MGVB opens C-USA play at home versus UAB

Calendar

Schedule

Sep 26

6 PM CT

Women's Volleyball

vs Charlotte

Sep 28

1 PM CT

Women's Volleyball

vs UAB

Oct 3

5 PM CT

Women's Volleyball

at Florida Atlantic

Oct 5

Noon CT

Women's Volleyball

at South Florida

DENTON -- The North Texas volleyball team will open Conference USA play on Sunday, Feb. 7 at 1 p.m., when they host the UAB Blazers at the North Texas Volleyball Center.

About the Mean Green: The Mean Green (1-2) are coming off two losses at Wichita State this past Thursday and Friday. North Texas' lone win of the season came back on Oct. 3, 2020, when the defeated Stephen F. Austin in a five-set thriller. The match was originally scheduled as an exhibition before being deemed as a regular season game, per NCAA.

North Texas has won six consecutive games against UAB, with the last loss coming in Palileo's first season in 2013. This is the second consecutive season that UNT and UAB will play each other on the opening weekend of C-USA play. In 2019, the Mean Green dominated the Blazers in a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-20, 25-23) before finishing the 2019 league slate in third place with a 10-4 C-USA record.

Palileo has been dominant in Conference USA play during his first seven years in the league. Since Palileo arrived in 2013 -- which is also when UNT joined Conference USA -- the Mean Green are 71-31 against league opponents, which amounts to a staggering .696 win percentage.

Mean Green leaders: Rhett Robinson was one of the focal points of North Texas' offensive attack against Wichita State. In Friday's loss to the Shockers, Robinson tied a career-high 65 attacks, which she last did in Sept. 2018 as a freshman against Tulsa. Aleeyah Galdeira wrapped up a successful week as the Mean Green's starting libero, as she has 49 digs through three matches. Galdeira's 4.0 digs per set ranks eighth in C-USA.

Alysha Johnson has been an efficient force on the front row for the Mean Green to start the 2020-21 season. Johnson is third in C-USA with a .440 hitting percentage.

Scouting the Blazers: UAB (1-2) is led by first-year head coach Betsy Freeburg. The Blazers' only win came against Lipscomb just a day after losing to the Bisons. Just like North Texas, UAB has only played two matches in the 2021 calendar year, with one of its losses at Western Kentucky on Nov. 7, 2020. The Blazers are led by outside hitter Fernanda Maida, who leads the team with 44 kills, 110 attacks and a .345 hitting percentage. Lidya Canturk is the primary setter with 36 assists, while Erin Powers is a defensive force with 37 digs through three matches.

Milestones to look for: After a 41-assist performance on Friday, Kaliegh Skopal needs just 12 assists to reach 1,000 career assists at North Texas.

Where to Watch: Both matches on Sunday and Monday can be streamed on C-USA TV (https://conferenceusa.com/watch/default.aspx?Live=13447).

Up Next: North Texas will continue its three-game home stand as they face off with UAB again on Monday at 12 p.m. before hosting UT Arlington on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aleeyah Galdeira

Alysha Johnson

Rhett Robinson

Kaliegh Skopal

Upcoming Events