University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Thursday, October 7
Ogden, Utah
6 p.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
at
Weber State
Volleyballs preps for heavyweight bouts against Weber State and Idaho State
10/6/2021 7:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
GREELEY, Colo. – A date with preseason favorite Weber State is on the horizon as the two remaining undefeated teams in the Big Sky clash on Thursday. The Bears also meet Idaho State on Friday before returning home to Greeley.
Who: vs Weber State (9-5, 5-0) | vs Idaho State (6-10, 2-3)
When: Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. MT | Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. MT
Where: Ogden, Utah | Pocatello, Idaho
How To Follow: LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNCBearsVB
Quick Sets
Sophomore middle blocker Lauren Strain recorded 30 kills on .462 hitting with seven total blocks over the weekend. Her effort, which including a career-high 18 kills against the Thunderbirds, was good enough to earn the Thornton, Colorado native her first Big Sky Player of the Week Honor. Strain is the third Bear to pick up the award after Kailey Jo Ince and Kyndall Feather swept the awards in early September.
Laura Katarzysnki has been downright lethal from the service line in 2021. The Winfield, Illinois native dialed up six aces over the weekend, passing Taylor Muff to vault herself into the record books as the program's DI career aces leader.
With only eight eligible players available last weekend, the 'Magnificent Eight' stepped up in a huge way. All eight recorded career highs against Southern Utah and the group swept a Northern Arizona team that was picked to finish ahead of the Bears in the preseason coaches poll.
Northern Colorado's offensive has been operating on all cylinders in the fall of 2021. As a team, the Bears lead the conference in hitting percentage (.223), kills per set (13.21), team kills (766) and assists per set (12.19).
UNC and Weber State meet for the first time since the Big Sky Championship match last spring. The Wildcats prevailed in the blockbuster bout, 3-1.
Last time out
Shorthanded but never short on guts, Northern Colorado earned two hard-fought victories over Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. All eight players who entered the match against the Thunderbirds recorded career highs while Laura Katarzynski eclipsed Taylor Muff for the program's Division I career aces record in the Bears' sweep over the Lumberjacks.
Scouting Weber State
Head coach Jeremiah Larsen brings yet another talented Weber State team into the 2021 season. The Big Sky champions from a year ago enter Thursday with a perfect 5-0 conference record.
The Wildcats are first in the Big Sky in aces per set (1.93) and total attacks per set at (36.82). The only category in which Weber State ranks outside the top-5 is blocks per set (9th) and total team blocks (8th).
Rylin Adams, the Big Sky Tournament MVP, is up to her old tricks again. With 4.05 kills per set, Adams is tops in the conference and No. 45 in the nation. Fellow outside hitter Dani Nay is second on the team with 10.36 attacks per set. Nay has also been lethal from the service line, leading the conference and ranking third in the nation in aces per set at .73.
History against the Wildcats
All-time, the Bears are 24-13 against Weber State dating back to 1974. However, the two Big Sky heavyweights have made a habit of meeting in the postseason. Each of the last three seasons, UNC and WSU have met in the conference tournaments with both the 2019 and 2020 bouts in the championship match. Northern Colorado is 2-1 in those matchups.
Scouting Idaho State
Though the Bengals lost to Weber State on Tuesday evening, third-year head coach Sammi Stuart's squad has already posted two Big Sky wins in 2021 over Montana and Sacramento State.
Defensively, the Bengals are one of the best teams in the conference. ISU is holding its opponents to a conference low .179. A big part of its defensive prowess comes from Idaho State's back row who lead the conference in team digs with 941. Asiah Sopoaga owns 228 of those digs. That total ranks No. 3 in the Big Sky.
History against the Bengals
Northern Colorado owns a 21-13 record over Idaho State since 1980. Since losing to the Bengals in 2018, the Bears have ripped off three straight matches against Idaho State.
Looking Ahead.
Northern Colorado returns home on October 12 to host Idaho at 6 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.
Who: vs Weber State (9-5, 5-0) | vs Idaho State (6-10, 2-3)
When: Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. MT | Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. MT
Where: Ogden, Utah | Pocatello, Idaho
How To Follow: LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNCBearsVB
Quick Sets
Sophomore middle blocker Lauren Strain recorded 30 kills on .462 hitting with seven total blocks over the weekend. Her effort, which including a career-high 18 kills against the Thunderbirds, was good enough to earn the Thornton, Colorado native her first Big Sky Player of the Week Honor. Strain is the third Bear to pick up the award after Kailey Jo Ince and Kyndall Feather swept the awards in early September.
Laura Katarzysnki has been downright lethal from the service line in 2021. The Winfield, Illinois native dialed up six aces over the weekend, passing Taylor Muff to vault herself into the record books as the program's DI career aces leader.
With only eight eligible players available last weekend, the 'Magnificent Eight' stepped up in a huge way. All eight recorded career highs against Southern Utah and the group swept a Northern Arizona team that was picked to finish ahead of the Bears in the preseason coaches poll.
Northern Colorado's offensive has been operating on all cylinders in the fall of 2021. As a team, the Bears lead the conference in hitting percentage (.223), kills per set (13.21), team kills (766) and assists per set (12.19).
UNC and Weber State meet for the first time since the Big Sky Championship match last spring. The Wildcats prevailed in the blockbuster bout, 3-1.
Last time out
Shorthanded but never short on guts, Northern Colorado earned two hard-fought victories over Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. All eight players who entered the match against the Thunderbirds recorded career highs while Laura Katarzynski eclipsed Taylor Muff for the program's Division I career aces record in the Bears' sweep over the Lumberjacks.
Scouting Weber State
Head coach Jeremiah Larsen brings yet another talented Weber State team into the 2021 season. The Big Sky champions from a year ago enter Thursday with a perfect 5-0 conference record.
The Wildcats are first in the Big Sky in aces per set (1.93) and total attacks per set at (36.82). The only category in which Weber State ranks outside the top-5 is blocks per set (9th) and total team blocks (8th).
Rylin Adams, the Big Sky Tournament MVP, is up to her old tricks again. With 4.05 kills per set, Adams is tops in the conference and No. 45 in the nation. Fellow outside hitter Dani Nay is second on the team with 10.36 attacks per set. Nay has also been lethal from the service line, leading the conference and ranking third in the nation in aces per set at .73.
History against the Wildcats
All-time, the Bears are 24-13 against Weber State dating back to 1974. However, the two Big Sky heavyweights have made a habit of meeting in the postseason. Each of the last three seasons, UNC and WSU have met in the conference tournaments with both the 2019 and 2020 bouts in the championship match. Northern Colorado is 2-1 in those matchups.
Scouting Idaho State
Though the Bengals lost to Weber State on Tuesday evening, third-year head coach Sammi Stuart's squad has already posted two Big Sky wins in 2021 over Montana and Sacramento State.
Defensively, the Bengals are one of the best teams in the conference. ISU is holding its opponents to a conference low .179. A big part of its defensive prowess comes from Idaho State's back row who lead the conference in team digs with 941. Asiah Sopoaga owns 228 of those digs. That total ranks No. 3 in the Big Sky.
History against the Bengals
Northern Colorado owns a 21-13 record over Idaho State since 1980. Since losing to the Bengals in 2018, the Bears have ripped off three straight matches against Idaho State.
Looking Ahead.
Northern Colorado returns home on October 12 to host Idaho at 6 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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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