CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The UNCG volleyball team put the pressure on Southern Conference third place Chattanooga right from the start Friday evening and did not let up as the Spartans rolled to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-15) win inside Maclellan Gym.

UNCG improves to 13-9 overall and 5-4 in conference play while the Mocs drop to 12-12 and 5-4. The Spartans have now won three of the last four meetings and two straight in Chattanooga.

The Blue and Gold was on fire offensively, ending the match with a .388 (40k/7e/85ta) hitting mark while limiting UTC to .116 (31k/20e/95ta) efficiency. UNCG also out-dug the Mocs 39-33 and had the better of the blocking 8.0-1.0. The Spartans made things tough on the home side with their serving, putting Chattanooga out of system offensively for a majority of the match.

Redshirt junior middle hitter Julia Westerbur continued her fine offensive week, picking up 10 kills on 15 attempts with no errors to end up at .667. Freshman outside hitter Ashley Muench also hit for a high percentage, putting down eight kills on 19 swings with just one error for a .368 mark. Sophomore setter Sara Hohman chipped in with 30 assists, six digs, five kills and three blocks. Defensively, junior libero Katherine Santiago finished with a match-high 11 digs.

UNCG jumped out to a 5-2 advantage in the first set after an attacking error by Allie Davenport. The Spartans led by as much as 9-5 before UTC rallied to tie the set at 10 via a Nicole Sumida kill. UNCG would recover, scoring four straight to establish some breathing room before extending the cushion to 16-11 and forcing a Moc timeout. Chattanooga took another timeout trailing the Spartans 19-13 but UNCG would not let the Mocs back in as the Blue and Gold clinched the set 25-18.

Chattanooga scored the first two points of the second stanza and led 5-2 before the Spartans rallied to knot the score at seven. With the teams deadlocked at 10, two Moc errors and block by Westerbur gave UNCG a 13-10 edge. Chattanooga called for timeout at that point but UNCG was not impressed, pushing the lead out to 18-12 after a kill by senior middle hitter Kelsey Sidney. That would do it for the home team in the frame as the Spartans rolled to a 25-16 margin of victory to head into intermission up two sets to none.

Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn began the third set with a kill, giving UNCG a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the way. Chattanooga called for timeout with the Spartans leading 10-5 and 16-9 but the Mocs would score just six more points the rest of the evening. UNCG fittingly ended the match on a kill by Westerbur, winning the third set 25-15 and completing the sweep.

The Spartans look to end the weekend on another high note Saturday, facing off against the league's lone unbeaten team Samford. First serve inside the Pete Hanna Center is scheduled for 3 p.m.

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