University of North Texas Athletics
MGVB Season Preview
8/25/2021 12:54:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
An unusually short five-month offseason comes to an end on Friday, Aug. 27, when North Texas opens their regular season with three matches in the North Texas Invite.
The Mean Green return 12 letterwinners from a squad that went 11-11 overall and 6-6 in Conference USA action last year. Three starters are back with the team, a group made up of graduate student Kaliegh Skopal, along with seniors Sarah Haeussler and Rhett Robinson.
Robinson enters the 2021 campaign with 996 career kills, just four shy of the 1,000-kill milestone. She led the Mean Green with 352 kills in 2020-2021, was second on the team in blocks with 76, and was named First Team All-Conference USA.
Skopal, who returned to captain North Texas last season after a hard-fought battle with Guillain Barre Syndrome, led the Mean Green in assists with 785. She was one of just two players to appear in all 83 sets last season and was a two-time Setter of the Week in Conference USA.
Haeussler appeared in all but one match last season and was a vital part of the Mean Green defense, recording a team-high 83 blocks. That proved to be second best in Conference USA, and she also led the conference in block assists with 77. Haeussler didn't shy away from offense either, registering a career high 139 kills.
North Texas also returns two more key defensive players. Redshirt senior Henrianna Ibarra is back after leading the Mean Green with 273 digs last season. Right behind her with 221 digs is Aleeya Galdeira, who is back for her junior campaign.
As hosts of the North Texas Invite, the Mean Green will play Friday against McNeese State and South Dakota State and will close out the tournament on Saturday against Grambling State. The tournament is the first of four North Texas will play in before conference play opens up on Sept. 25.
