University of North Texas Athletics
Volleyball looks for 2nd seed in C-USA tourney vs UTEP
11/5/2021 10:45:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
DENTON — With their spot in the 2021 Conference USA tournament secured, North Texas volleyball will fight for the second seed in the West Division Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. when they take on UTEP in their final conference tilt of the regular season.
About the Mean Green: North Texas (15-9, 7-3) come into this weekend's matches on a roll, having won six of their last seven matches and eight of their last 10. The Mean Green have also won seven of their last eight conference matches. Just one win over UTEP in the pair of matches would give North Texas the second seed in the West Division heading into the Conference USA tournament. Two losses would push the Mean Green down to the third spot.
Mean Green Leaders: Senior Rhett Robinson continues to pace North Texas offensively. The Krum, TX product has a team high 426 kills on the season. That number is good for fifth most in the country, and her 5.45 kills per set mark is second best in the NCAA. Both figures lead Conference USA. She also has ben dominant in the points category. Her 478.5 points is fifth best nationally, while 6.13 points per set mark is good for second in the NCAA and makes her just one of two players in the country who are averaging more than six points per set, along with Lafayette's Leanne Deegan.
Sarah Haeussler's efficiency has continued to be incredibly dangerous for North Texas' opponents. The senior from Aledo, TX has a .365 hitting percentage, which leads the Mean Green roster. Her defensive prowess is also good at causing problems for opponents, as her 99 total blocks leads Conference USA and is good for 48th best in the nation.
Kaliegh Skopal continues to lead the Mean Green from a setting perspective, as she's racked up a total of 643 assists on the season, crossing over the 600 mark in last Thursday's win over Tarleton State.
Henrianna Ibarra is pacing North Texas from a defensive standpoint as she leads the roster with 314 total digs and is averaging 3.57 digs per set on the season.
Scouting the Miners: UTEP (17-6, 6-4) has had a fantastic season overall, but have struggled someone recently in conference play. After starting 4-2 with their lone losses coming to a Rice team that's receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Poll, the Miners have split their last two series with UAB and UTSA. However, UTEP has been dominant in El Paso, losing just one match all season there, the only defeat coming to the aforementioned UAB team two weeks ago.
Series History: North Texas and UTEP have met a total of 21 times on the court, with the Mean Green leading the all time series 12-9. The last matchup came on March 1, 2021, which proved to be a victory for North Texas in five sets.
Where to Watch: Both matches will be streamed live on CUSA.tv.
