GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) volleyball team opened Southern Conference (SoCon) play Friday night with a three-set victory against Mercer at Fleming Gym.
With the win, the Spartans' snapped the Bears' four-game winning streak against UNCG. UNCG holds the all-time record of 12-7.
The Spartans averaged a .299 hitting clip, outmatching the Bears' .125 hitting percentage. UNCG had 10 blocks to Mercer's four.
By the Numbers:
How it Happened:
There were 13 tied scores in the first set, and Mercer tied the frame for the last time at 16, before a 9-6 run by the Spartans was the set decider for a 25-22 win.
Jackson had four of her six kills in the second set. There were 10 tied scores during the frame. Mercer tied the set for the final time at 24 with a kill by Rachel Bell, but UNCG saw kills by
Jocelyn Carter and
Elayne Grisbee to secure set two, 26-24.
UNCG notched its highest hitting percentage of .333 in the third set, while Mercer averaged .105. The Bears came within two, 12-14, but the Spartans went on a 9-2 run for its largest lead of nine during the match, 23-14. The Spartans capitalized on four of Jackson's seven blocks during the third set. Mercer was unable to fight back, only scoring three more points before UNCG won 25-17.
From Head Coach Corey Carlin
"I'm very proud of our team. To get the first conference win at home right out of the gate is huge. Our fans, the pep band and spirit groups were tremendous tonight and gave us an awesome match environment once again. Mercer is very well coached and we knew they were going to be a tough challenge. Our team executed the game plan very well and our blocking was a big factor in the win. We also did a tremendous job in reducing our unforced errors which has been a focus this week. We're seeing more of what this team is capable of and that's exciting."
Records:
- UNCG: 7-7, 1-0 SoCon
- Mercer: 4-9, 0-1 SoCon
Up Next
The Spartans will host Samford tomorrow, Saturday, September 24 for its second SoCon battle of the season at Fleming Gym.
