GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG volleyball team ran its winning streak to 10-straight matches Friday night as the Spartans posted a 3-0 sweep (25-23, 30-28, 25-19) of visiting Mercer at Fleming Gymnasium. The victory also improved the Spartans to 20-8 on the season, marking their second-straight 20-win season – the first time UNCG has posted back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2006-07.

The victory coupled with Furman's 3-0 loss at Samford Friday night moved the Spartans into a three-way tie atop the Southern Conference standings with a 10-3 record along with Furman and Chattanooga. Additionally, the victory kept the Spartans undefeated at home this year with a 10-0 record heading into their final home game of the year Saturday night when they host ETSU at 5 p.m. Prior to that match, UNCG will recognize its senior class in Lauren Betlach (Phoenix, Ariz./Seton Catholic Prep), Julia Westerbur (College Station, Texas/SMU) and Katherine Santiago (San Juan, Puerto Rico) with a pregame ceremony.

The Spartans, who entered the night holding opponents to the lowest hitting percentage in the league this year, limited the Bears to just .076 hitting in the victory. UNCG tallied nine total team blocks in the victory, forcing Mercer into 25 attack errors. Sophomore Ashley Muench (Hurdle Mills, N.C./Orange) led the Spartans with 10 kills and 10 digs while Westerbur chipped in nine kills.

The two teams came out in set one and battled back-and-forth trading points for most of the set. UNCG took a 21-19 lead as Alexis Mourier (Elkview W.Va./Davis and Elkins) and Westerbur tallied consecutive kills. Mercer came back and tied the set at 22-22 with a 3-1 run before UNCG closed the set out with a 3-1 spurt of its own. Junior outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn (Darien, Ill./Hillsdale South) and Westerbur posted kills down the stretch to lead the Spartans to a 25-23 set one victory. Brezwyn led the way in set one with four kills while Mourier added three kills.

Set two was the fiercest set of the night as the teams went into extra points before UNCG pulled out the victory. Mercer came out quickly and opened up to a 16-10 lead as Paige Alsten and Jordan Gollon recorded kills. UNCG showed its toughness as it answered with five straight points to pull within one, forcing the Bears into five straight attack errors.

The Bears kept coming though as they took a 21-18 lead on an Emily Krogman kill. The Spartans came back again and scored four straight points as redshirt freshman Jasmine Jones (Stafford, Va./Brooke Point) started to heat up, posting consecutive kills to get the Fleming crowd going Friday night. Mercer answered back and had two set-points, but each time UNCG was able to weather the storm as Brezwyn posted a kill and the Bears were called for a ball-handling-error.

The Spartans had their own chances to close out set two, getting four set-point attempts before finally closing it out at 30-28 as Muench powered down a kill. She finished the second set with six kills while Jones added three kills in five attempts for the Spartans.

UNCG closed out the victory with its easiest set of the night, posting a 25-19 victory. The Spartans held Mercer to just .064 hitting in the third set, recording five blocks to secure the victory. The set was tied at 19-19 before UNCG scored six straight to seal the win, capping the night in fitting fashion with back-to-back blocks by the Spartans.

Freshman setter Allison Penner (Aurora, Neb./Aurora) was the catalyst in the final set as she tallied four kills, dished out eight assists, notched four digs and posted two blocks. Muench also got in the act with four kills while Christina Gregory (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart) led the defense with five digs in the set.

-UNCG-