071), assists (39-25), aces (8-2) and digs (49-39). A total of five UNCG players posted an ace during the match. The Pirates' best offensive weapon, senior Nicole Willis, racked up 13 kills but the Blue and Gold held her to a .128 hitting mark as she made eight errors.

UNCG asserted itself at the outset of the match, rolling to a 10-4 lead after Whitney Campbell miscued for ECU. The Spartans rode the hot hand of Darden to the end, taking leads of 14-6 and 20-9 before closing it out at 25-11. Darden exploded for seven kills in the set on eight attempts with no errors to hit .875.

It looked to be more of the same for the Blue and Gold in the second stanza as a Humphries ace put UNCG in front 7-2. East Carolina dug down and rallied however, eventually taking a 13-12 edge after a kill by Ashley McRae. The Blue and Gold called for timeout and that seemed to stop the Pirates' momentum.

The Spartans took back the upper hand at 17-16 when Brezwyn ripped a kill into the middle of the floor and did not relinquish the advantage the rest of the way. ECU was able to draw within 23-22 on an attacking error by Brezwyn, but a kill and an ace by Darden slammed the door shut and allowed UNCG to take the second frame 25-22.

The third set started out as a close affair with the teams forging a 4-4 deadlock. The Spartans took control with a 5-1 run, capped off by a bad set by Willis, to move in front 9-5. East Carolina pulled within 14-12 on a Willis kill later in the stanza, but a devastating 5-0 run essentially ended the Pirates' hopes and the Blue and Gold finished the match and sweep off with a 25-17 score.

UNCG concludes participation in the Deacon Invitational this evening, taking on host Wake Forest at 7 p.m. 
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