Bears Season Comes to An End Falling to (3) Creighton in Five Sets in Omaha

Thursday, December 4

Omaha, NE

6 p.m. MST | 7 p.m. CST

University of Northern Colorado

17-16,11-5Big Sky

Creighton

26-5,16-0Big East

Northern Colo.

Creighton

UNC Athletics

12/4/2025 9:53:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Elian Soto, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

OMAHA, Neb. – Northern Colorado Volleyball went toe-to-toe with No. 3 Creighton in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night, battling in front of a packed and energetic crowd at D.J. Sokol Arena. The Bears showed grit and resilience throughout the evening, ultimately falling to the Bluejays in a hard-fought five-set thriller.

Creighton opened the match strong in the first set, building an early lead that forced UNC to burn a timeout at 10–5 to slow the Bluejays' surge. The Bears managed to chip away with a few key plays, but Creighton's late-set push secured the frame, 25–12. Alayna Tessena led UNC offensively with three early kills, while Bella LePore and Nerea Alvarez Jorge each collected three digs on the defensive end.

The second set featured a much tighter contest, with both teams trading momentum until the first media break. UNC's back-row defense began to find its rhythm, and strong swings from Isabel Bennett helped knot the set at 19–19, prompting Creighton to call a late timeout. The Bears continued their surge, closing out the set to tie the match 1–1. By the end of the frame, both Tessena and Bennett had tallied six kills, with Bennett hitting an impressive .500 across the first two sets. Alvarez Jorge orchestrated the offense with 16 assists through two frames.

Riding that momentum, Northern Colorado exploded to an early 8–4 lead in the third set, powered by sharp serving and clean execution. Creighton was forced into a timeout and soon after had to burn a second one as UNC stretched the advantage to 12–6. Key digs from Reines kept rallies alive, though the Bluejays eventually stormed back to tie the set at 14–14. UNC responded with three straight points to regain control, and Reines remained a steady presence at the net with timely kills.

Alvarez Jorge picked up her 14th double-double of the season during the frame, finishing with 24 assists and 11 digs as the Bears captured the set 25–23—marking the first time in program history UNC has won two sets in an NCAA Tournament match.

Creighton regrouped in the fourth, opening with a 6–0 run that forced UNC into an early timeout. The Bluejays extended their lead to 12–4, and while the Bears mounted several pushback rallies, Creighton maintained enough separation to take the set 25–17 and send the match to a decisive fifth frame.

The Bluejays once again jumped out quickly in the final set, building a 5–1 lead that prompted another UNC timeout. Despite the Bears' continued fight and defensive determination, Creighton's pressure at the net widened the gap to 10–4. Northern Colorado battled to the end, but the comeback fell just short as the Bluejays closed out the match in five sets.

The Bears turned heads by pushing Creighton to a fifth set—something the Bluejays had not encountered since November 1 against Marquette. It also marked the first time a Big Sky program has extended an NCAA Tournament match to five sets since 2001.

Offensively, Alayna Tessena led UNC with 14 kills, followed by Brynn Reines with 11. Defensively, the Bears showcased impressive depth, finishing with four players in double-digit digs, reflecting the team's relentless effort throughout the night.

As a unit, Northern Colorado totaled 52 kills and 73 digs, closing out a memorable and hard-fought 2025 campaign.

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