Sunday, October 30
Denton, TX
1 PM CT
University of North Texas
-1213,64 CUSA
3
vs
1
UTSA
-716,29 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
UTSA
25
23
19
22
1
North Texas
23
25
25
25
3
Volleyball Sweeps Season Series Over UTSA
10/30/2022 7:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
DENTON, Texas – Sh'Diamond Holly recorded the final kill for the second consecutive match as UNT volleyball won 3-1 against UTSA on Sunday.
North Texas (12-13, 6-4) toppled the Roadrunners (7-16, 2-9), 23-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-22, to sweep the season series against the conference rival for the first time since 2017.
"It's an amazing feeling when your setter tells you at match point, 'Hey, I'm setting you,'" Holly said. "I know that Ceci [Harness] believes in me and that gives me a lot of confidence."
Holly tallied eight kills on 12 attacks for a match-best .500 hitting percentage, adding an ace and an assist. She matched her season-high total of eight total blocks to extend her C-USA lead of 123 total stops for the season and 1.28 per set.
Aleeyah Galdeira practically replicated her performance from Friday with a match-high 21 digs with five assists and an ace. On the year, she has a total of 439 digs which ties her for ninth in program history with Corina Marginas.
Aryn Johnson recorded a double-double with a match-high 16 kills and 10 digs, adding three blocks. Truli Levy finished with 10 kills for the second consecutive match, also ending with three blocks.
Sophomore setter Harness accumulated 25 assists with nine digs and a kill. It is the 12th consecutive match she has reached 20 or more assists.
Set 1: The match began with a spell of adversity for the Mean Green, falling behind 18-11 before trading points evenly to push the score to set point at 24-17. Facing defeat, UNT met the moment with a six-point run including a pair of kills from Johnson. The points rush pulled North Texas within a point at 24-23 before UTSA escaped with the set win.
Set 2: The Mean Green battled back from an early deficit to take a 7-5 lead with a scoring run that included a pair of kills from Treyaunna Rush. The two teams traded points throughout the frame which provided seven lead changes and 15 tie scores. North Texas closed the set with a three-point run including a timeout-triggering block from Holly and Rush to give their team a 24-23 lead. An attack error led to a 25-23 UNT set win to level the match.
Set 3: Equipped with momentum, North Texas opened the third on a 7-1 run with Johnson finishing three kills. UTSA would collect itself and take the lead at 13-10 before Andrea Owens provided the Mean Green with a spark from the bench, recording a solo block and assist to even the score at 13-13. The visitors would retaliate to take the lead, but UNT closed with a 11-3 rally to take the pivotal third set 25-19 with Owens slamming the winning kill.
Set 4: The C-USA rivals played one another close with the Mean Green holding a one-point lead before putting together a 5-1 spell led by Levy with a pair of kills to give her team an 11-6 edge. The Roadrunners leveled the frame at 17-17 until North Texas returned fire with Levy combining with Taylor Litteken and Holly, respectively, for two blocks and took a 22-18 lead. Down the stretch, Holly came alive adding two kills including the match winner from Harness.
"Towards the end of the match, I saw some really great plays," head coach Kristee Porter said. "They were plays I have been waiting for all season and today the team felt more cohesive. I hope that we can use this weekend as a turning point for our season."
Up Next: UNT will visit No. 21 Rice in Houston for a conference matchup on Friday at 6 p.m. The match will be streamed live on CUSA.tv.
North Texas (12-13, 6-4) toppled the Roadrunners (7-16, 2-9), 23-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-22, to sweep the season series against the conference rival for the first time since 2017.
"It's an amazing feeling when your setter tells you at match point, 'Hey, I'm setting you,'" Holly said. "I know that Ceci [Harness] believes in me and that gives me a lot of confidence."
Holly tallied eight kills on 12 attacks for a match-best .500 hitting percentage, adding an ace and an assist. She matched her season-high total of eight total blocks to extend her C-USA lead of 123 total stops for the season and 1.28 per set.
Aleeyah Galdeira practically replicated her performance from Friday with a match-high 21 digs with five assists and an ace. On the year, she has a total of 439 digs which ties her for ninth in program history with Corina Marginas.
Aryn Johnson recorded a double-double with a match-high 16 kills and 10 digs, adding three blocks. Truli Levy finished with 10 kills for the second consecutive match, also ending with three blocks.
Sophomore setter Harness accumulated 25 assists with nine digs and a kill. It is the 12th consecutive match she has reached 20 or more assists.
Set 1: The match began with a spell of adversity for the Mean Green, falling behind 18-11 before trading points evenly to push the score to set point at 24-17. Facing defeat, UNT met the moment with a six-point run including a pair of kills from Johnson. The points rush pulled North Texas within a point at 24-23 before UTSA escaped with the set win.
Set 2: The Mean Green battled back from an early deficit to take a 7-5 lead with a scoring run that included a pair of kills from Treyaunna Rush. The two teams traded points throughout the frame which provided seven lead changes and 15 tie scores. North Texas closed the set with a three-point run including a timeout-triggering block from Holly and Rush to give their team a 24-23 lead. An attack error led to a 25-23 UNT set win to level the match.
Set 3: Equipped with momentum, North Texas opened the third on a 7-1 run with Johnson finishing three kills. UTSA would collect itself and take the lead at 13-10 before Andrea Owens provided the Mean Green with a spark from the bench, recording a solo block and assist to even the score at 13-13. The visitors would retaliate to take the lead, but UNT closed with a 11-3 rally to take the pivotal third set 25-19 with Owens slamming the winning kill.
Set 4: The C-USA rivals played one another close with the Mean Green holding a one-point lead before putting together a 5-1 spell led by Levy with a pair of kills to give her team an 11-6 edge. The Roadrunners leveled the frame at 17-17 until North Texas returned fire with Levy combining with Taylor Litteken and Holly, respectively, for two blocks and took a 22-18 lead. Down the stretch, Holly came alive adding two kills including the match winner from Harness.
"Towards the end of the match, I saw some really great plays," head coach Kristee Porter said. "They were plays I have been waiting for all season and today the team felt more cohesive. I hope that we can use this weekend as a turning point for our season."
Up Next: UNT will visit No. 21 Rice in Houston for a conference matchup on Friday at 6 p.m. The match will be streamed live on CUSA.tv.
Team Stats
UTSA
UNT
Kills
50
50
Errors
28
20
Attempts
142
127
Hitting %
.155
.236
Points
62
68
Assists
48
50
Aces
8
4
Blocks
4
14
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
8
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Women's VolleyballM
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
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