GREENSBORO, N.C. – Host UNC Greensboro held off a game Norfolk State squad for a 3-1 win in a battle of Spartans in day one of the UNCG/North Carolina A&T Tournament at UNCG's Fleming Gymnasium.

The host Spartans (3-1) got double-digit kills from three players to edge NSU (0-2) in a four-set match that could have gone either way. UNCG won by scores of 25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23.

Rachel Williams posted a team-high 13 kills and Shonte Seale added 11 for NSU.

The match was tight throughout. NSU held early leads of 6-3 and 7-4 in the first, both after kills by Williams. The Spartans of NSU still led 15-13 later in the set before UNCG used a 5-0 run to take the lead for good in the opening set. Grey Breen had two kills in that spurt, and the ended the set with another.

Three kills by Seale and others by Taylor Eichelberger and Kendra McRuffin staked NSU to a 9-3 edge in the second set. UNCG rallied and later tied the set six different times, but a service error and a kill off the hand of Williams gave NSU the second set, 25-23.

The third set played out similarly to the second, with NSU jumping out to a lead in the early going before UNCG rallied late. With the score tied at 18, UNCG reeled off four straight, thanks to two NSU attack errors and two kills by Jocelyn Carter to gain the edge they needed to pull out the set.

The Spartans of UNCG held a 19-15 lead in the fourth set before NSU had one final charge. The visiting Spartans went on a 6-2 run, which included two kills by Seale and another by McRuffin, to tie the score at 21-all. But UNCG capitalized on a couple late NSU errors to narrowly edge NSU, 25-23.

Williams hit .213 after committing just three errors. She chipped in 12 digs for the double-double. Seale posted her second straight double-double with a season-high 20 digs to go with her 11 kills. Eichelberger put down nine kills and McRuffin posted seven kills with just one error on only 11 swings, a .545 attack percentage. She also registered four total blocks, while fellow middle blocker Gracie Teeter had six.

Libero Nicole Rodriguez posted her second straight match with at least 20 digs, notching 22 on Friday. Caris Cross tallied 33 assists.

White had 13 kills, Carter 12 and Breen 10 for UNCG.

The Spartans are back in action twice on Saturday, facing old MEAC foe North Carolina A&T at 11 a.m. and American at 5 p.m. Both matches are at A&T's Corbett Sports Center.