University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Saturday, October 30
Missoula, Mont.
7 p.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
17-6,9-3Big Sky
3
at
1
Montana
9-13,4-8Big Sky
1
2
3
4
F
Northern Colo.
25
25
17
25
3
Montana
22
16
25
16
1
Strain leads the way offensively as Bears win second straight road match over Montana
10/30/2021 9:19:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
MISSOULA, Mont. – Northern Colorado followed up one of its best road performances with another terrific showcase against Montana. Lauren Strain led the way offensively while Laura Katarzynski and the defense held the Griz to just .162 hitting as UNC walked out of Missoula with the 3-1 (25-22, 25-16, 17-25, 25-16) victory.
There was no stopping Strain in the opening set. Five kills on six attempts with no errors is hard to beat.
The sophomore from Thornton, Colorado led the way as UNC's dynamic offensive picked right back up from where it left off a night ago.
Syd Cole supplied 10 assists as the Bears fought off four Montana blocks to win the first set with Kyndall Feather dialing up the final blow via her first ace of the match.
Strain continued to flex her muscles in set No. 2. She'd finish with a match-high 17 kills, hitting a blistering .556.
Defensively, Laura Katarzynski was seemingly everywhere in Missoula on Saturday evening. Her 35 digs, 18 in the first set alone, were a career-high and a major reason the bears held Montana to just .162 hitting on the night.
With the set tied at four, Northern Colorado went on a 12-1 run to secure a firm grasp on the match. Strain hit the double-digit kill mark without committing a single error and Makenzie Harris grabbed her second and third aces of the night, allowing UNC to run away.
Montana utilized a similar script in the third frame. A long scoring run, three blocks and a .429 hitting percentage extended the match into the fourth.
The same poise and offensive balance Northern Colorado possessed against Montana State, the Bears brought back out for the fourth set against the Griz.
Kailey Jo Ince led the attack with five kills in the final frame, needing only six attempts and surrendering zero errors in the set. Meanwhile, Harris and Strain added three kills apiece.
Cole led the Bears to .462 hitting and Kyndall Feather added two timely aces at the end of the set to seal the deal. Both Feather and Harris racked up four important aces.
What They Said
Game Notes
What's Ahead
Northern Colorado returns home to Bank of Colorado Arena on Friday, November 5, against Idaho State at 7 p.m. MT. 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.
There was no stopping Strain in the opening set. Five kills on six attempts with no errors is hard to beat.
The sophomore from Thornton, Colorado led the way as UNC's dynamic offensive picked right back up from where it left off a night ago.
Syd Cole supplied 10 assists as the Bears fought off four Montana blocks to win the first set with Kyndall Feather dialing up the final blow via her first ace of the match.
Strain continued to flex her muscles in set No. 2. She'd finish with a match-high 17 kills, hitting a blistering .556.
Defensively, Laura Katarzynski was seemingly everywhere in Missoula on Saturday evening. Her 35 digs, 18 in the first set alone, were a career-high and a major reason the bears held Montana to just .162 hitting on the night.
With the set tied at four, Northern Colorado went on a 12-1 run to secure a firm grasp on the match. Strain hit the double-digit kill mark without committing a single error and Makenzie Harris grabbed her second and third aces of the night, allowing UNC to run away.
Montana utilized a similar script in the third frame. A long scoring run, three blocks and a .429 hitting percentage extended the match into the fourth.
The same poise and offensive balance Northern Colorado possessed against Montana State, the Bears brought back out for the fourth set against the Griz.
Kailey Jo Ince led the attack with five kills in the final frame, needing only six attempts and surrendering zero errors in the set. Meanwhile, Harris and Strain added three kills apiece.
Cole led the Bears to .462 hitting and Kyndall Feather added two timely aces at the end of the set to seal the deal. Both Feather and Harris racked up four important aces.
What They Said
Game Notes
- Laura Katarzynski's 35 digs were a career-high.
- Lauren Strain swung for .556 hitting with 17 kills, one shy of her career-best.
- UNC held its opponent to sub .200 hitting for the second straight match.
- Along with Strain (17), three other Bears finished with double-figure kills totals – Rachel Hickman (10), Makenzie Harris (10) and Kailey Jo Ince (10).
- Syd Cole (38 assists, 10 digs), posted her second career double-double.
- With the win, Lyndsey Oates now has 300 on her career.
What's Ahead
Northern Colorado returns home to Bank of Colorado Arena on Friday, November 5, against Idaho State at 7 p.m. MT. 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
UNC
Mont
Kills
53
46
Errors
17
23
Attempts
130
142
Hitting %
.277
.162
Points
69
62
Assists
44
40
Aces
8
8
Blocks
8
8
Game Leaders
Kills
17
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
4
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballMB
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