Northern Colorado Plays A Pair of Matches This Week

Northern Colorado's volleyball team (4-8, 2-0 Big Sky) continues the homestand with a match against Denver (5-7) on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. before heading on the road to take on conference rival Sacramento State (11-3) on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.

About the Denver Pioneers

Located in Denver, Colo., the Pioneers have started the season with a 5-7 record ... the squad did win its last match, defeating Washington State in three games to snap a four-match losing streak ... the Pioneers have challenged themselves with a pair of ranked opponents already on the schedule (L, 3-0 to #22 Oklahoma and L, 3-2 to #17 Ohio) ... in common opponents with the Bears, Denver is 1-0 having defeated Washington State (9/15) ... junior Holly Benson leads the team with 186 kills (4.13 per game) senior middle blocker Kim Muller leads the team with 42 blocks and is second with159 kills (3.53 per game) ... fellow senior Alyssa Hampton has also topped the 100 kill mark this season (109) ... freshman Kacie Wikierak has made an immediate impact and leads the team with 226 digs ... the team is quite experienced with 11 letterwinners and five starters returning from last season ... there are five Colorado natives on the roster (Emmy Davidsmeyer, Angela Figuerosa, Tessa Grose, Holly Benson and Brittany Adams)

About the Sacramento State Hornets

Located in Sacramento, Calif. the Hornets are off to an 11-3 start and have won their last five matches and eight of their last nine including a win over #14 Cal Poly (9/14) ... the Hornets, who were the preseason pick in the Big Sky, are led by senior Melissa Stidham ... Stidham was named the Big Sky Player of the Week for the second time this season on Sept. 17 after averaging 6.40 kills and 5.20 digs per game in the team's three wins over the weekend ... the senior also was named the AVCA National Player of the Week (9/17) for her fine performances against San Francisco, Cal Poly and Xavier ... Stidham has 247 kills this season (4.66 per game) and 239 digs (4.51 per game) ... she leads the conference with 13 double-doubles ... fellow senior Jennifer Ferguson has also been a big hitter with 205 kills (3.80 per game) and 213 digs (3.94 per game) ... Linda Haupt is the the third member of the senior trio and she has also been very good good with 176 kills (3.26 per game) and 76 blocks (1.41 per game) ... junior setter Rose Burke has 635 assists and 123 digs.

Listen Live Online

The Bears match against Sacramento State will be streamed live via audio on the Hornets website: hornetsports.com/multimedia/Audio.asp.

Great Start To Conference Season

The Bears got off to a great 2-0 start in conference play, Sept. 13-15 ... Northern Colorado swept Montana (9/13) behind 18 kills and nine digs from senior Dulcie Stone ... sophomore Kenzie Shreeve chipped in 11 kills to the NC victory ... Northern Colorado kept the momentum up with a thrilling four-game victory over visiting Montana State (9/15) ... sophomore Allison Raguse led the charge against the Bobcats with 17 kills while hitting .500 from the field ... Stone produced a great effort with 16 kills and a career-high 22 digs ... the Bears put a season-best four players in double figures against Montana State as both Shreeve (14) and sophomore Taylor Smith (10) also eclipsed the mark ... this is the second consecutive season the Bears began Big Sky play with an unblemished 2-0 record ... on the weekend, Stone led the team 34 kills ... senior Abby Mayne totaled a team-best 41 digs ... freshman Lindsey McDaniel had 93 assists.

Stone Killer

Dulcie Stone proved to be the great equalizer in the two match against Montana and Montana State ... during those two matches, Stone tallied 10 kills that either tied or ended a game for the Bears ... for the week, Stone led the team with 34 kills (4.86 per game) while also tallying 31 digs (4.43 per game) for 39.5 points ... Stone also set a new career-high with 22 digs against Montana State (9/15)

Rejoice Its Raguse

Allison Raguse put together the best match of her career against Montana State (9/15) ... the sophomore totaled 17 kills, three digs and two service aces all while hitting .500 (17-4-26).

A Change

Freshman Lindsey McDaniel took over as the NC setter and had a strong week, Sept. 13-15 ... McDaniel totaled 93 assists (13.29 per game) while also registering four blocks.

Right At Home

In home matches this season, the Bears have several individual standouts ... sophomore Kenzie Shreeve leads the team with 74 kills (3.52 per game) ... sophomore Allison Raguse is hitting a solid .330 (62-24-115) and leads the team with 10 service aces in home match ... senior Abby Mayne has tallied 99 digs (4.71 per game) ... senior Dulcie Stone has had a steady all-around effort with 67 kills (3.19 per game) and 63 digs (3.00 per game) ... as a team the Bears have also had 36 service aces to their opponents 25.

A Rough Weekend In New Mexico

Northern Colorado had a rough weekend at the Comcast Lobo Invitational (9/7-8) ... NC started the weekend playing host school New Mexico (9/8) ... the Bears played the Lobo tough but still fell in five-games ... in their second match of the day, NC fell to a tough Gonzaga squad in three ... the following day, NC wrapped up the tournament with a three-game loss to Bowling Green (9/8) ... senior Dulcie Stone led the team on the week with 28 kills (2.80 per game) ... junior Lauren Carter served as the primary setter and racked up 83 assists ... Stone led the team with three service aces ... Stone also led the squad with her 3.20 digs per game and 32 overall digs.

A Member of the 400-500 Club

Dulcie Stone after 31 kills three weeks ago (8/31-9/1) has now topped 400 kills in her career ... Stone also topped the 500 point mark in her career with her 34 two weeks ago in New Mexico ... the senior now has 560 points in her career.

You're Going The Wrong Way

The past five-match losing streak was the longest for the Bears since Nov. 11-26, 2006 when the team also lost five in a row but it is only the fourth time in the programs history that such a streak has happened ... unfortunately it is the second time it has happened to Lyndsey Benson since she took over the program.

UNC Hampton Inn & Suites Classic

The Bears had a strong start to the weekend (8/31-9/1) with a pair of sweep victories over Saint Francis and UC Riverside on the first day of the UNC Hampton Inn & Suites Classic (8/31) ... the second day proved to be a bit more difficult with NC dropping a pair of four-game sets to Florida Gulf Coast and Iowa (9/1) ... Kenzie Shreeve led the team in kills on the week with 42 (3.82 per game) ... Allison Raguse had a team best hitting percentage of .286 (29-13-56) ... Lauren Carter had a strong week with 106 assists ... Abby Mayne totaled 52 digs (4.73 per game)

UNC Hampton Inn & Suites Tournament Wrap

Florida Gulf Coast was named the winner of the tournament on point differential over Iowa (since neither team played each other head-to-head and both had an undefeated record) ... FGCU's Roberta Paula Santos was named the tournament MVP ... the Bears had one player selected to the all-tournament squad in sophomore Allison Raguse.

Baden Cougar Challenge Recap

The Bears played three matches on the road at the Baden Cougar Challenge last week (8/24-25) ... NC played their competitors tough but fell in a pair of five-game matches (Portland & South Dakota State) and one four gamer (Washington State) ... Dulcie Stone led the team with 50 kills ... Lauren Carter totaled 91 assists ... Abby Mayne had 62 digs.

Good Starters

The Northern Colorado volleyball team now has a record of 23-10 in its first match of the season since the inception of the program with records in 1976 ... overall the Bears are 43-17 on the first day of the season ... this season, the Bears fell twice in two tough five gamers to Portland (3-2) and South Dakota State (3-2) at the Baden Cougar Challenge.

Trends and Bests

Dulcie Stone set a new career-high with 23 kills against Portland (8/24) ... Lauren Carter totaled a career high 58 assists against Portland (8/24) ... Kenzie Shreeve tallied a personal-best 18 kills against Iowa (9/1) ... Abby Mayne has reached 20+ digs in six matches this season ... Ashley Lichtenberg set a new career-high with her 12 kills against Iowa (9/1) ... Stone also set a new career-high with her 22 digs against the Bobcats (9/15) ... freshman Lindsey McDaniel reached the 50 assist mark for the first time against Montana State (9/15) as she totaled 52.

All In the Conference

Listed below is how the Bears rank in the Big Sky Conference overall in matches this season:

Digs: Abby Mayne, 190 (4.22 per game) (5th)

Assists: Lauren Carter, 291 (6.61 per game) (9th)

Points: Dulcie Stone, 172.5 (3.83 per game (9th)

Kills: Dulcie Stone, 145 (3.22 per game) (9th)

League Leaders

In conference games only this season the Bears lead the conference with an average of 20.29 digs per game and with their average of 15.29 assists per game ... NC ranks second in opponents hitting percentage (.131), kills per game (16.43) and service aces (1.71)

It's A Conference Thing

NC has several players that rank among the conference leaders in conference games only this season ... Allison Raguse is tied for the lead in hitting percentage (.400), ninth in kills (23) and 10th in points (27) ... Lindsey McDaniel leads the league in assists (13.29) ... Taylor Smith is sixth in blocks (1.29) ... Dulcie Stone is second in points (39.5) and kills (39), fifth in service aces (4) and seventh in digs per game (4.43) ... Abby Mayne is second in digs (41) ... Kenzie Shreeve ranks sixth in the conference in kills (25) and ninth in points (27.5).

Single Match Leaders

The Bears have a pair of players that are among the top two in conference high's for a five-game match this season ... Dulcie Stone's 23 kills against Portland (8/24) are the best in the league ... Lauren Carter's 58 assists against Portland (8/24) is the second highest total.

A Nice Return

Sophomore Kenzie Shreeve made her return to the court in the three matches at the Baden Cougar Challenge ... in the team's three matches she tallied 43 kills (3.07 per game) while hitting at a team-high .183.

The Queen of the Nines

In each of the first three matches this season Taylor Smith tallied exactly nine kills.

Bears Coaching Staff

Lyndsey Benson returns for her third year at Northern Colorado (31-40) ... Benson has added a pair of new coaches to her staff in Jenny Glenn (Truman State `02) and Tom Hunter (San Diego State `99) ... Paul Richardson returns for his second year as a volunteer coach ... Lenay Goble, a former Bears player that had her career cut short by injuries, has joined the coaching staff as a manager this season

Familiar Names And Faces

Northern Colorado returns seven of 14 players from last year's roster. The veterans include: senior Dulcie Stone, senior Abby Mayne, junior Lauren Carter, sophomore Allison Raguse, sophomore Kenzie Shreeve, sophomore Taylor Smith and sophomore Breanna VanDerMost.

Welcome, Newcomers

Five freshman are on the 2007 UNC Roster ... new to the team this year are Jaclyn Bruns (5-6, DS), Lindsey McDaniel (5-10, S) Kandace Walton (5-11, MB/RS), Ashley Lichtenberg (6-2, OH) and Julie Stephenson (5-11, OH).

Big Sky TV

The Big Sky Conference and new video streaming partner Broadcast International are pleased to announce the re-launch of www.bigskytv.org .... the Big Sky and Broadcast International will partner to bring all football, men's and women's basketball, and volleyball matches held in Big Sky venues to fans around the world ... Big Sky TV will feature sport specific packages this season ... to see more than 100 volleyball matches, the cost is $39.95 ... single-match costs for volleyball is $4.95 ... the Big Sky will also offer school and conference packages ... the school pass will allow viewers to see all the action featuring their favorite school for $69.95 ... the conference package- $99.95-allows viewers to see the entire league which is more than 350 events ... fans who registered last year for www.bigskytv.org, must register once again in 2007-08 ... events can be viewed either live, or once through an archive ... games will remain in the archive for two weeks ... viewers will also have the option of downloaded the game.

Home Sweet Home

The Bears have been nearly unbeatable at home, posting a 272-57 record at home since Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion (formerly Butler-Hancock Hall) opened in 1976 and winning 53 of their last 64 matches played in the building ... the Bears had a 35-match winning streak at home (the second longest Division I home-court winning streak in the country) until falling to IPFW on Nov. 11, 2005 ... the Bears are 58-12 at Butler-Hancock since the beginning of the 1999 season (the 2000 season was played in the Campus Rec Center and not included in those totals) ... the volleyball team played its 300th match in Butler-Hancock on Sept. 7, 2004 defeating the Wyoming Cowgirls 3-0 in front of 914 fans.

Bears Play Better With An Early Lead

In the two years plus with under head coach Lyndsey Benson the Bears have played much better with an early lead ... Northern Colorado is 28-5 when leading a match 1-0 ... however if the team falls behind early - watch out ... the Bears are only 3-35 under Benson when trailing 1-0.

The Acer

Dulcie Stone tied her career-high with three service against UC Riverside (9/1).

The Start of Something

The Bears sweep of Saint Francis on Aug. 31 was the first sweep of an opponent by NC since Oct. 24, 2006 when the squad took out Air Force in three ... the consecutive sweeps by NC over Saint Francis and UC Riverside (8/31) was the first time the Bears have swept consecutive matches since the sweeps of conference rivals Idaho State and Wyoming on Oct. 12 and Oct. 18, 2006.

Butler-Hancock Gets a Face Lift

The Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion, which orginally opened in 1976, has been undergoing a bit of a facelift the last two seasons ... among the renovations are brand new theatre-style chairbacks, a new sound system, scoreboard/message center, a new entrance and a brand new painted logo at center court to the now over 30-year old building.

Northern Colorado Eighth in Preseason Poll

In the Big Sky Conference Preseason Poll, Northern Colorado was picked eighth ... the Bears collected 19 points in the poll ... Sacramento State earned the top spot with 64 points and all eight first-place votes.

Early Beginnings

Northern Colorado's matches against Portland and South Dakota State on Friday, August 24 were be tied for the earliest start date in program history ... the Bears also opened on August 24 back in 2001 when the team took on Incarnate Wood (W, 3-0) and then No. 10 Nebraska-Kearney (L, 1-3) ... the home opener of August 31 against Saint Francis (PA) (W, 3-0) in the first match of the UNC Hampton Inn & Suites Classic was the earliest home match ever for the Bears ... the previous earliest home match was September 1 ... the Bears played against Colorado Mines (W, 3-0) in 1998 and CU-Colorado Springs (W, 3-0) in 1992.

The Return

Kenzie Shreeve returns to the Bears this season after missing her sophomore season with an injury ... Shreeve had a strong exhibition performance in the alumni match on (8/18) in leading the team in kills ... as a freshman in 2005, Shreeve played in 17 games while totaling 20 kills, six service aces and seven digs.

She Knows People

Senior libero Abby Mayne is well connected in the Northern Colorado community as her father, Dick Mayne, is the band director for the Bears Marching Band (The Pride of the Rockies).

The Designated Leaders

The Bears have named seniors Abby Mayne and Dulcie Stone as the team captain for the 2007 season ... this is the first time Stone has captained the Northern Colorado volleyball team while Mayne was the co-captain as a junior.

Bringing Them Back and Digging Them Up

The Bears are bringing back 70 percent of their digs back from last year's squad (1,238 total digs returning) ... of the 70 percent, 98 percent (1213 digs) come from four returning players (Abby Mayne-429, Dulcie Stone-355, Breanna VanDerMost-236, Lauren Carter-193).

Moving Up In The World

Senior Abby Mayne is ranked seventh in school history with 1,472 digs ... she just passed Kelly Pappenheim (1985-87) and is 22 from tying Tia Self (1997-2000).

First Time Opponents

Three of the teams that participated in the UNC Hampton Inn and Suites Classic were first time opponents for the Bears ... the three new teams were Saint Francis (PA) (W, 3-0), Florida Gulf Coast (L, 3-1) and Iowa (L, 3-1).

A Noteworthy Achievement

The 2007 season is the 40th for the women's volleyball program at Northern Colorado ... the program began in 1967 under Rosemary Fri ... Fri (1967-75) coached the Bears until 1975 when Linda Delk took over ... Delk (1976-2001) stayed as the head coach until 2001 when Ron Alexander (2002-04) started his three-year stint. ... after Alexander, Lyndsey Benson was named the program's fourth-ever head coach on August 8, 2005.

Seeing the World

The Northern Colorado volleyball will have the chance to see the world in the spring as the team travels to China in May 2008 ... the tour is planned from May 12-23 and friends and family of the program are invited to join the team ... sponsorship opportunities for those who are not able to travel with the team, but will still like to help fund the trip for the Bears are also available ... please contact assistant coach Jenny Glenn at 970.351.2180 if you are interested in assisting the team ... for those interested in traveling with the team, please fill out the form on the Northern Colorado website (www.uncbears.com) and return the form to TranSports Athletic Team Tours or call Dale at 877-754-8726 for more information ... the cost of the trip is just $3,190 based on double occupancy ... the cost is per passenger and is subject to change based on availability, supplier costing and variance in passenger numbers ... included in that cost is round-trip air from United States, English speaking local guides, hotel accommodations, private coach, three meals a day, all tours and entrance fees as stated and the services of TranSports staff throughout.

Keeping Busy During the Summer

The Bears coaching staff hosted what is believed to be the largest volleyball team camp in the nation over the summer from July 26-28 at Butler-Hancock ... there were 122 teams from 73 schools and seven different states represented (Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana and Kansas) at the camp and most of the local high schools (Greeley West, Greeley Central, Northridge, Frontier Academy, Eaton, Platte Valley and Windsor) were also in attendance.

Volleyball Earns Academic Honor

At the end of the summer, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced the University of Northern Colorado volleyball team had earned a GamePlanTM/AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2006-2007 season ... the award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale during the school year ... Nominating head coaches must be AVCA members ...the Bears were one of 55 Division I teams honored for their academics.

Up Next

The Bears continue conference action with trips to Eastern Washington (9/27) and Portland State (9/29) before taking on Colorado State (10/2) in a non-conference matchup.