GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG volleyball team hit a season-high .404 Saturday evening in a 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-20) sweep of The Citadel in a Southern Conference match inside Fleming Gymnasium. The Spartans improve to 11-8 overall and 3-3 in conference action while the Bulldogs drop to 6-14 and 0-5.  

The victory lifted UNCG's home record to 5-1 as the Spartans have now recorded five sweeps in the friendly confines.

The Blue and Gold was very low error in the match, racking up 50 kills on 94 attempts with just 12 miscues. Conversely, The Citadel notched 35 kills on 99 swings with 19 errors to finish at .162. UNCG also held the upper hand in assists (49-35) and digs (42-29) while the Bulldogs had the better of the blocking, 5.0-2.0.

Senior middle hitter Kelsey Sidney paced the offensive efforts for the Spartans with a match-high 12 kills. She made just one error to finish with a .524 hitting mark. Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn and senior middle hitter Vicky Harley checked in with 10 kills apiece while redshirt junior middle hitter Julia Westerbur was error free with eight kills on 11 attempts and no errors (.727). In the back row, junior libero Katherine Santiago picked up a match-best 15 digs.

UNCG used four kills to build a 5-1 lead in the first set. A service ace by Amanda Rudnik pulled The Citadel within 7-5 but the Spartans settled down, scoring seven of the next nine points to push in front 14-7. After a Bulldog timeout, an attacking error by freshman outside hitter Ashley Muench made the score 16-13. UNCG would go on to seal the set with a 5-0 run which led to a 25-17 margin of victory.

The Blue and Gold raced out to a 7-2 advantage in the second stanza, forcing The Citadel to call for timeout. A kill by Dominique Williams helped the Bulldogs come within 12-8, but consecutive kills by Westerbur and Brezwyn put an end to The Citadel's momentum. UNCG allowed the visitors just five more points the rest of the frame, taking it 25-15 for a 2-0 intermission lead.

The third set was a battle throughout with the Bulldogs jumping out to a 7-3 lead before the Spartans eventually tied it at 10. UNCG was forced to burn a timeout when a kill by Bailey Kernodle afforded The Citadel a 17-15 edge. The Blue and Gold regrouped out of the break, netting four-straight points to turn the deficit into a two-point advantage. UNCG capitalized from there, going on a 3-1 run to take a 22-18 lead. The Spartans reached match point at 24-20 and Muench ended it with a kill off a diving Bulldog player.

UNCG returns to action in a week, hosting Wofford Saturday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. The match will serve as the Blue and Gold's Fight Like a Spartan contest as the team helps raise breast cancer awareness.

Follow the UNCG volleyball team all season by logging on to www.uncgspartans.com and following the Spartans' official Twitter accounts @UNCGVB and @uncgsports.