GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) volleyball team fell 3-1 (21-25, 19-25, 25-16, 21-25) while hosting the Mercer Bears in The Southern Conference (SoCon) action on Friday night in the Fleming Gymnasium.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Spartans opened the first set by taking a 3-0 lead. However, the Bears eventually evened the score at 7-7. With it tied at 12-12, Mercer went on a 6-1 run to take a 17-13 lead. After going on another 5-1 run later to make it 22-16, the Bears eventually secured a win in the first set, 25-21.

The second set was a back-and-forth battle that saw Mercer up 18-14 before notching a 5-1 run to make it 22-15. The Bears eventually prevailed to take a 2-0 lead in the match after winning set two, 25-21.

UNCG prevailed in the third set in convincing fashion, 25-16. The Spartans got out to a 9-3 lead, forcing Mercer to take a timeout and never looked back. Allie Sweet made it 24-16 with a service ace before Emily Hanlon earned the kill that secured the set for the Spartans, 25-16.
 
The final set went the way of the Bears, 25-21. Mercer mounted a 4-1 run out of the gate for an edge. The Spartans closed the gap to just one point seven times all the way up to trailing 17-16 at one point, but could never find the equalizer. Mercer pulled away at the end to win the set, 25-21, for a 3-1 victory in the match.

BY THE NUMBERS
- Sweet led the Spartans with 19 kills.
- Chloe Nussbaum paced the squad with 18 digs.
- Madeline Timmerman led the team at the net with five total blocks.
- Izora Gragg led the team as the setter with 37 assists.
- Five Spartans collected a service ace for a total of nine. Sweet led with three.

RECORDS
UNCG: 6-13, 1-6 SoCon
Mercer: 15-4, 5-1 SoCon

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UP NEXT
The Spartans resume their SoCon slate hosting Samford on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. in Fleming Gym.

The first 60 fans in attendance for Saturday's match will receive a FREE Krispy Kreme doughnut! Also, the team will be doing postgame autographs at the conclusion of the match.