University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Wednesday, November 23
Ogden, Utah
10 a.m.
University of Northern Colorado
vs
#8 Idaho State
Bears start title defense on Wednesday
11/22/2022 11:10:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
GREELEY, Colo.—Riding an 11-match winning streak, Northern Colorado will be making its 17th straight appearance at the Big Sky Volleyball Championships this week in Ogden, Utah.
The defending tournament champions, No. 1-seeded Northern Colorado (19-8, 13-3 Big Sky) will face No. 8-seeded Idaho State (13-16, 5-11 Big Sky) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Nov. 23. Opening serve against the Bengals is set for 10 a.m. MT.
The Bears have advanced to the championship match three straight seasons and have won their opening contest in four consecutive tournaments. As a No. 1 seed, UNC is 5-0 in the Big Sky Tournament with titles as the favorite in 2019 and 2011.
Weber State, the No. 2 seed in this year's tournament, will serve as the event host after tying UNC for first place in the league standings a year ago.
#1 UNC vs. #8 IDAHO STATE
UNC will face Idaho State in the postseason for the first time since 2016. The Bears are 3-2 against Idaho State in the Big Sky Tourney with both losses occurring in the quarterfinals. Two of the matchups have taken place in the title bout with UNC earning championships over ISU in 2014 and 2012.
SEMIFINAL POTENTIAL
With a win in the opening round, UNC would face either No. 4 Montana or No. 5 Sacramento State in the semifinals. The Bears are 2-0 against Montana in postseason play while Sacramento State is the lone conference foe to hold a winning record against UNC with a 3-1 mark in the conference tournament.
LAST TIME OUT
After being down 2-0, UNC secured the No. 1 seed on Friday with a 3-2 comeback win at Eastern Washington. Prior to the win against the Eagles, the Bears were 0-5 in matches when dropping the first two sets.
OCTOBER TREATS
After a 4-7 record in September, the Bears have been nearly unbeatable since the calendar turned. The Bears went 7-1 in the month of October with four sweeps and have since been undefeated in November (5-0).
BIG SKY'S TOP OFFENSE
UNC's leads the Big Sky in several offensive categories, including: attack percentage (.270), kills per set (13.97), and assists per set (13.04). Individually, junior setter Syd Cole holds the top average with 11.20 assists per set.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
The Bears have moved up to No. 3 in the Big Sky by allowing a .179 attack rate. The UNC defense has held its opponents to .200 or less in each of its last 10 matches. In 16 BSC games, a .218 rate by NAU Oct. 8 was the best posted against the Bears this season.
REIGNING CHAMPS
Northern Colorado enters the 2022 season as the reigning Big Sky regular season and tournament champions. The Bears secured their sixth tournament title in program history in a thrilling five-set match against the Weber State Wildcats in Ogden, Utah. The victory also punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament where they faced Washington State.
2021 BIG SKY TOURNEY
As the No. 2 seed in the Big Sky Tournament, the Bears dispatched #7 Eastern Washington, 3-0, before tackling #3 Portland State in the semifinals and #1 Weber State in the finals. Both the semis and the championship match went the distance with UNC recording 3-2 wins.
The defending tournament champions, No. 1-seeded Northern Colorado (19-8, 13-3 Big Sky) will face No. 8-seeded Idaho State (13-16, 5-11 Big Sky) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Nov. 23. Opening serve against the Bengals is set for 10 a.m. MT.
The Bears have advanced to the championship match three straight seasons and have won their opening contest in four consecutive tournaments. As a No. 1 seed, UNC is 5-0 in the Big Sky Tournament with titles as the favorite in 2019 and 2011.
Weber State, the No. 2 seed in this year's tournament, will serve as the event host after tying UNC for first place in the league standings a year ago.
#1 UNC vs. #8 IDAHO STATE
UNC will face Idaho State in the postseason for the first time since 2016. The Bears are 3-2 against Idaho State in the Big Sky Tourney with both losses occurring in the quarterfinals. Two of the matchups have taken place in the title bout with UNC earning championships over ISU in 2014 and 2012.
SEMIFINAL POTENTIAL
With a win in the opening round, UNC would face either No. 4 Montana or No. 5 Sacramento State in the semifinals. The Bears are 2-0 against Montana in postseason play while Sacramento State is the lone conference foe to hold a winning record against UNC with a 3-1 mark in the conference tournament.
LAST TIME OUT
After being down 2-0, UNC secured the No. 1 seed on Friday with a 3-2 comeback win at Eastern Washington. Prior to the win against the Eagles, the Bears were 0-5 in matches when dropping the first two sets.
OCTOBER TREATS
After a 4-7 record in September, the Bears have been nearly unbeatable since the calendar turned. The Bears went 7-1 in the month of October with four sweeps and have since been undefeated in November (5-0).
BIG SKY'S TOP OFFENSE
UNC's leads the Big Sky in several offensive categories, including: attack percentage (.270), kills per set (13.97), and assists per set (13.04). Individually, junior setter Syd Cole holds the top average with 11.20 assists per set.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
The Bears have moved up to No. 3 in the Big Sky by allowing a .179 attack rate. The UNC defense has held its opponents to .200 or less in each of its last 10 matches. In 16 BSC games, a .218 rate by NAU Oct. 8 was the best posted against the Bears this season.
REIGNING CHAMPS
Northern Colorado enters the 2022 season as the reigning Big Sky regular season and tournament champions. The Bears secured their sixth tournament title in program history in a thrilling five-set match against the Weber State Wildcats in Ogden, Utah. The victory also punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament where they faced Washington State.
2021 BIG SKY TOURNEY
As the No. 2 seed in the Big Sky Tournament, the Bears dispatched #7 Eastern Washington, 3-0, before tackling #3 Portland State in the semifinals and #1 Weber State in the finals. Both the semis and the championship match went the distance with UNC recording 3-2 wins.
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