University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Friday, September 17
Peoria, Ill.
9 a.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
vs
Saint Louis
Volleyball heads east for CEFCU Bradley Invitational
9/14/2021 12:44:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
GREELEY, Colo. – One last non-conference tournament awaits Northern Colorado Volleyball. The Bears will see its first Atlantic-10 opponent, face host Bradley and rekindle an old Big Sky and NCC rivalry with North Dakota.
Who: vs Saint Louis, 5-5 | vs Bradley, 2-6 | vs North Dakota, 1-8
When: Sept. 17 at 9 a.m. MT | Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. MT | Sept. 18 at 9 a.m. MT
Where: Peoria, Ill.
How To Follow: BRADLEY LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNCBearsVB
Quick Sets
The Bears' front row dialed up its best blocking performance of the season in the win over San Jose State. Cece Huhn racked up five block assists, Makenzie Harris had three plus one solo and Lauren Strain and Daisy Schultz each secured two as UNC went for a season-high 10 total blocks.
Northern Colorado's win was also it's third over the Mountain West Conference in 2021 (including the exhibition over Wyoming).
Aggressive serving has been a staple for Lyndsey Oates' program and there have been few better than Kyndall Feather. Heading into the Bradley Invitational, Feather sits at 97 service aces. Should the senior from Sterling reach the 100 mark, she'd be just the fourth player in program history to do so.
In the early parts of this fall, Kailey Jo Ince has shown why she was named the 2019 Big Sky Tournament MVP. Already with three double-doubles this season, Ince leads the team in kills (105), kills per set (3.28) and is impressively third on the squad in digs per set (2.03).
As a team, Northern Colorado ranks first in the Big Sky in kills per set at 12.62 and second in assists per state at 11.50. Senior setter Daisy Schultz is a big reason why UNC is near the top in assist totals. The Greenwood Village, Colorado native is second in the conference with 9.44 assists per set.
Last time out
Northern Colorado went 1-2 in the Buffs Invitational, falling for the first time in the 2021 season to Texas Tech and Colorado. However, between the losses, the Bears rebounded with a four-set win over San Jose State, 3-1.
Rachel Hickman dialed up over 30 kills in the tournament to earn a place on the Buffs Invite All-Tournament Team.
Scouting Saint Louis
Kent Miller enters his 11th season at the helm of the Saint Louis program. His Billiken squad is an even 5-5 as they arrive in Peoria for the Bradley Invitational.
Senior Maya Taylor became the fifth player in program history to reach the 1,500 kill mark last week. Taylor ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in kills per set at 3.89.
Saint Louis comes into the weekend as one of the most aggressive serving teams in the nation. At 2.14 aces per set, SLU leads the A-10 and is 13th in the nation.
History against the Billikens
Friday will be the first official meeting between the Bears and the Billikens and will mark UNC's first matchup against the Atlantic-10.
Scouting Bradley
Sixth-year head coach Carol Price-Torok eagerly welcomed back the sight of Hannah Thompson to the 2021 roster. Thompson was named to the All-MVC Preseason team and has already claimed the Brave record for career-kills this season.
Bradley comes into the weekend as one of the better defensive teams in the Missouri Valley. At 17.28 digs per set, the Braves are ranked No. 1 in the MVC and 22nd in the nation.
History against the Braves
UNC and Bradley have met only once back in 1983. It was the Bears who came away victorious with the 2-0 sweep.
Scouting North Dakota
Familiar foe North Dakota has already played two Big Sky opponents this season. The Fighting Hawks were swept by both Weber State and Montana before arriving in Peoria.
Third-year head coach Jeremiah Tiffin had his team picked to finish eighth in the Summit League Preseason Poll. Middle hitter Lexi Ahrens and Libero Darian Chwialkowski were tabbed as players to watch.
With 571 digs (17.30 per set), UND ranks 35th in the country in total team digs and 21st in digs per set.
History against the Fighting Hawks
Since 1979, the Bears and Fighting Hawks have matched up 43 times. It's been Northern Colorado enjoying most of the spoils, earning a 36-7 mark. UNC will be looking to avenge its latest loss in 2017.
Looking Ahead.
Northern Colorado opens Big Sky Conference play with matches against Montana and Montana State. UNC will host both at the Bank of Colorado Arena, beginning with the Griz on Thursday, September 23 at 6 p.m. MT. Tickets for the match are available 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 Saint Louis, 5-5 | vs Bradley, 2-6 | vs North Dakota, 1-8
When: Sept. 17 at 9 a.m. MT | Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. MT | Sept. 18 at 9 a.m. MT
Where: Peoria, Ill.
How To Follow: BRADLEY LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNCBearsVB
Quick Sets
The Bears' front row dialed up its best blocking performance of the season in the win over San Jose State. Cece Huhn racked up five block assists, Makenzie Harris had three plus one solo and Lauren Strain and Daisy Schultz each secured two as UNC went for a season-high 10 total blocks.
Northern Colorado's win was also it's third over the Mountain West Conference in 2021 (including the exhibition over Wyoming).
Aggressive serving has been a staple for Lyndsey Oates' program and there have been few better than Kyndall Feather. Heading into the Bradley Invitational, Feather sits at 97 service aces. Should the senior from Sterling reach the 100 mark, she'd be just the fourth player in program history to do so.
In the early parts of this fall, Kailey Jo Ince has shown why she was named the 2019 Big Sky Tournament MVP. Already with three double-doubles this season, Ince leads the team in kills (105), kills per set (3.28) and is impressively third on the squad in digs per set (2.03).
As a team, Northern Colorado ranks first in the Big Sky in kills per set at 12.62 and second in assists per state at 11.50. Senior setter Daisy Schultz is a big reason why UNC is near the top in assist totals. The Greenwood Village, Colorado native is second in the conference with 9.44 assists per set.
Last time out
Northern Colorado went 1-2 in the Buffs Invitational, falling for the first time in the 2021 season to Texas Tech and Colorado. However, between the losses, the Bears rebounded with a four-set win over San Jose State, 3-1.
Rachel Hickman dialed up over 30 kills in the tournament to earn a place on the Buffs Invite All-Tournament Team.
Scouting Saint Louis
Kent Miller enters his 11th season at the helm of the Saint Louis program. His Billiken squad is an even 5-5 as they arrive in Peoria for the Bradley Invitational.
Senior Maya Taylor became the fifth player in program history to reach the 1,500 kill mark last week. Taylor ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in kills per set at 3.89.
Saint Louis comes into the weekend as one of the most aggressive serving teams in the nation. At 2.14 aces per set, SLU leads the A-10 and is 13th in the nation.
History against the Billikens
Friday will be the first official meeting between the Bears and the Billikens and will mark UNC's first matchup against the Atlantic-10.
Scouting Bradley
Sixth-year head coach Carol Price-Torok eagerly welcomed back the sight of Hannah Thompson to the 2021 roster. Thompson was named to the All-MVC Preseason team and has already claimed the Brave record for career-kills this season.
Bradley comes into the weekend as one of the better defensive teams in the Missouri Valley. At 17.28 digs per set, the Braves are ranked No. 1 in the MVC and 22nd in the nation.
History against the Braves
UNC and Bradley have met only once back in 1983. It was the Bears who came away victorious with the 2-0 sweep.
Scouting North Dakota
Familiar foe North Dakota has already played two Big Sky opponents this season. The Fighting Hawks were swept by both Weber State and Montana before arriving in Peoria.
Third-year head coach Jeremiah Tiffin had his team picked to finish eighth in the Summit League Preseason Poll. Middle hitter Lexi Ahrens and Libero Darian Chwialkowski were tabbed as players to watch.
With 571 digs (17.30 per set), UND ranks 35th in the country in total team digs and 21st in digs per set.
History against the Fighting Hawks
Since 1979, the Bears and Fighting Hawks have matched up 43 times. It's been Northern Colorado enjoying most of the spoils, earning a 36-7 mark. UNC will be looking to avenge its latest loss in 2017.
Looking Ahead.
Northern Colorado opens Big Sky Conference play with matches against Montana and Montana State. UNC will host both at the Bank of Colorado Arena, beginning with the Griz on Thursday, September 23 at 6 p.m. MT. Tickets for the match are available 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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