@UNCBearsVB comeback falls short against UCF

Friday, August 25

Greeley, Colo.

7pm

University of Northern Colorado

0-1

UCF

1-0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
UCF	25	22	20	25	17	3
Northern Colorado	19	25	25	23	15	2

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

8/26/2017 12:10:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Bears show resilience in five-set match

By: Matthew Kushar, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo.- The 50th season in Northern Colorado Volleyball history did not start out the way the team would have hoped after losing to Central Florida in an incredibly competitive match.

The five-set loss was tough for the Bears (0-1, 0-0), who hoped to make a statement immediately and set the tone for the season. The teams exchanged rallies throughout the match and kept the fans interested until the end.

In the first set, UCF established its size early and built a lead that Northern Colorado could never catch. Preseason all-conference selection Taylor Wickey had three kills and two blocks, while sophomore Alli Sabol poured on six kills with a .556 attack percentage.

After a quiet first set, Kortney Lockey took over in the second and out shined Wickey and Sabol with nine kills and a .600 attack percentage. The Knights briefly pulled ahead at 13-12, but kills from Lockey and Alex Kloehn, along with an ace from Kayla Uyemura, put the Bears ahead for good. UCF would keep the score close, but it could not handle the fury of attacks from Lockey.

The third set was marked by a scary moment for Northern Colorado when Ryleigh Haynes went down with an injury. The Bears trailed 13-12 at that point and it seemed as if UCF would pull away, but UNC showed its resilience.True freshman Daisy Schultz was thrown into action and the Bears went on a 13-7 run to finish the set and establish a 2-1 lead. Haynes returned to action following the set.

UCF would force a fifth set after holding off a late rally from the Bears. Preseason all-AAC selection Kia Bright powered the Knights with seven kills and a .385 attack percentage. Kim Weissmann kept UNC in the set with seven kills and a .700 attack percentage.

The heartbreak for Northern Colorado came in the fifth set when the team rallied from a 14-10 deficit to tie the match at 14. Anne-Marie Watson would return the lead to the Knights with a kill, but Kloehn tied it up again with her own kill. UCF's size would hand the Knights the 17-15 victory, with blocks from Bright, Sabol, and Westney.

Setting a career high
It's not surprising that Haynes would set a career highs in her new role this season and it only took her one game, recording 47 assists. Her previous best was 44 last season against Pacific.

More career highs
Taylor Els set her own career high with 29 digs, surpassing her pervious best of 17 last season, against Pacific. Alyssa Chisholm also set a career high in digs with 13, surpassing her seven digs against Eastern Washington last season.

Player's Perspective
"I think that was the most competitive match I have played in my three seasons, I'm so proud of how our team was resilient and fought back, especially in the fifth set." -Outside Hitter Kortney Lockey

Coach's Perspective
"I loved our effort tonight and I think this is a good building block moving forward. We blocked significantly better, which has been a focal point for our program. We had a lot of depth tonight which was really good. That lineup that we saw at the end is not what we have been using at practice. To have Alyssa in there, Daisy came in and did a good job, Kayla in a different role, Michaela is in the regular lineup. I really like what we can bring and the versatility we have." Head Coach Lyndsey Oates

Next Up
Northern Colorado has a quick turnaround and will face Duke at 7 p.m. Saturday, back in Bank of Colorado Arena. It will be the first-ever match between the two programs.