University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Thursday, September 30
Greeley, Colo.
6 p.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
vs
Southern Utah
Photo by: Jam David
Another big weekend of Volleyball on deck as Thunderbirds and Lumberjacks roll into Greeley
9/29/2021 8:56:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
GREELEY, Colo. – The Bears dive deeper into Big Sky play this weekend as Southern Utah and Northern Arizona stumble into The Bank of Colorado Arena.
Who: vs Southern Utah (5-9, 1-1) | vs Northern Arizona (4-7, 2-0)
When: Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. MT | Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. MT
Where: Greeley, Colo. | Bank of Colorado Arena
How To Follow: LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNCBearsVB
Quick Sets
Northern Colorado is proving why it's one of the toughest teams in the Big Sky Conference. Entering the weekend, UNC is No. 1 in assists (15.00 per set) and kills (16.17 per set), and No. 2 in aces (2.17 per set) and hitting percentage (.261).
Senior setter Daisy Schultz has been pulling the right levers for the offense. The Greenwood Village, Colorado native ranks No. 1 in the Big Sky in assists per set at 9.72 and second in total assists with 418.
Schultz's 38 assists against Montana State were the most for a single UNC player in a three-set match this season.
Outside hitter Kailey Jo Ince continues to be a double-double machine for the Bears. The senior tallied her fifth of the season against Montana (12 kills and 12 digs). Ince leads all UNC hitters with 175 total kills this season and is third on the team in digs with 110.
Ince has also been a threat at the service line this season. Her three aces against Montana State were a career-high for the Hesston, Kansas native.
Following three aces against Montana State, Laura Katarzynski is just four behind Taylor Muff (114) for the Division-I program career record. Fellow senior Kyndall Feather isn't far behind with 107.
Last time out
Northern Colorado kick-started its 2021 Big Sky campaign with a pair of back-to-back sweeps over Montana and Montana State. Senior outside hitter Kailey Jo Ince secured her fifth double-double of the season in the win over the Griz, while Makenzie Harris went for 13 kills on .296 hitting to beat the Bobcats.
Scouting Southern Utah
First-year head coach Kacey Nady has already posted her first Big Sky win, tackling Idaho, 3-1, over the weekend. The 2017 Oregon Graduate inherits a team that grabbed its first-ever Big Sky Tournament victory last spring.
Southern Utah's front row has been the catalyst for its success in the early parts of 2021. The Thunderbirds rank No. 1 in the conference with 130.0 total team blocks. That mark is also No. 21 in the nation.
Middle blockers Reagen Ashby and Carissa Richie have been the main fortifiers of SUU's blocking effort. The dynamic duo rank first and third, respectively, in the Big Sky in total blocks and third and fifth, respectively, in blocks per set.
History against the Thunderbirds
Since the two schools first met in 1980, Northern Colorado is an incredible 18-1 against the Thunderbirds. Southern Utah's only win over the Bears came in October of 2015. UNC has won six straight since, including seven consecutive sets.
Scouting Northern Arizona
Like UNC, Northern Arizona kicked off its conference slate with a pair of sweeps over Idaho and Eastern Washington. Though the Lumberjacks only posted two non-conference wins, NAU took a set off Arizona State and LSU and battled a tough UC Davis team to five sets.
Ninth-year head coach Ken Murphy's squad was picked to finish second in the Big Sky this season, securing three more points than UNC.
Murphy returns 2021 Spring All-Conference selection Taylor Jacobsen who's picked up where she left off last April. The Chandler, Arizona native is operating at a clip of 3.65 kills per set, second behind Weber State's Rylin Adams.
History against the Lumberjacks
Historically, UNC has dominated the matchup with the Lumberjacks, owning a 19-9 record against NAU. However, since 2015, The Bears have split each of the last eight meetings with its Northern counterpart.
Looking Ahead.
Northern Colorado heads out on the road for the first time in conference play this season, visiting both Weber State and Idaho State.
To stay up to date on all things UNC volleyball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Who: vs Southern Utah (5-9, 1-1) | vs Northern Arizona (4-7, 2-0)
When: Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. MT | Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. MT
Where: Greeley, Colo. | Bank of Colorado Arena
How To Follow: LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNCBearsVB
Quick Sets
Northern Colorado is proving why it's one of the toughest teams in the Big Sky Conference. Entering the weekend, UNC is No. 1 in assists (15.00 per set) and kills (16.17 per set), and No. 2 in aces (2.17 per set) and hitting percentage (.261).
Senior setter Daisy Schultz has been pulling the right levers for the offense. The Greenwood Village, Colorado native ranks No. 1 in the Big Sky in assists per set at 9.72 and second in total assists with 418.
Schultz's 38 assists against Montana State were the most for a single UNC player in a three-set match this season.
Outside hitter Kailey Jo Ince continues to be a double-double machine for the Bears. The senior tallied her fifth of the season against Montana (12 kills and 12 digs). Ince leads all UNC hitters with 175 total kills this season and is third on the team in digs with 110.
Ince has also been a threat at the service line this season. Her three aces against Montana State were a career-high for the Hesston, Kansas native.
Following three aces against Montana State, Laura Katarzynski is just four behind Taylor Muff (114) for the Division-I program career record. Fellow senior Kyndall Feather isn't far behind with 107.
Last time out
Northern Colorado kick-started its 2021 Big Sky campaign with a pair of back-to-back sweeps over Montana and Montana State. Senior outside hitter Kailey Jo Ince secured her fifth double-double of the season in the win over the Griz, while Makenzie Harris went for 13 kills on .296 hitting to beat the Bobcats.
Scouting Southern Utah
First-year head coach Kacey Nady has already posted her first Big Sky win, tackling Idaho, 3-1, over the weekend. The 2017 Oregon Graduate inherits a team that grabbed its first-ever Big Sky Tournament victory last spring.
Southern Utah's front row has been the catalyst for its success in the early parts of 2021. The Thunderbirds rank No. 1 in the conference with 130.0 total team blocks. That mark is also No. 21 in the nation.
Middle blockers Reagen Ashby and Carissa Richie have been the main fortifiers of SUU's blocking effort. The dynamic duo rank first and third, respectively, in the Big Sky in total blocks and third and fifth, respectively, in blocks per set.
History against the Thunderbirds
Since the two schools first met in 1980, Northern Colorado is an incredible 18-1 against the Thunderbirds. Southern Utah's only win over the Bears came in October of 2015. UNC has won six straight since, including seven consecutive sets.
Scouting Northern Arizona
Like UNC, Northern Arizona kicked off its conference slate with a pair of sweeps over Idaho and Eastern Washington. Though the Lumberjacks only posted two non-conference wins, NAU took a set off Arizona State and LSU and battled a tough UC Davis team to five sets.
Ninth-year head coach Ken Murphy's squad was picked to finish second in the Big Sky this season, securing three more points than UNC.
Murphy returns 2021 Spring All-Conference selection Taylor Jacobsen who's picked up where she left off last April. The Chandler, Arizona native is operating at a clip of 3.65 kills per set, second behind Weber State's Rylin Adams.
History against the Lumberjacks
Historically, UNC has dominated the matchup with the Lumberjacks, owning a 19-9 record against NAU. However, since 2015, The Bears have split each of the last eight meetings with its Northern counterpart.
Looking Ahead.
Northern Colorado heads out on the road for the first time in conference play this season, visiting both Weber State and Idaho State.
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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