Bears Sweep Eagles, Coach Oates Earns 400th Career Win

Thursday, October 8

Greeley, Colo.

6 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

8-8,4-1Big Sky

Eastern Washington

8-10,2-4Big Sky

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Eastern Wash.	21	21	15	0
Northern Colo.	25	25	25	3

10/8/2026 8:18:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Elian Soto, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. - Northern Colorado volleyball continued its strong start to Big Sky Conference play Thursday night with a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-21, 25-15) of Eastern Washington at Bank of Colorado Arena, marking Head Coach Lyndsey Oates' 400th career victory.

The Bears improved to 8-8 overall and 4-1 in Big Sky play with the victory, while Eastern Washington fell to 8-10 overall and 2-4 in conference action. Northern Colorado finished with 51 kills and hit .314 as a team.

Alayna Tessena led the Bears offensively with 20 kills on 42 attacks, hitting .405. Gillian Walton added nine kills while hitting .300, while Summer Snead contributed seven kills and hit .429. Maddie Rink and Nerea Alvarez Jorge each finished with six kills.

Northern Colorado took the opening set 25-21, using a strong offensive performance to hit .333 with 17 kills. The Bears carried that momentum into the second set, earning another 25-21 victory to take a two-set lead.

UNC closed out the sweep in the third set, hitting .389 with 16 kills and just two errors to secure a 25-15 win.

Nerea Alvarez Jorge directed the offense with 37 assists and added seven digs. Bella LePore anchored the defense with 20 digs, while Tessena contributed 11 digs. The Bears finished with 57 digs and six total blocks as a team.

NOTES ABOUT THE BEARS

Northern Colorado improved to 4-1 in Big Sky Conference play.
Head Coach Lyndsey Oates earned her 400^th career win
The Bears moved to 8-8 overall.
Alayna Tessena led UNC with 20 kills, hitting .405, and added 11 digs.
Gillian Walton recorded nine kills while hitting .300.
Summer Snead finished with seven kills and hit .429.
Maddie Rink and Nerea Alvarez Jorge each contributed six kills.
Nerea Alvarez Jorge posted 37 assists and seven digs.
Bella LePore led the Bears with 20 digs.
UNC hit .314 as a team, recording 51 kills on 121 attacks.
The Bears held Eastern Washington to a .118 hitting percentage.
Northern Colorado swept the Eagles in three sets, winning 25-21, 25-21 and 25-15.

ON DECK: Northern Colorado continues Big Sky Conference play Saturday when the Bears host Idaho at Bank of Colorado Arena. First serve is set for 2 p.m. MT.

MATCH THE MILESTONE: Celebrate a milestone win for UNC Volleyball by helping turn a historic moment into support for the program! With today's victory over Eastern Washington, Coach Oates recorded her 400th career win! Fans can celebrate this incredible milestone by making a gift of $400 to UNC Volleyball. Your gift will go toward the Student-Athlete Excellence Fund, helping provide support that elevates the student-athlete experience on and off the court.

Make your gift here!

FOLLOW THE BEARS: Fans can follow and stay up to date on all the Bear action online and on social media. Follow the Bears on X (formerly Twitter) (@UNC_BearsVB), Instagram (@UNC_BearsVB), and Facebook (/UNCBearsVB).