Bears Clinch Postseason Spot with Win

Friday, November 1

Missoula, Mont.

7 PM

University of Northern Colorado

16-8,10-2Big Sky

Montana

4-19,2-9Big Sky

Northern Colo.

Montana

Photo by: Woody Myers

11/1/2019 11:17:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Northern Colorado defeated Montana in four sets to punch their ticket to the Big Sky Tournament

By: Matthew Kushar, UNCBears.com

MISSOULA, Mont.- Northern Colorado volleyball became the first team to clinch a spot in the Big Sky Tournament in 2019 with a four-set win over Montana [25-14, 18-25, 25-19, 25-20]. UNC put together another balanced offensive attack and strong defensive play to earn a postseason berth.

"I thought our middles made a good adjustment, mid-match, to defended their middles. They were killing us early on," head coach Lyndsey Oates said. "We had good balance tonight offensively. It was a grind for us, but we made plays when we needed them. We are going to get everyone's best match and credit Montana, they played well and were able to exploit some weaknesses tonight."

Kailey Jo Ince, Lauren Hinrichs and Taylor Muff all posted double-digit kill games on Friday night. Ince had 15 kills with a .195 attack percentage. Hinrichs was again remarkably efficient with 12 kills and a .450 attack percentage. Muff added 11 kills with a .333 percentage.

UNC held Montana to a .169 attack percentage and 44 kills.

Hinrichs scored six of her 12 kills in the first set, leading the team to a .455 attack percentage. UNC dominated the Grizzlies with a 25-14 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

UNC was not as sharp in the second set, posting a .194 attack percentage. Montana tied the match with a 25-18 win in a set that saw 14 ties and 14 lead changes.

The Bears would overwhelm the Grizzlies in the third set, scoring 20 kills with a .277 average. Ince was the go-to hitter for UNC in the set, recording eight kills in the 25-19 win.

Now leading 2-1, the Bears were focused on avoiding a fifth set. The set was close early, with both teams trading points. UNC broke open the set with a 7-0 run, powered by three kills from Jadyn McCartney. Muff contributed two kills during the run and added a solo block. The Grizzlies pulled dangerously close to the Bears with a 7-1 run to put the score at 19-18 UNC.

Despite the Montana rally, the Bears did not fold and finished the set on a 5-1 run to win 25-20.

Northern Colorado earned the 3-1 win and clinched their spot in the Big Sky Tournament in Sacramento.

Game Notes

Including the match tonight, Lauren Hinrichs has turned in four matches with double-digit kills and a hitting percentage above .400.
Taylor Els tallied 20 digs to give her 1,636 for her career, moving her into the top five in program history.
Daisy Schultz recorded her second-straight double-double, giving her seven on the season. Schultz's 46 assists gives her 2,911 in her career.
Taylor Muff filled up the stat sheet Friday night, adding six digs, four total blocks (1 solo, 3 assists) and a service ace.
Northern Colorado has qualified for the Big Sky Tournament every season since joining the conference in 2006.

What's Next
Northern Colorado will return home and host Weber State and Idaho on Nov. 7 and Nov. 9 respectively. Both matches will begin at 7 pm (MT).

To purchase tickets to the matches, go to UNCBears.com/Tickets, call 970-351-4849 or visit the UNC Ticket Office located inside the Campus Commons.

To stay up to date on all things UNC volleyball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @UNC_BearsVB.