Box Score MUNCIE, Ind. – UNCG Volleyball wrapped up the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge on Saturday evening against the Valparaiso Crusaders inside John E. Worthen Arena on Ball State University's campus. The Spartans earned a 3-1 victory (27-25, 25-23, 22-25, 28-26) and improve to 5-7 on the year. Valpo falls to 6-8 with the loss.
Ashley Muench (Hurdle Mills, N.C./Orange) led the Spartan offense with 19 kills. After he match, Muench was named to the All Tournament team. Jessica Brezwyn (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South) and Lauren Robeck (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) each added 11. Robeck was also a force at the net, recording seven block assists. UNCG tallied 12 block assists in the match. Allison Penner spread the ball around, recording 60 assists.
The Spartan defense recorded 106 digs in the match, led by Christina Gregory's (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy) 27. Brezwyn added 20 digs of her own, recording her first double-double of the season. Anna Romaniszyn (Port Orange, Fla./Spruce Creek) added 15, Ronni Katarzynski (Winfield, Ill/West Chicago) had 14, and Penner added 11.
The Spartans started fast in the first set, scoring the first eight points. UNCG used kills from Muench, Chinwendu Ngwadom (Raleigh, N.C./Chicago State), and Alexis Mourier (Elkhart, W.Va./George Washington) to gain the early advantage. Valparaiso battled back, cutting the lead to two points at 17-15 using a 7-0 run. The Crusaders were then able to take their first lead at 21-20 following back-to-back aces from Katherine Carlson. After going down 23-20, UNCG scored the next three points to tie it at 23 all. It was back and forth for the next few volleys before the Spartans scored three straight to take the set 27-25.
After being tied at 10 in the second set, the Crusaders scored five-straight to gain the early advantage. Carlson and Jamie Lacheta added kills, and blocks from Lacheta and Taylor Graboski contributed to the advantage. The Spartans were able to use an 8-0 run to come from behind and take the second set 25-23. Robeck was a big piece of the action, scoring three kills and recording a pair of block assists. Rebecca Rice (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville Road) added a pair of kills and two block assists in the run.
Valparaiso gained the early advantage in the third set, earning three-straight points to take a 16-13 lead. UNCG then used a 3-0 run of their own to knot the match up at 19. Jasmine Jones (Stafford, Va./Brook Point) and Muench contributed with kills in the run. Valpo and UNCG were tied twice before the Crusaders scored the final two points to take the set 25-22.
The fourth set was another back-and-forth affair, with 15 ties, and 10 lead changes. UNCG was able to get ahead, using a 7-1 run to gain a 21-17 advantage. Kills from Brezwyn, Muench and Penner aided the Spartan run, along with a service ace from Gregory. The Crusaders clawed their way back, scoring five-straight points to gain a 22-21 advantage. UNCG got kills from Brezwyn and Jones to take the final set 28-26 from the Crusaders.
UNCG Volleyball is back in action on Friday, Sept. 23 when it travels to Spartanburg, S.C. for its first Southern Conference match of the season against the Wofford Terriers at 6:00 p.m.
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