Bears Bounce Back to Sweep Thunderbirds

Saturday, October 26

Greeley, Colo.

2 PM

University of Northern Colorado

15-7,9-1Big Sky

Southern Utah

11-11,4-6Big Sky

Southern Utah

Northern Colo.

Photo by: Woody Myers

10/26/2019 4:37:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Game Play-by-Play

Northern Colorado put together a complete game to defend their home court

By: Matthew Kushar, UNCBears.com

Saturday was a bounce-back game for Northern Colorado volleyball, as they swept Southern Utah [25-15, 25-15, 25-15] in front of the home fans. UNC was in control from the start of the game and never trailed against the Thunderbirds.

The defense for UNC was outstanding, holding the Thunderbirds to a .084 attack percentage . The Bears had strong defense from everywhere, with four players recording five or more digs.

The Bears were efficient on offense finishing with a .347 attack percentage, with 47 kills and only 12 errors. Three scored double-digit kills for UNC, with Taylor Muff and Makenzie Harris tying for the match-high with 11. Muff and Harris finished with hitting percentages of .391 and .292 respectively. Maddy Bremer added 10, while hitting a scorching .562.

UNC found its groove again at the service line, recording seven service aces. Jadyn McCartney Taylor Muff also finished with two aces. Laura Katarzynski, Taylor Els and Kyndall Feather each added one ace.

The only ties in the game came in the first set at 4-4 and 5-5 early, before the Bears pulled away from Thunderbirds. UNC hit .231 in the first set and held Southern Utah to a .033 percentage. The offense was led by Muff and Bremer who each had four kills.

UNC overwhelmed the Thunderbirds in set two, scoring 17 kills and hitting .500 as a team. The Bears jumped out to a 9-1 lead to separate early. Bremer and Harris led the way with four kills apiece in the set. The offense improved for Southern Utah, but only to a .154 attack percentage.

In the third set, UNC stayed aggressive, firing 15 kills with a .353 attack percentage. They held the Thunderbirds under .100 at .074 to complete the sweep. The Bears turned on the defense at the net, recording 3.5 of the team's five blocks in the final set.

Thoughts from the Coach

Game Notes

Taylor Els recorded nine digs on Saturday and now has 1591 for her career. She ranks 8^th in career digs in program history.
Makenzie Harris recorded her second double-digit kill game against Southern Utah. Her first game was against Buffalo, when she recorded a career-best, 12 kills.
Daisy Schultz recorded 38 assists to give her 904 for the season. Schultz leads the Big Sky in assists per set.
Kailey Jo Ince scored seven kills against the Thunderbirds and has 295 total kills this season.
Lauren Hinrichs had another efficient day, scoring six kills with one error for a .455 attack percentage. Hinrichs is sixth in the conference in attack percentage.

What's next
Northern Colorado will get back on the road next weekend and head to Montana for two games. UNC will play Montana State on Thursday, Oct. 31 and Montana on Friday, Nov. 1.