GREENVILLE, S.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) volleyball team used a balanced performance to outlast Furman, 3-1, in a Southern Conference pulse-pounder in Alley Gym Monday evening.
The Spartans swept the two matches on the road to head into their bye week with an euphoric feeling after being pushed to the limit by the host Paladins. UNCG needed overtime to win two of the three sets.
Ultimately UNCG prevailed, 27-25, 25-20, 16-25, 32-30. In the final set, UNCG overcame four set points to finally put away Furman. The Spartans scored four of the final five points to earn their second consecutive triumph.
UNCG has a quality that doesn't appear on a roster: Heart.
The Spartans are resilient and have never allowed a bad set, tough break, or setback get them down. They snap back like rubber bands and continue battling until the final point of the evening has been scored. It's been a special quality that have the Spartans confidently believing March will be a month to remember.
"These two wins were pretty big for us at this point in the season," UNCG head volleyball coach
Corey Carlin said. "I'm most proud of our consistent fight, especially in the tight fourth set. Anytime you go deep into overtime in a set, the team that stays composed & assertive will usually wins."
UNCG received contributions from all over the court led by senior
Maria Esch and sophomore
Hannah Knier, who each finished with a team-best 12 kills. Sophomore
Brittany Wood added 11 kills for the second consecutive match and sophomore
Grey Breen chipped in with 10 kills. Wood has been in a killing groove for the Spartans, averaging 10 over her last three matches.
"The main difference for our win tonight was staying assertive throughout the game," Wood said. "This has been something we have been focusing on all week at practice and it definitely paid off. For me specifically, the same mindset of staying assertive has been working for me. This has helped me become comfortable in my role because I know I am giving my best effort."
Esch posted another double-double with 14 digs and three blocks. In the process, Esch raised her career kill total to 871.
Knier and Breen also had six blocks. Knier and sophomore Gabby McHugh combined for the final point of the match when they had a big block that finally ended the back-and-forth affair.
Knier finished with a .429 hitting performance, the third time this season, she hit .400 or better in a match. This was Knier's sixth match with double-digit kills.
McHugh delivered 47 assists for the second consecutive contest. McHugh also had eight digs, six kills, and five blocks.
"Offensive balance was huge for us tonight," Carlin said. "We're starting to see more players contribute offensively which gives us more options in crunch time and makes us more difficult to defend."
Junior
Mandy Garvens had a season best eight kills and 13 digs, her third consecutive match with double-digit digs. Junior
Jenna Wiggs was everywhere for UNCG finishing with a season-best 25 digs. She also had a huge service ace during UNCG's fourth set rally. The Spartans trailed, 19-15, before Wiggs took charge.
In the first set, UNCG scored the final three points to take a 1-0 lead. Then in the second set, the Spartans blasted to a 5-0 lead and never looked back. Their advantage ultimately peaked at 13-4 in the second set.
"I think the biggest difference in tonight's game was the whole team was locked in from start to finish," Knier said. "Our focus was to play assertive and by doing that we kept a consistent energy that fueled both our offense and defense. The thing I am most proud of is our fight, no matter what the score was we would battle for each point. That's the kind of attitude we need to continue having going into our next games. If we can maintain this energy our team is capable of great things."
UNCG returns to action on Sunday, March 14 when it hosts Wofford. It will start a three-match homestand for the Spartans.
