University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Monday, February 1
Cheney, Wash.
4:30 p.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
3-1,3-1Big Sky
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Eastern Washington
1-4,0-4Big Sky
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Northern Colo.
23
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Eastern Wash.
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Photo by: Woody Myers
Epic fourth-set rally fuels Bears' victory over Eastern Washington
2/1/2021 7:54:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
CHENEY, Wash. – Northern Colorado never said quit.
Trailing two sets to one and down 20-11 in the fourth set, the Bears pulled together a 16-5 run and closed out a dramatic fifth set over Eastern Washington to earn its third victory of the season, 3-2 (23-25, 25-13, 21-25, 27-25, 16-14).
UNC jumped out to a quick lead in the opening set but the Eagles capitalized a few serving errors from the Bears to take the opening frame.
Northern Colorado's offense came alive in the second set. The Bears hit .296 and were led by middle blocker Cece Huhn and outside hitter Taylor Muff.
The Bears also benefited from killer serving from freshman Syd Cole. Cole managed one ace on the evening but led UNC to a tone-setting 6-0 run in the second set.
Not this team.
Sparked by Laura Katarzynski's serving, Northern Colorado found a second gear and clawed their way back on a 15-5 run, fighting off three match points. Cece Huhn dealt the final blow to make the comeback complete.
Among those who aided UNC's reinvigoration was freshman middle blocker Lauren Strain. Making an immediate impact at the net, Strain tallied four kills and five blocks as UNC survived a nerve-wracking fifth set to claim victory.
Defensively, five Bears finished the match in double-figure dig totals. Katarzynski and Kyndall Feather led the way with 19 apiece, Schultz had 16, Michaela Boon finished with 11 and Muff racked up 10.
Post-match Thoughts
Head Coach, Lyndsey Oates
"We finished with a tough win that's for sure. We certainly put ourselves in a hole in set four and climbed our way out of it. You have to give credit to Eastern Washington, they played very aggressive. They served aggressive, were able to attack our block and we didn't handle that very well.
"Then we got aggressive back at them. I thought that was a good change. [Taylor] Muff led us in that category offensively, stayed very aggressive and took some good cuts at the ball.
"Our defense also started to play well, especially our three defensive specialists that just play back row. They really came up with some big saves when we needed it.
"I'm excited about a road sweep because it wasn't easy. But we have to get back in the gym and get better for sure. There's no doubt there's a lot to improve on but grateful for a win today."
Game Notes
Northern Colorado will welcome Sacramento State to the Bank of Colorado over Super Bowl Weekend. Match times for Sunday and Monday are set for 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.
To stay up to date on all things UNC volleyball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Trailing two sets to one and down 20-11 in the fourth set, the Bears pulled together a 16-5 run and closed out a dramatic fifth set over Eastern Washington to earn its third victory of the season, 3-2 (23-25, 25-13, 21-25, 27-25, 16-14).
UNC jumped out to a quick lead in the opening set but the Eagles capitalized a few serving errors from the Bears to take the opening frame.
Northern Colorado's offense came alive in the second set. The Bears hit .296 and were led by middle blocker Cece Huhn and outside hitter Taylor Muff.
Muff tallied her second double-double in as many days, finishing with a match-high 19 kills and 10 digs.S2 | Cece Huhn with her 4th kill of the match!!#BearsStrong #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/rRNNnlQiGG
— UNC Bears Volleyball (@UNC_BearsVB) February 2, 2021
The Bears also benefited from killer serving from freshman Syd Cole. Cole managed one ace on the evening but led UNC to a tone-setting 6-0 run in the second set.
Momentum sharply swung back to the Eagles in the third and fourth sets. Many teams would've packed it in trailing 20-11 in the fourth.S2 | Syd Cole sets the tone with an ace!#BearsStrong #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/XQO1jIc8KF
— UNC Bears Volleyball (@UNC_BearsVB) February 2, 2021
Not this team.
Sparked by Laura Katarzynski's serving, Northern Colorado found a second gear and clawed their way back on a 15-5 run, fighting off three match points. Cece Huhn dealt the final blow to make the comeback complete.
Huhn finished with eight kills and a block.S4 | Big ace from @Laurakat5 !!#BearsStrong #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/aQWwcWON5A
— UNC Bears Volleyball (@UNC_BearsVB) February 2, 2021
Among those who aided UNC's reinvigoration was freshman middle blocker Lauren Strain. Making an immediate impact at the net, Strain tallied four kills and five blocks as UNC survived a nerve-wracking fifth set to claim victory.
Equaling Muff's double-double effort, Daisy Schultz grabbed her second straight with 41 assists and 16 digs.S4 | @laurenstrainn !!!!!!!!!!!#BearsStrong #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/oY4WP2GkEZ
— UNC Bears Volleyball (@UNC_BearsVB) February 2, 2021
Defensively, five Bears finished the match in double-figure dig totals. Katarzynski and Kyndall Feather led the way with 19 apiece, Schultz had 16, Michaela Boon finished with 11 and Muff racked up 10.
Post-match Thoughts
Head Coach, Lyndsey Oates
"We finished with a tough win that's for sure. We certainly put ourselves in a hole in set four and climbed our way out of it. You have to give credit to Eastern Washington, they played very aggressive. They served aggressive, were able to attack our block and we didn't handle that very well.
"Then we got aggressive back at them. I thought that was a good change. [Taylor] Muff led us in that category offensively, stayed very aggressive and took some good cuts at the ball.
"Our defense also started to play well, especially our three defensive specialists that just play back row. They really came up with some big saves when we needed it.
"I'm excited about a road sweep because it wasn't easy. But we have to get back in the gym and get better for sure. There's no doubt there's a lot to improve on but grateful for a win today."
Game Notes
- Daisy Schultz tied her season-high in assists with 41
- Taylor Muff mustered a season-high 19 kills, two shy of her carer-high
- The Bears dialed up 10 huge blocks on the evening, five of them coming from freshman Lauren Strain
- Cece Huhn led the team with a .389 attack percentage, finishing with a season-high 8 kills.
- Eight-six digs sets a new season-high for the team
Northern Colorado will welcome Sacramento State to the Bank of Colorado over Super Bowl Weekend. Match times for Sunday and Monday are set for 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.
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
EWU
Kills
57
49
Errors
29
23
Attempts
192
182
Hitting %
.146
.143
Points
72
65
Assists
49
42
Aces
5
6
Blocks
10
10
Game Leaders
Kills
19
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballCoaches Show Episode 3
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Lyndsey Oates Press Conference vs Montana
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Lyndsey Oates Press Conference vs Montana State
Friday, October 31
Lyndsey Oates Press Conference vs Colorado
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