University of North Texas Athletics
Volleyball Opens Season at Buffs Invitational
8/24/2023 3:50:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BOULDER, Colo. – UNT volleyball opens its 2023 campaign versus Campbell at 5 p.m. CT on Friday at the Buffs Invitational. The Mean Green will also meet UNLV and Colorado in the four-team tournament inside the CU Events Center.
North Texas finished its preseason with a 3-0 victory against Oral Roberts at the North Texas Volleyball Center on Saturday. Newcomer Coco Gillett led with eight kills, 10 digs and one solo block while Aryn Johnson added eight kills.
Tournament Breakdown
UNT vs. Campbell
- The Mean Green meet the Fighting Camels on Friday at 5 p.m. CT.
- UNT swept Campbell in the lone meeting between the two programs on September 9, 2017, at the North Texas Challenge in Denton.
UNT vs. UNLV
- North Texas plays UNLV on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT.
- Historically, UNT is 1-1 versus UNLV. Last season, the Mean Green fell to the Rebels at the North Texas Invitational in a three-set loss on August 26, 2022.
- Treyaunna Rush led UNT with nine kills and added two blocks.
UNT vs. Colorado
- UNT faces host Colorado on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
- Sunday's match marks the first meeting between the two programs.
- North Texas head coach Kristee Porter was an assistant coach for the Buffaloes in 2012.
- Newcomer Anyse Smith played at Colorado in 2018 where she was named to the Volleyball Magazine Freshman All-American Second Team and the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.
Johnson, Sh'Diamond Holly and Treyaunna Rush were named to the American Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference Team on Monday.
Holly won the 2022 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year after she ranked 23rd in the country with 153 total blocks. She also finished the year with a .375 hitting percentage which marks the second-highest mark in UNT history.
Rush ranked third in CUSA with 423 kills and 96 blocks while Johnson collected 353 kills and 220 digs in 2022.
Senior libero Aleeyah Galdeira returns to Denton ranked fourth in program history with 1,352 career digs, 75 digs shy of third place. Former all-American selection and recently elected member of the UNT Athletics Hall of Fame, Carnae Dillard, holds the third-place spot with 1,426 digs.
