Box Score HIGH POINT, N.C. – UNCG Volleyball battled the High Point Panthers to five sets at the Millis Center on High Point's campus on Friday night in the opening match of the Tussle in the Triad tournament. The Spartans dropped the first two sets (25-20, 25-18) before winning sets three (25-21) and four (25-18), before falling in the fifth set 15-13. Ashley Muench (Hurdle Mills, N.C./Orange) earned a career-high 26 kills during the match.
Muench, a preseason All-Southern Conference selection, hit at a .273 clip on 69 attacks during the match on Friday night. The 69 attacks are also a new career-high. Muench recorded just nine digs in the match, snapping a streak of three-straight double-doubles to begin the year. Sara Hohman (Zionsville, Ind./Cathedral) led the Spartan offense in assists, recording 47. She also added five kills and 13 digs. Christian Gregory (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy) and Anna Romaniszyn (Port Orange, Fla./Spruce Creek) held down the backcourt. Gregory recorded 24 digs, tying a career-best. Romaniszyn racked up 14 digs during the match.
The Panthers jumped out to a quick lead in the first set, scoring four-straight thanks to a pair of kills from Katie Tylman. UNCG was able to trim the lead down to 14-13 later in the set, following back-to-back kills from Jasmine Jones (Stafford, Va./Brook Point). High Point took a commanding five-point lead, scoring four of five points with kills from Jordan Hefner and Haley Barnes to go up 21-16. UNCG could come no closer in set one, falling 25-20.
The second set was much of the same, as High Point jumped out to a 7-3 lead on back-to-back kills from Barnes. A Molly Livingston service ace pushed the Panther lead to seven before UNCG was able to slow down High Point. The Spartans came within four following a Jones block, but kills from Megan Kennedy and Tylman gave the Panthers the second set at 25-18.
The third set started evenly matched until High Point took a 16-11 lead, scoring five of six points on kills from Tylman and Savannah Angel before a Megan Kennedy ace gave the Panthers the five-point edge. After going down 17-12, the Spartans stormed back, scoring 12 of the last 15 points to win the match 25-20. With Lauren Robeck (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) serving, UNCG rattled off five-straight points before a kill from Alexis Mourier (Elkview, W.Va./George Washington) gave UNCG a chance in a fourth set.
UNCG and High Point battled to a 17-17 tie in the fourth set before the Spartans pulled away. Back-to-back kills from Muench led to a High Point timeout, before an attack error and another Muench kill gave the Spartans a 21-17 lead. After a Panther attack error, a bad set, and back-to-back attack errors from Kennedy gave the Spartans the 25-18 win, UNCG and High Point went on to the fifth set.
The fifth set was another back and forth affair, with neither team leading by more than three points. High Point held a three-point lead at 12-9. Coming out of a Spartan timeout, UNCG scored three-straight points to tie it up at 12 before a Livingston kill and a block assist from Barnes and Jordan Hefner deterred the Spartan comeback. Muench added another kill to trim the lead to 14-13, but Big South Preseason Player of the Year, Barnes put the match away with a kill.
UNCG returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 11:00 a.m. as it hosts the Youngstown State Penguins inside Fleming Gymnasium. It will be the home opener for the Spartans.
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