University of North Texas Athletics
Looking back at the 2020-21 MGVB season
4/14/2021 4:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
2020-21 North Texas Volleyball Season In Review
Farewell To A Winning Senior Class
The 2020-21 senior class will go down as one of the most accomplished classes in Mean Green volleyball history. Below are several nuggets on what to remember from Valerie Valerian, Barbara Martin and Miranda Youmans. **Henrianna Ibarra was a part of this 2017 recruiting class, but she has opted to return for the 2021 fall season.
- Played a vital role on the 2017 Conference USA regular season championship team.
- Highest winning percentage of any class in program history (.639, 76-33) and second-most wins (76) in a four-year span.
- 5 All-Conference USA selections
- Valerian – One of the most impactful players that re-wrote the Mean Green record books in her four seasons at North Texas. The Sugar Land, Texas native finished fifth in program history in career kills )1,375) and career attacks (1,484). Also finished sixth in career digs with 1,123. Named to 2020-21 Conference USA All-Academic Team.
- Martin – A reliable four-year starter who played in 103 career matches at North Texas. The senior from Celina, Texas finished her career with 930 kills and 890 digs. Martin, who was the 2017 Conference USA Co-Freshman of the Year, finished ninth in program history in attacks (2,825).
- Youmans – An efficient asset for the Mean Green in the middle during her four years in Denton. The Waco, Texas native will finish sixth in program history in career hitting percentage (.288, min. 500 attacks). She had had an impressive 2020-21 campaign with 101 kills and 62 blocks, which were both on pace to break single-season career-highs if it weren't for a shortened season.
ROBINSON AMONG NATION'S BEST
- One-of-two players to appear in all 83 sets for the Mean Green
- Led Conference USA and finished No. 9 in NCAA Division I with 352 kills
- Named to First Team All-Conference USA for the second consecutive season
- Second on the team with 76 blocks, which ranked third in Conference USA
- Six matches with 20-plus kills
- Moved into 10th in program history in career kills (996)
The Comeback Stories
The year of 2020 provided adversity for everybody. Mean Green volleyball captains Kaliegh Skopal and Henrianna Ibarra were no strangers to that. In Nov. 2019, Skopal was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare disorder that causes your immune system to attack your nerves. The Mean Green setter could not open her hands for months after the diagnosis, and daily activities such as walking to the kitchen became a challenge.
However, Skopal endured eight months of intense physical therapy and slowly began to gain her strength back day-by-day. By the time the season-opener rolled around on Oct. 3, 2020, Skopal stepped into the North Texas Volleyball Center as the starting setter and led the Mean Green to a 3-2 victory over SFA. Although Skopal was able to find a way back to the court, she did much more than create an inspirational story. The setter from Round Rock, Texas showed up ready to play. Skopal led the team 785 assists and was one of just two players to appear in all 83 sets for the Mean Green in 2020-21. She finished the regular season ranked 26th in the country in total assists (785). Skopal will return for one more season in fall 2021.
Henrianna Ibarra started as the Mean Green's freshman libero in 2017 when UNT went 29-4 and won the Conference USA regular season title. However, Ibarra missed both the 2018 and 2019 seasons due to two season-ending ACL injuries in back-to-back seasons. North Texas missed Ibarra both on and off the court, as she led the team in digs in 2017 and also served as a leader in the locker room.
After missing two seasons, Ibarra looked as if she didn't skip a beat. Midway through the season, Ibarra took over the starting libero role and finished with a team-high 273 digs in 81 sets, which ranked ninth in Conference USA. She recorded a career-high 31 digs in a crucial win at Southern Miss that propelled the Mean Green to their eighth consecutive C-USA Tournament. Just a day later, Ibarra was named as the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week.
SARAH HAEUSSLER UP FRONT
- Ranked second in Conference USA in total blocks (83) and first in block assists (77)
- Set a single-season career-high in kills (139)
- Her .332 attack percentage in 2020-21 ranked sixth in program history for a single-season (min. 200 attacks)
- Totaled at least five blocks in seven matches
