UNC Volleyball Falls to UC Davis in Season Opener

Saturday, August 29

Greeley, Colo.

6 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

0-1,0-0Big Sky

UC Davis

1-1,0-0Mountain West

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
UC Davis	20	25	25	25	3
Northern Colo.	25	20	15	18	1

Jesus Ayala | UNC Athletics

8/29/2026 8:41:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Elian Soto, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. - Northern Colorado Volleyball opened the 2026 season Saturday night inside Bank of Colorado Arena, falling to UC Davis, 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-18).

The Bears came out strong in the opening set, hitting .258 as a team while building an early advantage. UNC used a balanced offensive attack to take the first set, 25-20, and grab a 1-0 lead in the match.

UC Davis responded in the second set, hitting .293 while holding the Bears to a .259 hitting percentage. The Aggies evened the match with a 25-20 victory before carrying the momentum into the third set.

The Aggies took control in the third set, limiting Northern Colorado to a .148 hitting percentage and earning a 25-15 win. UC Davis then closed out the match in the fourth, holding the Bears to a .061 hitting percentage to secure the 3-1 victory.

Alayna Tessena led the Bears offensively with 11 kills, adding seven digs and a block. Maddie Rink finished with seven kills while hitting a team-best .333, while Gillian Walton also recorded seven kills.

Summer Snead added five kills while hitting .308, with Leila Ballard contributing five kills, 11 digs and a service ace. Nerea Alvarez Jorge recorded four kills and 27 assists to lead the Bears' offense, while Bella LePore paced the defensive effort with 16 digs.

Northern Colorado finished the match with 39 kills on 118 attacks and hit .178 as a team. The Bears also recorded 57 digs and four service aces.

UP NEXT: The Bears will hit the road for their first match away from Greeley, traveling to Fort Collins to take on in-state rival Colorado State Tuesday night inside Moby Arena. First serve is set for 6 p.m. as Northern Colorado looks to bounce back.

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