GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG volleyball team closed out the regular season Saturday night with a 3-1 loss (19-25, 28-26, 20-25, 19-25) to Southern Conference foe Furman at Alley Gym. The loss secures the Spartans the third seed in the upcoming SoCon Tournament, marking the second straight year UNCG has earned the third seed.

The Spartans will face off against sixth-seeded Wofford in the first round of the SoCon Tournament November 21 at 7:30 p.m. The 2015 SoCon Tournament will be hosted by Western Carolina in Cullowhee, N.C. Chattanooga earned the top overall seed while Furman will be the second seed in the event.

The Spartans were held to a .178 hitting percentage in the loss while Furman connected on a .252 clip. Sophomore Ashley Muench (Hurdle Mills, N.C./Orange) paced three Spartans in double figure kills with 15 while adding 11 digs. Senior Katherine Santiago (San Juan, Puerto Rico) led the team defensively with a match-high 28 digs as UNCG posted 66 digs as a team. Fellow middle Julia Westerbur (College Station, Texas/SMU) added 12 kills and Alexis Mourier (Elkview, W.Va./Davis & Elkins) chipped in 10 kills.

Annie Bierman led Furman with a match-high 31 kills as she posted a .333 hitting percentage while adding nine digs. Meg DeMaar added 25 digs for the Paladins who finished with 81 digs as a team as Christen Sikora posted 17 digs in the victory.

Furman came out in set one quickly, posting a 9-3 start as Bierman set the tone early with three kills. The Spartans were able to pull within five on a couple of occasions but Furman closed out the match with a 25-19 victory. Bierman led Furman with seven kills on a .583 hitting percentage while Muench and junior Jessica Brezwyn (Darien, Ill./Hillsdale South) each posted four kills.

The Spartans were able to record a set two victory as they opened an early 10-7 lead as Westerbur and Muench posted kills. The Paladins retook the lead at 20-18 and held a 24-22 lead before UNCG rallied for three straight points to take a 25-24 lead. The teams traded points before Muench posted a kills and Furman was forced into an attack error giving the Spartans a 28-26 set two victory.

Furman opened set three with a 9-3 run and was able to maintain that lead on its way to a 25-20 victory. Bierman was the catalyst with nine kills in the set while Muench posted five kills. The Paladins closed out the victory in set four with a 25-19 victory as they used a 14-5 run midway through the set to take home the victory.

-UNCG-