Box Score BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Citadel volleyball opened Southern Conference Tournament action with a victory over No. 2 UNC Greensboro in five sets (25-18, 16-25, 25-12, 22-15, 15-8) Friday evening in Birmingham, Alabama. The match marked only the third all-time victory in the tournament.
 
Game Information
Score: The Citadel 3, UNCG 2
Records: The Citadel (12-11, 7-9), UNCG (23-7, 12-4)
Location: Pete Hanna Center (Birmingham, Alabama)

 
How it Happened

• The first set opened with the teams trading points until a service ace from Belle Hogan allowed the first two-point lead for the Bulldogs. 
• After a kill from UNCG, The Citadel went on a three-point run to force a timeout. 
• The Spartans have a good response, but the Bulldogs keep pushing and stretch the lead to five forcing UNCG to burn another early timeout. 
• Two kills from Ali Ruffin and a service ace from Sharlissa de Jesus push the set near the end, but the Spartans are able to return four.
• UNCG ultimately cannot catch up and a kill from Gina Delancey ends the first at 25-18. 
• The second set saw UNCG come out a lot stronger, and they took a quick 6-2 lead.
• The Citadel was able to fight back and pull within one, but the Spartans took off again on a seven-point run.
• The Bulldogs are able to return points with service aces from Brooke Shively and Makaya Middleton contributing, but cannot pull close enough allowing UNCG to end the set at 25-16.
• The Citadel was able to use the break in between sets to gather themselves, and they took a quick 9-1 lead in the third. 
• The teams exchanged a few points but an 8-1 Bulldog run pushed the set even further out of the Spartan's hands. 
• The Bulldogs ended the set with a kill from de Jesus and a service ace from Kenzie Kellerman.
• The Citadel continued the momentum in the beginning of the fourth with a 5-0 lead. 
• Although the Bulldogs held the lead for most of the set, UNCG stayed constant and tied back up at 20. They were able to surpass the Bulldogs and end the set at 25-22, forcing a fifth.
• The final set opened with another service ace from Kellerman. Spartan errors and a kill from Middleton gave The Citadel a 3-1 advantage. 
• UNCG came within one point of the Bulldogs before they took off and won the set 15-8.

Inside the Box Score

• The match marked only the third all-time victory in the contest, in their third-straight appearance. 
• The victory was the first quarterfinal victory in program history. The Bulldogs advance to the semifinals for the first time in program history.
• The Bulldogs recorded 13 service aces, defeating their team season-high. 
• Sharlissa de Jesus recorded 26 kills, beating her season-high and only missing her career-high by two. de Jesus also added 13 digs.
• Ali Ruffin put away 16 kills, matching her career-high, and 17 digs.
• Belle Hogan handed out four service aces, marking a career-high. She also finished with 45 assists.
• Gina Delancey led the team with three blocks, while Alicia Roberts and Hogan each had two.

Up Next
The Bulldogs will face No. 3 Samford on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.