Box Score GREENSBORO, N.C. – Fleming Gymnasium has certainly been kind to the UNCG volleyball team this season and the magic continued Friday evening as the Spartans downed Wofford 3-1 (25-17, 19-25, 25-18, 25-14) for their fourth-straight victory.
UNCG is now 7-0 at home in 2015 and 17-4 under head coach Corey Carlin. The Spartans also improved to 29-1 under Carlin when winning the first set in a match. The Blue and Gold has won all 14 matches this year in which it has captured the first frame.
UNCG (14-8, 4-3 SoCon) racked up 55 kills in the match and made just 11 unforced errors to end up with a .281 hitting percentage. Conversely, the Terriers (11-12, 3-4 SoCon) committed 18 unforced errors in 141 attempts to hit just .113. The Spartans also had the better of the blocking 9.0 to 6.0 while Wofford recorded five aces to UNCG's three.
Freshman setter Allison Penner recorded a double-double of 45 assists and 10 digs while senior defensive specialist Katherine Santiago - the league leader in digs per set - collected a match-high 25. Freshman defensive specialist Christina Gregory also reached double digits with 10 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Muench notched a match-high 15 kills and hit .233 in four sets played while junior outside Jessica Brezwyn added 14 and freshman middle hitter Jasmine Jones tallied 12. Jones hit .455 with just two errors and chipped in with five block assists.
As for Wofford, Lauren Miller led the Terriers with 12 kills but their top hitter entering the match Bella Santoro managed just five kills and hit negative (-.057). Jessica Graham paced Wofford defensively with 19 digs.
With the score tied at five in the first set, UNCG scored four straight points to establish some breathing room. A block by Jones and Penner ultimately capped the run and left the Spartans with a 12-6 advantage. After a Wofford timeout, the Blue and Gold kept the pressure on and pulled even further ahead 17-9 following an attacking error by Danni Densford. UNCG cruised to the first set win, taking it by eight points, to snatch the early match lead.
The teams battled for the upper hand to begin the second frame but a Molly Mayo service ace afforded the Terriers a 9-7 lead. Wofford began to extend its edge and the Spartans were forced to call for time when a Densford kill made the score 15-11. UNCG put on a late surge to pull within 23-17 but the Terriers eventually closed it out on a block by Densford and Miller to tie the match at intermission.
The Blue and Gold regained control out of the locker room and compiled a 10-4 advantage. UNCG kept Wofford at a distance for much of the set, only to allow the Terriers to pull within 17-13. A kill by Muench put the Spartans back ahead by five on the next rally and a Santoro service error on UNCG's first set point clinched the stanza for the Blue and Gold.
Wofford attempted to keep the match alive in set four but was forced to call for a timeout after a 4-1 run helped the Spartans break open a close scoreline and lead it 14-10. The Terriers began to error themselves out of the match and UNCG took full advantage. The Blue and Gold built leads of 17-10 and 23-13 before cementing the win with an 11-point margin of victory in the set.
UNCG heads back on the road Sunday as it travels to Western Carolina for a 2 p.m. first serve. The Spartans look to complete the season sweep of the Catamounts after capturing a 3-0 win in Greensboro back on Oct. 3.