UNC Defeats Buffs in Five Sets

Wednesday, September 11

Boulder, Colo.

7 p.m.

University of Northern Colorado

6-2,0-0Big Sky

Colorado

4-3,0-0Big 12

Northern Colo.

Colorado

9/12/2024 12:27:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Final Match Book (PDF)Updated Season Stats

By: Michael High, Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications

BOULDER, Colo. – Maddie Davies established a career-high in kills with 22, helping the Bears to a five-set victory (25-23, 18-25, 25-18, 22-25, 15-8) over Colorado at the CU Events Center Wednesday.

"It felt great," Davies said. "It felt great to share this with my teammates. I've never beat Colorado in my time here in a fall match and our grit showed that."

UNC snapped a four-match losing streak against Colorado and improved to 6-5 in the all-time series.

Gabi Placide matched her career-high with 16 kills, while Isabel Bennett added 15 and Alayna Tessena chipped in with 12.

In a set tied 18 times, with seven lead changes, UNC relied on its offense to grab the early advantage. The Bears tallied 20 kills in the opening game and outhit Colorado .286-.250. Knotted at 23-all, Syd Cole dropped in a kill and closed the game with a service ace.

"I liked the kill differential, especially against a good blocking team," head coach Lyndsey Oates said. We earned 20 of our 25 points in sets one and three."

Cole quarterbacked the offense, spreading the ball around to six different attackers and accounting for 64 of the Bears 71 assists. UNC converted 48.5 % of Cole's sets during the match.

"Syd set an incredible match tonight," Oates said. "I challenged her, she needed to be a difference maker and she was.

Colorado converted 11 of its 22 attacks with one miscue in game two and evened the match as the teams headed to the locker room at intermission.

In game three, UNC appeared poised to close the match in four games. The Bears held Colorado to a .079 hitting percentage, with seven kills and four errors on 38 swings. UNC tallied 16 of the final 25 points, including seven in succession to close out the middle game.

The Buffs never trailed in game four, forcing a fifth and deciding game. They outhit UNC .357-.273 and pushed out to a 16-10 margin before the Bears clawed back and trimmed the margin to 22-21. A 3-1 run closed the game for Colorado.

UNC refocused during the break between games and came out firing on all cylinders and jumped out to a 6-2 edge and forced the home team to utilize a timeout. The Bears scored three of the next four points and the Buffs spent their second and final stoppage. UNC held Colorado to a -.059 in the game and cruised to a 15-8 win.

Up Next
The Bears face Air Force at 2 p.m. Friday in the Mile High Classic – hosted by Denver – at Hamilton Gym.

Next Home Match
UNC returns to the Bank of Colorado Arena Saturday, Sept. 28, when the Big Sky Conference home opener against Idaho State at 6 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit uncbears.com/tickets or call 970-351-4849. Tickets can also be purchased at the Campus Commons Ticket Office, Monday-Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at uncbears.com. Follow the volleyball team on Instagram, X and Facebook.

To celebrate this exciting win, you can make a gift to the Bear Attackers Club to support volleyball's continued success. Your contribution will help volleyball maintain its momentum and strive for even greater heights. Show your appreciation for their dedication as student-athletes by donating today: www.give2unc.org/bearattackersclub.

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