UNC Greensboro 3, Chattanooga 1
GREENSBORO, NC ? With second place in the North Division hanging in the balance Friday night, UNC Greensboro avenged an earlier season loss to Chattanooga by defeating the Mocs, 25-21, 21-25, 25-22, 25-16, in Southern Conference volleyball action.
With the win, UNCG (21-9, 13-4 SoCon) holds the inside track for second place in the North Division. Chattanooga (17-14, 12-5) falls to third place in the division with only a match against Elon remaining on their schedule.
UNC Greensboro hit .209 for the evening compared to just .104 for the Mocs. The Spartans also held a commanding 48-15 edge in blocks during the match. In the fourth and deciding set, UNCG hit .182 while Chattanooga hit just -.026.
The Spartans came out in the first set and captured a quick 3-0 lead behind a kill from Kayren Finney and two service aces from Catherine Hanners. UNCG continued to extend their lead until the Mocs made a 5-1 run midway through the set to pull within 16-14. A well-timed timeout by UNCG killed any momentum Chattanooga had as UNC Greensboro went on to win 4 of the next 5 points on their way to a 25-21 first set victory.
The momentum quickly switched in the second set as Chattanooga jumped out to an impressive 13-3 start. The Spartans refused to quit as they went on an 8-2 run to make the score 15-11 in favor of the visitors. UNCG continued to claw back and was able to pull within 22-21, but the Mocs captured the final three points to take the set 25-21.
The third set was a back and forth battle between the two sides as there were seven ties and five lead changes during the set. After falling behind late in the set, 21-19, the Spartans took a 2-1 set advantage by running off six of the final seven points to take the set 25-22.
The fourth and final set saw the two squads playing another tight set. The Spartans, whose largest deficit in the set was just one point, extended their lead from 10-7 to 15-7 and never looked back as they cruised to take the set, 25-16, and the match, 3-1.
UNCG will return to the court tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m., as they Spartans take on Samford in the regular season finale for both squads.
The match will also mark the last home match for Kaitlyn Nortz as she will be honored during a Senior Day ceremony prior to the match.
AGATE
UNCG def. Chattanooga 25-21, 21-25, 25-22, 25-16
UNCG (21-9, 13-4 SoCon) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Kayren Finney 15-0-6; Branagan Fuller 14-1-4; Caley Redden 10-0-4; Kaitlyn Nortz 8-1-10; Alissa Beaudway 6-0-5; Billi Baker 5-0-3; Totals 58-5-48. (Assists) - Kimiko Naito 24; Lisa Fawell 22. (Dig leaders) - Catherine Hanners 30; Kimiko Naito 11.
Chattanooga (17-14, 12-5 SoCon) (Kills-aces-blocks) ? Aurore Kullak 10-0-1; Jessica Scott 9-3-3; Ashley Yeager 8-3-1; Michaela Huff 6-1-0; Courtney Barnes 5-0-3; Laura Nethery 3-0-1; Ellie Kuhn 1-0-1; Totals 42-7-15. (Assists) ? Michaela Huff 25. (Dig leaders) ? Laura Newberry 26; Michaela Huff 13; Jessica Scott 11; Aurore Kullak 10.
Furman 3, Georgia Southern 0
STATESBORO, Ga. --- Furman closed out the third set with a 19-3 run to earn a 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-6) sweep of Georgia Southern Friday night at Hanner Fieldhouse.
With the win, the Paladins clinch the second spot on the Southern Conference South Division and currently stand at 17-13 and 10-7 in the league. The Eagles fall to 15-17 and 8-9. GSU is in third, one game ahead of Davidson and hold the tiebreaker due to a season sweep.
Alexis Shaffer and Alison West paced the Furman offense with nine kills each. West added a match-best 15 digs.
Furman hit just .183 through the first sets but exploded for a .400 clip in the final frame while holding Georgia Southern to a -.143 percentage.
The Paladins served up four aces and committed just two errors.
GSU’s Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) recorded seven kills and added two aces and two blocks.
The Eagles tallied eight blocks as a team, including four assists from freshman Lauren Claybaugh (Danville, Calif.) and sophomore Michelle Uzoh (San Antonio, Texas).
Georgia Southern closes out the regular season Saturday against Wofford at 7 p.m.
Wofford 3, Davidson 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Lindsey Richardson chipped in a match-high 14 kills to lead the Wofford Terriers to a 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-23) decision over the Davidson Wildcats Friday night in Southern Conference volleyball action.
With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 12-18 overall and 7-10 in league action. Wofford climbs to 16-16 overall and is just a match behind in the standings at 6-11 in SoCon play.
Shanna Hughes notched a double-double for the Terriers with 10 kills and 13 digs, and setter Joanna Suddath tallied 32 assists and 11 digs. Brittany Thompson led the defense with 14 digs.
For the 'Cats, senior middle blocker Kittery Neale had nine kills and six digs. Madison and Jorden Benedict each had six kills, and setter Hayley Lawson tallied 26 assists. Sophomore Jennifer Chamblee paced the defense with 16 digs.
The Wildcats will finish the regular season with a 2 p.m. match against Furman Sunday afternoon at Belk Arena with a bid for the Southern Conference tournament on the line.