University of North Texas
-811,22 CUSA
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UTEP
-107,40 CUSA
Volleyball Drop Conference Match at UTEP
10/2/2022 6:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
EL PASO, Texas – North Texas volleyball lost 3-2 to UTEP on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Gym.
UNT (8-11, 2-2) fought its way back against the Miners (10-7, 4-0), capturing the third and fourth set before dropping the decisive fifth set, 23-25, 14-25, 25-21, 25-17, 12-15.
The Mean Green were led by Sh'Diamond Holly with 14 kills on 21 attacks to increase her hitting percentage to .416 for the season. She added five blocks and three digs. Treyaunna Rush dropped 17 kills with three total blocks. She reached double-digit finishes for the 13th consecutive match.
Taylor Litteken finished with six kills and six blocks with two digs while Aryn Johnson contributed seven kills, 11 digs and four blocks. Truli Levy tallied seven kills and two blocks.
Libero Aleeyah Galdeira tallied 20 digs with five assists and an ace. Ceci Harness posted a match-high 31 assists along with 6 digs and an ace. Alexa Washington accumulated 16 assists, seven digs and an ace.
Set 1: North Texas held a five-point lead midway through the set at 17-12 with a team total of seven kills, three blocks and two aces. The Miners would answer to pull within one before head coach Kristee Porter would call a timeout. Kills from Washington and Andrea Owens reestablished UNT's lead but the home bench countered with a subsequent scoring run to take the first.
Set 2: Rush contributed on three of the initial four points for the Mean Green with her side trailing 7-4. Despite multiple scoring runs by UNT, the opposition would win the second frame.
Set 3: Aided by an early five-point run, North Texas built a 9-3 lead in the opening moments of the third. The two sides traded points throughout the set with UTEP taking a slim lead, but the Mean Green unleashed a flurry of scoring for a late 20-17 advantage. North Texas would hold its edge and capture the set, 25-21.
Set 4: UNT came out in the fourth with a purpose, building a 6-1 run at the beginning of the frame with a pair of kills from both Holly and Rush. Avery McCrillis proved to be a key substitution with the senior collecting two kills and two blocks to help her team retain its lead at 16-11. North Texas never allowed its opponent to score more than two consecutive points after this stretch. Holly slammed home two kills to end the set at 25-17.
Set 5: Rush and Holly opened the final frame by collecting the initial four points with two kills apiece for a 4-2 lead. The two sides would draw level before a UNT scoring burst tilted the scales, giving itself a 10-8 lead. UTEP would find its footing and close out the match.
Up Next: UNT will play in front of its home fans on Sunday, October 9 against LA Tech at the North Texas Volleyball Center on ESPN+ at 1 p.m.
