CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Competing for the first time in 440 days, it took some time for the UNC Greensboro (UNCG) volleyball team to find its groove.
 
By the time the Spartans settled and became comfortable, they had dropped the first two sets. However, they displayed resilience, character, and heart in forcing a decisive fifth set before dropping a 3-2 decision at Chattanooga in their Southern Conference opener Sunday evening.
 
To have your first competitive match in over a year against a conference opponent is tough chore.
 
After losing the first two sets 25-15 and 25-17, UNCG stormed back to capture the third and fourth sets by 25-17 and 25-20 scores before falling 15-12 in the fifth set.
 
The final result wasn't what the Spartans had hoped for. However, they earned a victory just by being able to compete against another opponent. Understanding that no match is guaranteed in the COVID-19 era, the Spartans stuck together, continued making plays, and displayed plenty of poise in the face of adversity against the Mocs.
 
Quotable
UNCG volleyball head coach Corey Carlin on his team performance.
"I thought it took us a couple of sets to find a groove, but that can be expected after not playing another team for 14 months. Once we got to the third set, our serving and passing was better allowing us to put some pressure on Chattanooga.  We stepped up our defensive discipline in the fourth and fifth sets and showed good fight which put us in striking distance of the win."


Inside the Numbers

• Leading the Spartans in the opener was senior Maria Esch, who collected 18 kills and 15 digs.
• Esch forced the fourth set when she ended the third set with a vicious kill.
• Esch clustered 10 of her kills in the third and fourth sets to fuel UNCG's rally.
• She has 747 kills for her career.
• Sophomore setter Gabby McHugh added 44 assists and 19 digs.
• It was the 12th time in McHugh's career that she finished with at least 40 assists.
• McHugh raised her career assist total to 1,216.
• She's the 13th player in program history with at least 1,200 career assists.
• McHugh had a kill to conclude the fourth set.
• Hannah Knier contributed 12 kills.
• This was the sixth career match in which Knier finished with double-digit kills.
• Knier's kill lifted UNCG to an early 3-1 advantage in the fifth set.
• The fifth set was tied at 11 after the Mocs committed a service error.
• Playing her first career match for the Spartans, Jenna Wiggs had a team-high 21 digs.
• Sophomores Grey Breen and Camille Anderson each collected six kills.
• They also combined for nine blocks with Breen notching five.
• Sophomore Brittany Wood contributed six blocks.
• Mandy Garvens had 12 digs.
• Chattanooga improved to 3-0 by claiming four of the final five points in the final set.
• In the process, the Mocs ended a six-match losing streak to the Spartans.
• Hayden McGhee (10 kills), Maia Rackell (nine), and Corniah Davis (nine) combined for 28 kills.

 
Up Next

• The two teams meet Monday at 4 p.m. to conclude the opening SoCon set.

 
Final Word from Carlin
 "As far as execution, our backcourt players each made plays at key moments.  Individually, Maria was a steady force all match.  She passed well and had kills at crucial times.  Camille's blocking and Hannah's offensive production were both effective tonight and helped our team. With the first match jitters finally out of our system, I expect us to start stronger tomorrow. We need to start tomorrow's match with cleaner play and focus on making the adjustments we'll take from today."