University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Thursday, December 2
Waco, Texas
3:30 p.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
vs
Washington State
Bears to start NCAA Tournament off with No. 22 Washington State in Waco
12/1/2021 8:32:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
GREELEY, Colo. – It's tournament time! Northern Colorado Volleyball travels to Waco, Texas to face the No. 22 ranked Washington State Cougars in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Who: vs No. 22 Washington State (19-11, 13-7)
When: December 2 | 3:30 p.m. MT
Where: Waco, Texas
How To Follow: LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNCBearsVB
Quick Sets
Northern Colorado enters the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time under head coach Lyndsey Oates. UNC has never advanced to the second round. However, the Bears have taken one set apiece off Washington (2009), Colorado (2015) and Hawaii (2019).
Big Sky Tournament MVP Makenzie Harris was downright unreal in the championship match against Weber State. The Eaton, Colorado native racked up career-highs in kills (23) and digs (22) to vault the Bears over the Wildcats.
Northern Colorado's defensive effort against Weber State was unmatched, literally. Behind Harris (22 digs), Kailey Jo Ince (21 digs), Laura Katarzynski (21 digs), Kyndall Feather (17 digs), Syd Cole (16 digs) and the rest of the Blue and Gold, UNC tallied a program-record 107 digs.
Oates and company have rattled off nine straight wins, including the Bears' run through the Big Sky Tournament. It's the longest such streak since winning 11 in a row leading up to the NCAA Tournament in 2019.
UNC brings one of the most efficient offenses into Waco for the tournament. The Bears were No. 1 in the Big Sky in assists per set (12.29), hitting percentage (.228), kills per set (13.49) and team assists (1,376). UNC also ranks No. 58 in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.177).
Last time out
Northern Colorado outlasted Weber State in a five-set thriller to claim its sixth Big Sky Tournament title. Career performances from Makenzie Harris, Syd Cole and Kailey Jo Ince all contributed to the Bears record-breaking victory and ensured UNC a spot in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Scouting Washington State
In 11 seasons at the helm of Washington State, Jen Greeny's 19 wins are the fourth-most she's produced in The Palouse. The Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year has led WSU to six straight NCAA Tournament Appearances and picked up four top-25 victories this season.
Magda Jehlarova, Pia Timmer and Hannah Pukis were each given all-conference honors. Freshman Katy Ryan was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. It was the third straight all-conference award for Jehlarova, who is third in the country in blocking at 1.45 per set. Pukis collected the second-most assists in the Pac-12 with 1,130 and moved into the Cougs' all-time top-10 in career assists before the end of the season.
Offensively, Washington State is led by Pia Timmer. The junior from Germany averages 3.91 kills per set, fifth-most in the Pac-12 and No. 64 in the nation.
As a team, the Cougs were the best serving side in the conference with 1.74 aces per set and 191 total aces. Those marks also rank 34th and 28th in the nation, respectively.
History against the Cougars
The Bears are 1-1 versus the Cougars dating back to 1981. Northern Colorado got the better of WSU in '81, 2-0, in a best of three affair while the Cougars won 3-1 in the early fall of 2007. UNC is 10-25 against the Pac-12 conference with five of those wins coming against in-state rival Colorado.
Looking Ahead
Should Northern Colorado advance, the Bears will face the winner of Baylor and Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Friday, December 3 at 6 p.m. MT.
To stay up to date on all things UNC volleyball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Who: vs No. 22 Washington State (19-11, 13-7)
When: December 2 | 3:30 p.m. MT
Where: Waco, Texas
How To Follow: LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNCBearsVB
Quick Sets
Northern Colorado enters the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time under head coach Lyndsey Oates. UNC has never advanced to the second round. However, the Bears have taken one set apiece off Washington (2009), Colorado (2015) and Hawaii (2019).
Big Sky Tournament MVP Makenzie Harris was downright unreal in the championship match against Weber State. The Eaton, Colorado native racked up career-highs in kills (23) and digs (22) to vault the Bears over the Wildcats.
Northern Colorado's defensive effort against Weber State was unmatched, literally. Behind Harris (22 digs), Kailey Jo Ince (21 digs), Laura Katarzynski (21 digs), Kyndall Feather (17 digs), Syd Cole (16 digs) and the rest of the Blue and Gold, UNC tallied a program-record 107 digs.
Oates and company have rattled off nine straight wins, including the Bears' run through the Big Sky Tournament. It's the longest such streak since winning 11 in a row leading up to the NCAA Tournament in 2019.
UNC brings one of the most efficient offenses into Waco for the tournament. The Bears were No. 1 in the Big Sky in assists per set (12.29), hitting percentage (.228), kills per set (13.49) and team assists (1,376). UNC also ranks No. 58 in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.177).
Last time out
Northern Colorado outlasted Weber State in a five-set thriller to claim its sixth Big Sky Tournament title. Career performances from Makenzie Harris, Syd Cole and Kailey Jo Ince all contributed to the Bears record-breaking victory and ensured UNC a spot in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Scouting Washington State
In 11 seasons at the helm of Washington State, Jen Greeny's 19 wins are the fourth-most she's produced in The Palouse. The Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year has led WSU to six straight NCAA Tournament Appearances and picked up four top-25 victories this season.
Magda Jehlarova, Pia Timmer and Hannah Pukis were each given all-conference honors. Freshman Katy Ryan was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. It was the third straight all-conference award for Jehlarova, who is third in the country in blocking at 1.45 per set. Pukis collected the second-most assists in the Pac-12 with 1,130 and moved into the Cougs' all-time top-10 in career assists before the end of the season.
Offensively, Washington State is led by Pia Timmer. The junior from Germany averages 3.91 kills per set, fifth-most in the Pac-12 and No. 64 in the nation.
As a team, the Cougs were the best serving side in the conference with 1.74 aces per set and 191 total aces. Those marks also rank 34th and 28th in the nation, respectively.
History against the Cougars
The Bears are 1-1 versus the Cougars dating back to 1981. Northern Colorado got the better of WSU in '81, 2-0, in a best of three affair while the Cougars won 3-1 in the early fall of 2007. UNC is 10-25 against the Pac-12 conference with five of those wins coming against in-state rival Colorado.
Looking Ahead
Should Northern Colorado advance, the Bears will face the winner of Baylor and Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Friday, December 3 at 6 p.m. MT.
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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