UNCG can’t overcome errors, Elon

Errors throughout the match plagued UNCG in a shutout loss to Elon 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-21), Friday night in Fleming Gym. The game featured a battle between two of the top teams in the Southern Conference, but the Spartans were overmatched from the start. The loss drops UNCG to 7-6 in conference while Elon moves into first place in the North Division at 8-5.

“We’re at home and we’re senior dominated,” said UNCG head coach Patrick Nicholas after the game. “That’s what hurts us.”

The Spartans fell behind early in the first set 2-5 before mounting a big comeback. A kill by Caley Redden put UNCG in the lead at 12-11. After an Elon timeout, the Phoenix went on a run of their own as they scored 5 of the next 7 points. The last two of the points were on UNCG attack errors, which put Elon up 17-15. UNCG tied the score at 22 on a kill by Olivia Humphries, but gave up the next three points to fall 25-22.

The second set went back-and-forth again as no team saw a three point advantage until Elon pulled out to 16-13. The Spartans stormed back to tied the score at 17, but would not see a lead. Elon battled to a 25-23 win to go up 2-0.

UNCG came out very slow in the third set, falling behind 1-5. They would trail for the rest of the set, getting only as close as 13-14, before the Phoenix took control and closed out the match 25-21. The sweep was only the third all season for UNCG. Since late September, the Spartans have not had back to back victories and the Spartans will need to get one or two more wins to have a shot at making the Southern Conference Tournament.

The Spartans were led on the night by Ariel Newman, who had 13 kills. Redden added another 7 kills to go along with 20 digs and 3 block, while Kayren Finney had 7 kills and 5 blocks. Ari Lysacek provided 23 assists on the night. The Spartans had a total of 27 unforced errors in the game.

“It’s like compounding interest,” said Nicholas. “We get down on ourselves but we’re still in the game. We’ve got to fix these errors, but it’s out of [the coach’s] control. We’ve got to stop beating ourselves.”

The Spartans end their season with a three-game home stand, hosting High Point Tuesday November 9, followed by Western Carolina and Appalachian State over the weekend.