University of North Texas Athletics
Saturday, November 24
Wichita, KS
2 p.m.
University of North Texas
at
Wichita State
A Chance To Finish Strong
11/23/2018 2:05:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
DENTON – A final game remains on the schedule for North Texas volleyball with a road tilt on Saturday against the Wichita State Shockers.
The Mean Green (16-16, 11-3) can finish the year a game above .500, and doing so would qualify them for a possible invite to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. For head coach Andrew Palileo, this is another test for his squad, and replicates post season.
The Shockers (13-16, 8-10) enter the match coming off a five-set win over Tulsa University. The win stopped a four-match skid to close out American Conference play.
"We want our players to get used to playing postseason," Palileo said. "What it's like to turn around and play after a tournament and refocus. It gives us an opportunity this week to finish above .500. We can close out the season at a 14-3 mark and that would be a really good finish, and a good cap if we don't get an invite to the NIVC."
North Texas participated in the NIVC in 2017, making it to the second round. After downing Oral Roberts 3-1 in round one the Mean Green were ousted by Texas Christian University in five sets in round two. TCU went on to win another round, advancing to the semi-finals before falling to Texas Tech who was swept in the championship game by the University of Mississippi.
Saturday will be a chance for North Texas to wash the tastes of a disappointing conference tournament out of their mouths. The Mean Green fell in the semi-finals of the Air Force Reserves Conference USA Championships to eventual champions and No. 1 seed Rice University.
The Mean Green will get another chance at Wichita State after the Shockers swept North Texas on Sept. 14 in Denton as part of the North Texas Challenge. It will be the sixth match-up in series history, which the Shockers lead 4-1.
"We had a good run at the end and I thought we were really well prepared," Palileo said. "I thought the girls were really bought into each other and what our goals were at the end of the year. It's unfortunate we came up a bit short. [Wichita State] is struggling a bit this year. We get to face them on their court which will be fun and another challenge. I'm looking forward to going out there with a chance to finish off our season the right way."
North Texas will be led by its five All-Conference USA selections as they hope to close the season out on a high note. Follow @MeanGreenVB on all social channels for live updates. Live stats will be carried on StatBroadcast.
The Mean Green (16-16, 11-3) can finish the year a game above .500, and doing so would qualify them for a possible invite to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. For head coach Andrew Palileo, this is another test for his squad, and replicates post season.
The Shockers (13-16, 8-10) enter the match coming off a five-set win over Tulsa University. The win stopped a four-match skid to close out American Conference play.
"We want our players to get used to playing postseason," Palileo said. "What it's like to turn around and play after a tournament and refocus. It gives us an opportunity this week to finish above .500. We can close out the season at a 14-3 mark and that would be a really good finish, and a good cap if we don't get an invite to the NIVC."
North Texas participated in the NIVC in 2017, making it to the second round. After downing Oral Roberts 3-1 in round one the Mean Green were ousted by Texas Christian University in five sets in round two. TCU went on to win another round, advancing to the semi-finals before falling to Texas Tech who was swept in the championship game by the University of Mississippi.
Saturday will be a chance for North Texas to wash the tastes of a disappointing conference tournament out of their mouths. The Mean Green fell in the semi-finals of the Air Force Reserves Conference USA Championships to eventual champions and No. 1 seed Rice University.
The Mean Green will get another chance at Wichita State after the Shockers swept North Texas on Sept. 14 in Denton as part of the North Texas Challenge. It will be the sixth match-up in series history, which the Shockers lead 4-1.
"We had a good run at the end and I thought we were really well prepared," Palileo said. "I thought the girls were really bought into each other and what our goals were at the end of the year. It's unfortunate we came up a bit short. [Wichita State] is struggling a bit this year. We get to face them on their court which will be fun and another challenge. I'm looking forward to going out there with a chance to finish off our season the right way."
North Texas will be led by its five All-Conference USA selections as they hope to close the season out on a high note. Follow @MeanGreenVB on all social channels for live updates. Live stats will be carried on StatBroadcast.
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