GREENSBORO, N.C. – Playing in its second match of the Spartan-Aggie Invitational, the UNCG volleyball team recorded a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-6) triumph over crosstown rival North Carolina A&T Saturday morning inside Fleming Gymnasium. The Spartans improve to 6-2 with the win while the Aggies remain winless at 0-10.

The victory ensures that UNCG and Maryland-Eastern Shore will play for the tournament championship this evening at 6 p.m. in Fleming Gymnasium as the Hawks downed Alabama A&M in four sets Saturday morning across town at Moore Gymnasium and improved to 2-0 in the tournament.

The Blue and Gold continued its historical dominance in the series, improving its record to 20-2 with the sweep. The Spartans also improve to 42-2 all-time against teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

After firing at a .111 clip in the first set, UNCG hit .364 and .444 in the final two frames to end up with a .292 hitting mark. The Aggies finished at .138 after hitting for a negative percentage (-.103) in the final stanza.  The Spartans were also the superior side in kills (41-27), assists (40-26), aces (8-1), digs (48-38) and blocks (4.0-3.0).

Senior middle Vicky Harley (Blythewood, S.C./Blythewood) was the top offensive performer in the contest, hitting .600 via 11 kills on 15 attempts with only two errors. Sophomore outside Jessica Brezwyn and freshman outside Ashley Muench (Hurdle Mills, N.C./Orange) were next in line with eight kills apiece. Defensively, Brezwyn led the way with 11 kills and was complemented by a 10-dig performance by junior libero Katherine Santiago (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Colegio Adianez).

UNCG found itself down early in the first set by a 9-5 margin. After a timeout, the Spartans responded with three-straight points to pull within one of the visitors. After a kill by Aleena McDaniel made it 12-8 in favor of A&T, UNCG rattled off six consecutive scores to establish a 14-12 cushion. A kill by Harley later made the score 18-15 and forced the Aggies to utilize their second timeout. A&T could not quite complete a comeback in the set as a Jasmine Jones service error ended the stanza in favor of the Blue and Gold 25-22.

Consecutive kills by Harley made the score 5-4 Spartans early in the second set, prompting a timeout from the Aggie bench. An ace by freshman outside Anna Romaniszyn (Port Orange, Fla./Spruce Creek) gave UNCG a 10-7 edge, but A&T responded with a 5-2 run to tie the set at 12 points each. The Spartans dug down and scored four-straight points to build some breathing room and the Aggies could not quite catch up. UNCG headed into intermission with a 2-0 lead after closing out the second frame 25-18.

It was all Blue and Gold in the third set as the Spartans rung up an 11-2 lead and never looked back again. UNCG stretched the cushion to 16-2 before closing out the match by a 25-6 margin.