LYNCHBURG, Va. – The UNCG volleyball team grabbed a 2-0 lead over host Liberty Saturday night, but the Flames fought back for a 3-2 (25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 18-25, 8-15) victory to end the Liberty Invitational. The Blue and Gold entered the match 2-0 and had a chance to clinch a share of the tournament title with Murray State.

The Flames (5-3) hit .409 in the final set while limiting the Spartans (4-2) to a .083 clip.

Redshirt junior middle Julia Westerbur (College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated), led five UNCG players in double figure kills with a career high-matching 13. She made just two errors for a final .500 hitting mark. Sophomore outside Jessica Brezwyn (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South), senior middle Kelsey Sidney (Chesterfield, Mo./Marquette HS), senior middle Vicky Harley (Blythewood, S.C./Blythewood) and freshman outside Ashley Muench (Hurdle Mills, N.C./Orange) all chipped in with 12, 11, 11 and 11 kills respectively.

Harley was named to the Liberty Invitational All-Tournament Team after a stellar weekend in which she hit .446 and averaged 3.36 kills and 1.57 blocks per set.

Sophomore setter Sara Hohman (Zionsville, Ind./Cathedral) turned in a double-double for the fourth-straight match, registering 52 assists and 12 digs.

In the back row, freshman defensive specialist Cayce Bell (Creedmoor, N.C./South Granville) tallied a career-high 20 digs while classmate and defensive specialist Anna Romaniszyn (Port Orange, Fla./Spruce Creek) chipped in with 13 of her own.

The teams played to an 8-8 deadlock in the first set before a pair of aces by junior defensive specialist Leah Wells (Statesville, N.C./Catawba Valley CC) sparked a 4-0 run to give UNCG some breathing room. Liberty tried to stop the momentum with a timeout but it proved ineffective as the Spartans extended their lead to 17-10. The Blue and Gold reached set point at 24-17 and Westerbur ended the set with a kill.

UNCG continued its high level of play in the second set, racing out to a 7-2 lead and prompting a Flame timeout. Liberty rallied to within 16-14 but, after a timeout, the Spartans scored four of the next five points to establish a 20-15 edge. The Blue and Gold allowed the Flames just two more points in the set as UNCG took it 25-17 on a Westerbur kill.

Liberty broke open the third set with a 5-2 run which gave the Flames a 12-8 edge in the third stanza. The Spartans used two timeouts but could not stop the Liberty momentum. A kill by Caroline Douglas made the score 15-8 and the Flames looked to cruise from there. UNCG had other ideas however, using a 13-7 run to draw within 22-21. A kill and an attacking error proved the downfall for the Spartans, however, as Liberty took the third frame 25-22.

The Blue and Gold trailed early in the fourth set 8-5, but took a 12-11 lead when Sirena Vorster committed an attacking error. Liberty rallied to move back in front 18-14 and did not relinquish the lead – sending the match to a deciding set with a 25-18 margin of victory.

The Flames raced to a 4-1 lead in the fifth set, forcing a timeout from the UNCG bench. Hohman produced an ace to bring UNCG to within 9-8, but Liberty ended the match on a 6-0 run to complete the rally.

The Spartans open their home schedule next weekend, hosting the Spartan-Aggie Invitational at Fleming Gymnasium. UNCG will begin the tournament Friday, Sept. 12, against Alabama A&M at 7 p.m.