University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Tuesday, February 16
Portland, Ore.
8 p.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
7-1,7-1Big Sky
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Portland State
1-7,0-6Big Sky
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Northern Colo.
25
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25
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Portland St.
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Photo by: Scott Larson
Muff reaches 1,000 kills as Bears sweep Portland State
2/16/2021 9:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
PORTLAND, Ore. – Fully rested, relaxed and ready to go, Northern Colorado swept Portland State, 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-15), for its seventh consecutive victory.
Taylor Muff entered the evening just 10 kills away from joining the 1,000 kills club. Whether the senior outside hitter had the feat in the back of her mind or not, Muff was determined to get her team off to a hot start.
Northern Colorado's efficient serve-receive opened up the entire playbook for senior setter Daisy Schultz and the offense.
When the dust settled, Hickman hit a remarkable .500 en route to 12 kills with just a single error on 22 attempts.
Everyone joined the party in the third, and what proved to the final, set.
Makenzie Harris quickly collected four kills, Cece Huhn contributed four out of the middle herself, as did Kailey Jo Ince. Even Schultz, who piled up 41 assists in just three sets, found three kills and three block assists.
POST-MATCH THOUGHTS
Head Coach, Lyndsey Oates
On the win and offensive consistency
"Solid win for us tonight. We served tough again, which is definitely going to be a signature of our team this year. Taylor [Muff] and Rachel [Hickman] were very efficient offensively. I thought they made good decisions. Daisy [Schultz] was setting them at the right times and we stayed aggressive. That was good for them to hit such high percentages."
On Muff reaching 1,000 kills
"Muff is a special player getting to 1,000 kills and she's already at 100 aces. She's just a great all-around player. She's certainly deserving of being in that 1,000 kill club and she still has plenty more to go."
On the defensive adjustments
"We were definitely more organized defensively tonight, so we were able to turn digs into kills much better. I thought or defensive organization was the best part of our game that we turned around from last night to tonight.
GAME NOTES
WHAT'S AHEAD
Next weekend features a true heavyweight matchup as Weber State rolls into town. The No. 1 overall seed for the conference tournament will be up for grabs when the Wildcats and Bears go toe-to-toe next Saturday and Sunday at 2 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.
Taylor Muff entered the evening just 10 kills away from joining the 1,000 kills club. Whether the senior outside hitter had the feat in the back of her mind or not, Muff was determined to get her team off to a hot start.
As a team, the Bears hit .302 in the opening set with Muff accounting for seven kills as UNC set the tone in Viking Pavilion.Set 1 | @taymuff starts the night with a kill!!#BearsStrong #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/yo5zYX1zQe
— UNC Bears Volleyball (@UNC_BearsVB) February 17, 2021
Northern Colorado's efficient serve-receive opened up the entire playbook for senior setter Daisy Schultz and the offense.
While Muff would become the 19th UNC player to eclipse 1,000 kills in her career, Rachel Hickman was doing equally impressive things from UNC's right side.Set 1 | @KaileyInce21 on the board!!#BearsStrong #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/Iebv8UEkHG
— UNC Bears Volleyball (@UNC_BearsVB) February 17, 2021
When the dust settled, Hickman hit a remarkable .500 en route to 12 kills with just a single error on 22 attempts.
Meanwhile, Muff tallied 18 kills and 12 digs for her fourth double-double of the season.Set 3 | Hickman with two early kills here in the third!!#BearsStrong #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/D3rn4bLzgR
— UNC Bears Volleyball (@UNC_BearsVB) February 17, 2021
Everyone joined the party in the third, and what proved to the final, set.
Makenzie Harris quickly collected four kills, Cece Huhn contributed four out of the middle herself, as did Kailey Jo Ince. Even Schultz, who piled up 41 assists in just three sets, found three kills and three block assists.
By the end of the night, Lyndsey Oates' squad had established its best offensive performance of the season, hitting a season-high .339, leaving any doubt of victory far behind them.Set 3 | Hickman with two early kills here in the third!!#BearsStrong #BigSkyVB pic.twitter.com/D3rn4bLzgR
— UNC Bears Volleyball (@UNC_BearsVB) February 17, 2021
POST-MATCH THOUGHTS
Head Coach, Lyndsey Oates
On the win and offensive consistency
"Solid win for us tonight. We served tough again, which is definitely going to be a signature of our team this year. Taylor [Muff] and Rachel [Hickman] were very efficient offensively. I thought they made good decisions. Daisy [Schultz] was setting them at the right times and we stayed aggressive. That was good for them to hit such high percentages."
On Muff reaching 1,000 kills
"Muff is a special player getting to 1,000 kills and she's already at 100 aces. She's just a great all-around player. She's certainly deserving of being in that 1,000 kill club and she still has plenty more to go."
On the defensive adjustments
"We were definitely more organized defensively tonight, so we were able to turn digs into kills much better. I thought or defensive organization was the best part of our game that we turned around from last night to tonight.
GAME NOTES
- Taylor Muff joined the 1,000 kill club, becoming the 19th Bear to do so.
- Northern Colorado hit a season-high .339 in the win.
- The Bears' serve and serve-receive continue to pay dividends. UNC dialed up 10 aces to its seven serving errors and boast a reception percentage of .981, setting up the offense.
- Kyndall Feather reached double-figures in digs for the third straight match.
WHAT'S AHEAD
Next weekend features a true heavyweight matchup as Weber State rolls into town. The No. 1 overall seed for the conference tournament will be up for grabs when the Wildcats and Bears go toe-to-toe next Saturday and Sunday at 2 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.
Team Stats
UNC
PSU
Kills
49
37
Errors
10
10
Attempts
115
109
Hitting %
.339
.248
Points
63
43
Assists
45
31
Aces
10
1
Blocks
4
5
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's VolleyballCoaches Show Episode 3
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Lyndsey Oates Press Conference vs Montana State
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Lyndsey Oates Press Conference vs Colorado
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