LYNCHBURG, Va. – UNCG matched up against Liberty Friday evening in the 2015 season opener for both squads and it was the Lady Flames who emerged victorious by a 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-17) margin in the second match of the Liberty Invitational inside the Vines  Center.

The Lady Flames, winners of 23 matches last season and the team predicted to finish second in the Big South Conference this year, took advantage of 31 attacking miscues by the Spartans as UNCG hit just .024 in the match. Liberty ended up at .213 after recording 31 kills on 94 attempts with only 11 errors. The Blue and Gold notched 34 kills itself while the Lady Flames ended up with the upper hand in digs 55-48.

Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Muench was the lone player on either team to reach double digits offensively as she put down 12 kills and hit .250 (12k/5e/28ta). Senior defensive specialist Katherine Santiago and junior outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn pulled up a team-best 10 digs while redshirt freshman middle Jasmine Jones racked up three blocks (one solo).

UNCG got off to a slow start offensively to start the match, making five attacking errors in the first eight-point stretch to afford Liberty a 6-2 lead. A kill by Muench capped a 7-4 run that pulled the Spartans within 10-9, but the Lady Flames answered by scoring nine of the next 10 points to pull away. A solo block by redshirt freshman middle Jasmine Jones kept UNCG within shouting distance at 22-17. However, Liberty secured the set by capturing three of the last four rallies. The Blue and Gold made 11 errors offensively in the initial set to hit .000 while the Lady Flames fired at a .103 clip.

The Spartans got off to a much stronger start in the second frame as a block by Jones and sophomore outside hitter Katie Wagner forced Liberty to take a timeout with UNCG leading by four (7-3). A ball handling error by Hohman capped a 9-5 run for the Lady Flames that tied the score at 12. Liberty then scored seven of the next eight points to put the set away and eventually win it by a 25-17 margin as the home side went into the intermission up two sets to none. The Blue and Gold committed eight more errors in the second stanza while the Lady Flames cut their error output down to just three and hit .290.

Looking to complete the sweep, Liberty jumped out to a 7-1 advantage in the third before UNCG answered right back and pulled to within 8-7. An attacking error by senior middle Julia Westerbur sparked a 7-3 run that would put the set out of reach. A kill by Jade Vorster gave the Lady Flames the frame 25-17 and the match.

The Spartans return to the court tomorrow for a pair of matches. UNCG will face Hampton at 10:00 a.m. before taking on Fairleigh Dickinson at 4:30 p.m.

Keep up with the UNCG volleyball team all season by logging on to www.uncgspartans.com and following the Spartans' official Twitter accounts @UNCGVB/@uncgsports.