University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Friday, November 12
Cheney, Wash.
7 p.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
at
Eastern Washington
Bears eye conference title with trip to Eastern Washington and Idaho
11/11/2021 12:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado Volleyball controls its destiny for a Big Sky Regular-Season title. Wins against Eastern Washington and Idaho would give the Bears its fourth regular-season championship in program history.
Who: at Eastern Washington (11-12, 7-8) | at Idaho (5-19, 2-13)
When: Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. MT | Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. MT
Where: Greeley, Colo. | Bank of Colorado Arena
How To Follow: LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNCBearsVB
Quick Sets
Junior outside hitter Rachel Hickman picked up her first Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week Award after last week's performance. The Lawrence, Kansas native hit .404 in the Bears' two victories over the Bengals and Wildcats while totaling 29 kills and five blocks.
With her 11th kill in the Weber State match, Kailey Jo Ince totaled 1,000 kills throughout her career. She is the 20th player in program history to reach that mark.
As a team, UNC ranks No. 1 in the Big Sky in assists per set, kills per set and opponent hitting percentage.
In conference play, no player has been more efficient than Lauren Strain. The sophomore from Thornton, Colorado is hitting .359 since Big Sky play started, the top mark in the conference.
Sophomore setter Syd Cole has been running a smooth offensive since entering as a starter. Cole has already shot up the conference leaderboard, ranking No. 2 in assists per set entering the weekend at 9.67.
Last time out
Northern Colorado held serve on the last weekend of home volleyball. A sweep over Idaho State and a thrilling five-set victory over Weber State set up a wild finish as three teams, including UNC, have routes to a regular-season championship.
Scouting Eastern Washington
The Eagles are coming off of an impressive 3-1 victory over down-the-road rival Idaho as former Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week Lindsey Russel tallied 33 assists, seven kills, five digs and a block.
Offensively, EWU is led by Ashlyn Blotzer. The junior from Corona California is hitting .319 on the season which is good enough or third-best in the Big Sky Conference.
Having just seen the best serving team in teams of aces per set in Weber State, the Bears face another stern test. Eastern Washington ranks second at 1.82 aces per set which is also No. 27 in the country.
History against the Eagles
When Eastern Washington came to town in October, a well-balanced attack guided the Bears to a three-set sweep. Kailey Jo Ince tallied 13 kills while Rachel Hickman racked up 11. Daisy Schultz posted her third double-double of the season. Defensively, UNC held the Eagles to a season-low .030 hitting to help Northern Colorado to a three-set sweep.
All-time, the Bears are 22-10 against Eastern Washington, including each of the last seven matchups.
Scouting Idaho
The Vandals earned back-to-back sweeps over Idaho State and Southern Utah at the end of October. Since then, Idaho has dropped four straight matches, including a five-set thriller against Montana.
Senior Allison Munday has led the way offensively for head coach Debbie Buchanan. Munday is averaging 3.10 kills per set and has served up 34 aces on the season. Fellow senior middle blocker Nikki Ball is pacing Idaho with 1.03 blocks per set.
Libero Alaina Lacey has stacked up over 300 digs this season and is averaging 3.53 per set.
History against the Vandals
It took four sets for the Bears to best Idaho in mid-October. Another balanced effort helped propel UNC to the four-set victory as Rachel Hickman (12), Makenzie Harris (11) and Lauren Strain (11) all finished with double figures in kills. Kyndall Feather racked up 17 digs. As a team, Northern Colorado dialed up a season-high 11 aces in the win.
The Bears are 11-7 all-time against Idaho, including each of the last five matches.
Looking Ahead
With a berth in the Big Sky Tournament already secured, Northern Colorado will await its seeding before heading to Ogden, Utah No. 18-20.
To stay up to date on all things UNC volleyball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Who: at Eastern Washington (11-12, 7-8) | at Idaho (5-19, 2-13)
When: Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. MT | Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. MT
Where: Greeley, Colo. | Bank of Colorado Arena
How To Follow: LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNCBearsVB
Quick Sets
Junior outside hitter Rachel Hickman picked up her first Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week Award after last week's performance. The Lawrence, Kansas native hit .404 in the Bears' two victories over the Bengals and Wildcats while totaling 29 kills and five blocks.
With her 11th kill in the Weber State match, Kailey Jo Ince totaled 1,000 kills throughout her career. She is the 20th player in program history to reach that mark.
As a team, UNC ranks No. 1 in the Big Sky in assists per set, kills per set and opponent hitting percentage.
In conference play, no player has been more efficient than Lauren Strain. The sophomore from Thornton, Colorado is hitting .359 since Big Sky play started, the top mark in the conference.
Sophomore setter Syd Cole has been running a smooth offensive since entering as a starter. Cole has already shot up the conference leaderboard, ranking No. 2 in assists per set entering the weekend at 9.67.
Last time out
Northern Colorado held serve on the last weekend of home volleyball. A sweep over Idaho State and a thrilling five-set victory over Weber State set up a wild finish as three teams, including UNC, have routes to a regular-season championship.
Scouting Eastern Washington
The Eagles are coming off of an impressive 3-1 victory over down-the-road rival Idaho as former Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week Lindsey Russel tallied 33 assists, seven kills, five digs and a block.
Offensively, EWU is led by Ashlyn Blotzer. The junior from Corona California is hitting .319 on the season which is good enough or third-best in the Big Sky Conference.
Having just seen the best serving team in teams of aces per set in Weber State, the Bears face another stern test. Eastern Washington ranks second at 1.82 aces per set which is also No. 27 in the country.
History against the Eagles
When Eastern Washington came to town in October, a well-balanced attack guided the Bears to a three-set sweep. Kailey Jo Ince tallied 13 kills while Rachel Hickman racked up 11. Daisy Schultz posted her third double-double of the season. Defensively, UNC held the Eagles to a season-low .030 hitting to help Northern Colorado to a three-set sweep.
All-time, the Bears are 22-10 against Eastern Washington, including each of the last seven matchups.
Scouting Idaho
The Vandals earned back-to-back sweeps over Idaho State and Southern Utah at the end of October. Since then, Idaho has dropped four straight matches, including a five-set thriller against Montana.
Senior Allison Munday has led the way offensively for head coach Debbie Buchanan. Munday is averaging 3.10 kills per set and has served up 34 aces on the season. Fellow senior middle blocker Nikki Ball is pacing Idaho with 1.03 blocks per set.
Libero Alaina Lacey has stacked up over 300 digs this season and is averaging 3.53 per set.
History against the Vandals
It took four sets for the Bears to best Idaho in mid-October. Another balanced effort helped propel UNC to the four-set victory as Rachel Hickman (12), Makenzie Harris (11) and Lauren Strain (11) all finished with double figures in kills. Kyndall Feather racked up 17 digs. As a team, Northern Colorado dialed up a season-high 11 aces in the win.
The Bears are 11-7 all-time against Idaho, including each of the last five matches.
Looking Ahead
With a berth in the Big Sky Tournament already secured, Northern Colorado will await its seeding before heading to Ogden, Utah No. 18-20.
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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/ Women's Volleyball
MB
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