University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Saturday, October 2
Greeley, Colo.
6 p.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
12-3,4-0Big Sky
3
vs
0
Northern Arizona
5-8,3-1Big Sky
1
2
3
F
Northern Ariz.
20
14
18
0
Northern Colo.
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Jam David
The Magnificent Eight Propel the Bears Past Northern Arizona
10/2/2021 8:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
UNC volleyball stayed undefeated with a sweep of NAU
GREELEY, Colo. – The magnificent eight, the great eight, the leftover eight, whatever you want to call them they meant business on Saturday night inside Bank of Colorado. With half of the team out due to COVID protocols, that didn't slow Northern Colorado down as they stayed undefeated in conference play with a sweep of Northern Arizona, 25-20, 25-14, 25-18.
Northern Colorado controlled the match all night with strong serving and serve receive leading to five aces and out-hitting NAU .243-.111.
A trio of Bears finished the night with double-figure kills in Kailey Jo Ince (13), Lauren Strain (12) and Annette Baker (10). Meanwhile, only two Lumberjacks even surpassed the five-kill mark.
The aces not only helped the team but propelled her to the top of the program's Division I career aces list. She passed former teammate Taylor Muff and now sits at 116 for her career.
The final set was all Bears. They opened it up on a 5-0 run and never looked back. Baker provided the final push for Northern Colorado with five kills over the team's final 10 points of the match.
Game Notes
- UNC is tied atop the Big Sky standings with Weber State at 4-0.
- Laura Katarzynski led the team with 17 digs. Northern Colorado out-dug NAU 52-28.
- Kailey Jo Ince recorded her second straight double-double and seventh of the year with 13 kills and career-high 14 digs. Ince had 33 kills and 25 digs on the week.
- Lauren Strain is coming into her own. She had 12 kills with a .500 hitting percentage and five blocks on Saturday. For the week, she hit .462 with 30 kills and seven blocks.
What's Ahead
It's a battle for the top of the Big Sky on Thursday when Northern Colorado heads to Ogden, Utah to face Weber State. The two teams are not only 4-0 in the Big Sky this season but have met in the past two Big Sky Tournament title matches. First serve is set for 7 pm.
Northern Colorado returns home on October 12 to host Idaho at 6 pm. Tickets for the match can be purchased at UNCBears.com/Tickets.
To stay up to date on all things UNC volleyball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Northern Colorado controlled the match all night with strong serving and serve receive leading to five aces and out-hitting NAU .243-.111.
A trio of Bears finished the night with double-figure kills in Kailey Jo Ince (13), Lauren Strain (12) and Annette Baker (10). Meanwhile, only two Lumberjacks even surpassed the five-kill mark.
A matchup with the teams picked to finish second and third in the Big Sky preseason polls the first set was tightly contested with 12 ties and five lead changes. Laura Katarzynski's serving proved to be the turning point. Back-to-back aces gave UNC enough of a cushion never trailing or being tied again in the set.S2| KJ Ince with another MONSTER kill! #GetUpGreeley #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/7delbFC4EH
— UNC Bears Volleyball (@UNC_BearsVB) October 3, 2021
The aces not only helped the team but propelled her to the top of the program's Division I career aces list. She passed former teammate Taylor Muff and now sits at 116 for her career.
Winning the first set 25-20, UNC only trailed three more times the rest of the match. UNC hit an outstanding .424 in the second set while holding NAU to .091 to head into the break up 2-0.S1| Laura Katarzynski with the big ACE! #GetUpGreeley #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/PUBD7ZriBS
— UNC Bears Volleyball (@UNC_BearsVB) October 3, 2021
The final set was all Bears. They opened it up on a 5-0 run and never looked back. Baker provided the final push for Northern Colorado with five kills over the team's final 10 points of the match.
What They SaidS3| Annette Baker with another one! #GetUpGreeley #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/txs2XEWLHn
— UNC Bears Volleyball (@UNC_BearsVB) October 3, 2021
Game Notes
- UNC is tied atop the Big Sky standings with Weber State at 4-0.
- Laura Katarzynski led the team with 17 digs. Northern Colorado out-dug NAU 52-28.
- Kailey Jo Ince recorded her second straight double-double and seventh of the year with 13 kills and career-high 14 digs. Ince had 33 kills and 25 digs on the week.
- Lauren Strain is coming into her own. She had 12 kills with a .500 hitting percentage and five blocks on Saturday. For the week, she hit .462 with 30 kills and seven blocks.
- Northern Colorado is now 20-9 all-time against NAU.S2| Lauren Strain and Mimi Dunda with the big BLOCK! #GetUpGreeley #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/ifMYpCMs6c
— UNC Bears Volleyball (@UNC_BearsVB) October 3, 2021
What's Ahead
It's a battle for the top of the Big Sky on Thursday when Northern Colorado heads to Ogden, Utah to face Weber State. The two teams are not only 4-0 in the Big Sky this season but have met in the past two Big Sky Tournament title matches. First serve is set for 7 pm.
Northern Colorado returns home on October 12 to host Idaho at 6 pm. Tickets for the match can be purchased at UNCBears.com/Tickets.
To stay up to date on all things UNC volleyball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Team Stats
NAU
UNC
Kills
25
44
Errors
14
19
Attempts
99
103
Hitting %
.111
.243
Points
38
57
Assists
25
42
Aces
4
5
Blocks
9
8
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
5
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballCoaches Show Episode 3
Tuesday, November 04
Lyndsey Oates Press Conference vs Montana
Sunday, November 02
Lyndsey Oates Press Conference vs Montana State
Friday, October 31
Lyndsey Oates Press Conference vs Colorado
Wednesday, October 29
