University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Thursday, September 30
Greeley, Colo.
6 p.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
11-3,3-0Big Sky
3
vs
1
Southern Utah
5-11,1-3Big Sky
1
2
3
4
F
Southern Utah
17
27
20
16
1
Northern Colo.
25
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Jam David
Career nights across the board propel Bears past Thunderbirds
9/30/2021 9:10:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado's perfect run through the Big Sky Conference continues following its latest win, a 3-1 (25-17, 25-27, 25-20, 25-16) effort over Southern Utah.
Shorthanded and in need of a total team effort, the Bears rose to the occasion to solidify UNC's third conference victory.
Senior outside hitter Kailey Jo Ince wasted little time getting into a groove. Eight kills on 14 attempts with only three errors led the way offensively in the first set while Laura Katarzynski cleaned up on the defensive end.
The Winfield, Illinois native compiled 10 of her career-best 23 digs in the opening set as UNC ran to a quick lead.
Southern Utah crept out to an early 6-0 lead in the second, forcing the Bears to play catch-up. Three straight points with Lauren Strain at the service line and four more when Ince was at the wheel brought Northern Colorado back into the action.
SUU fought off a UNC set point late, though, and came up with one of its eight aces on the evening to tie up the match at one.
Following a five-kill second set, Strain continued her rhythm in the third. The sophomore middle blocker added another five kills, finishing with a career-high 18 on the evening.
Northern Colorado hit .343 in the third frame while Katarzynski racked up two of her three aces to help the Bears retake the lead, 2-1.
The fourth set was a healthy dose of Strain and Ince. The duo combined for 10 kills while Katarzynski (7), Annette Baker (4) and Michaela Boon (4) ran down the digs for the defense.
Sophomore setter Syd Cole orchestrated her best performance in the Blue and Gold, piling up a career-high 54 assists, one kill, two aces, and two block assists, guiding UNC to its third straight Big Sky win.
Game Notes
Shorthanded and in need of a total team effort, the Bears rose to the occasion to solidify UNC's third conference victory.
Senior outside hitter Kailey Jo Ince wasted little time getting into a groove. Eight kills on 14 attempts with only three errors led the way offensively in the first set while Laura Katarzynski cleaned up on the defensive end.
The Winfield, Illinois native compiled 10 of her career-best 23 digs in the opening set as UNC ran to a quick lead.
Southern Utah crept out to an early 6-0 lead in the second, forcing the Bears to play catch-up. Three straight points with Lauren Strain at the service line and four more when Ince was at the wheel brought Northern Colorado back into the action.
SUU fought off a UNC set point late, though, and came up with one of its eight aces on the evening to tie up the match at one.
Following a five-kill second set, Strain continued her rhythm in the third. The sophomore middle blocker added another five kills, finishing with a career-high 18 on the evening.
Northern Colorado hit .343 in the third frame while Katarzynski racked up two of her three aces to help the Bears retake the lead, 2-1.
The fourth set was a healthy dose of Strain and Ince. The duo combined for 10 kills while Katarzynski (7), Annette Baker (4) and Michaela Boon (4) ran down the digs for the defense.
Sophomore setter Syd Cole orchestrated her best performance in the Blue and Gold, piling up a career-high 54 assists, one kill, two aces, and two block assists, guiding UNC to its third straight Big Sky win.
Game Notes
- Lauren Strain compiled a career-high 18 kills.
- Syd Cole managed a career-best 54 assists and 10 digs for her first career double-double.
- Laura Katarzynski collected a career-high 23 digs.
- Michaela Boon added a career-high 14 digs.
- Annette Baker grabbed a career-high 13 digs.
- Maddie Davies' eight kills were a career-high.
- Mimi Dunda's also logged a career-high in kills with seven.
- Kailey Jo Ince (20 kills, 11 digs) secured her sixth double-double of the season.
- Ince's three assists were also a career-high
What's Ahead
Northern Colorado welcomes Northern Arizona into the Bank of Colorado Arena on Saturday 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.
Team Stats
SUU
UNC
Kills
44
64
Errors
18
21
Attempts
151
159
Hitting %
.172
.270
Points
61
81
Assists
43
59
Aces
8
8
Blocks
9
9
Game Leaders
Kills
20
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
8
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballMB
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