LYNCHBURG, Va. – Senior middle hitter Vicky Harley (Blythewood, S.C./Blythewood) tallied a career-high 21 kills Friday as the UNCG volleyball team downed USC Upstate in five sets (22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 15-12) in its first match of the Liberty Invitational.

The Blue and Gold hit .375 with 11 kills in the deciding frame to come away with the victory.

Harley finished with 34 attempts in the match and made just two errors for a stout .559 hitting mark - a program record for a five-set match. She also registered a match-high six blocks for good measure. Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South) notched her first double-double of the season with 16 kills and 17 digs and senior middle hitter Kelsey Sidney (Chesterfield, Mo./Marquette HS) joined her teammates in double figures with 13 kills to go along with four blocks.

Sophomore setter Sara Hohman (Zionsville, Ind./Cathedral) registered a double-double for the second-straight match as she dished out a career high-matching 59 assists as well as picking up 12 digs.

Defensively, junior libero Katherine Santiago (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Colegio Adianez) racked up a season-high 30 digs – just three short of her career high set last year against Murray State. Freshman outside hitter Anna Romaniszyn (Port Orange, Fla./Spruce Creek) and junior defensive specialist Leah Wells (Statesville, N.C./Catawba Valley CC) set personal campaign highs as well with 20 and 10 digs respectively.

UNCG (3-1) finished with the upper hand in hitting percentage (.199 to .144), kills (62-61), assists (61-57), blocks (11.0-3.0) and digs (109-99) while taking advantage of 30 USC Upstate (2-3) attacking errors. The Blue and Gold finished with double-digit blocks for the third-straight match. In terms of serving, the teams produced five aces apiece.

USC Upstate run away with the first set in the early goings, building a 14-4 lead and forcing a UNCG timeout. However, the Blue and Gold found its legs and scored 16 of the next 22 points to pull within 24-20 and prompt another Upstate timeout. UNCG scored two more points on kills by Brezwyn and Sidney before USC Upstate used a kill of its own to clinch the first frame 25-22.

Upstate jumped out to a 9-5 advantage in the second stanza after a Harley attacking error, but the Spartans charged right back and put together a 9-4 run, which was capped by a kill from junior middle Julia Westerbur (College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated), to pull ahead 14-13. Upstate led once more at 15-14 but could not hold off the Blue and Gold as UNCG rode the serving of Wells to a 20-16 edge and put away Upstate to the tune of 25-17.

The third set saw the teams battle back and forth through much of it. However, a kill by Shannon Weiss put USC Upstate in front 18-15. UNCG surged back, scoring four-straight points to move back in front by one. Harley had three kills during the mini run. With the score tied at 20, Harley put down a kill and tallied an ace to give the Blue and Gold a 22-20 lead that it would not relinquish. Brezwyn did the honors at the end of the stanza, notching two kills for the final two Spartan points and giving UNCG a 25-22 margin of victory.

The Blue and Gold tried to put the match away in the fourth frame, but with the score knotted at 21, Upstate was able to score four of the last five points to slip away and send it to a deciding set.

After a 4-4 deadlock to begin the fifth stanza, Harley put down a kill to make it 5-4 UNCG. Upstate battled back to tie the score at six before a kill by Sidney and a USC Upstate error gave the Spartans an 8-6 edge. USCU drew within 11-10 on a kill by Alexa Lagaly but Westerbur and Harley countered with kills of their own to put the set out of reach. UNCG turned the 13-10 advantage into 15-12 win to clinch the match.

The Spartans return to action at the Liberty Invitational tomorrow with a pair of matches. UNCG will take on Howard at 11:30 a.m. before closing the tournament against the host Flames at 7:00 p.m.