University of North Texas Athletics
University of North Texas
2-0,0-0American
Lamar
0-3,0-0Southland
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Texas | 27 | 15 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Lamar University | 25 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 1 |
Volleyball Sweeps Doubleheader at ACU Invitational
8/29/2026 9:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
ABILENE, Texas – The UNT volleyball team completed a doubleheader sweep Saturday at the ACU Invitational, first defeating Lamar before handling tournament host Abilene Christian in the nightcap.
With the pair of wins, the Mean Green have now started 3-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
"Two good wins today," head coach Dave Fleming said. "Those are important wins as we head into the Baylor-Florida week. We got some major contributions from Madeline Smith and Alexa Hayes versus Lamar, while Jahniya Jackson and Addison Achilles played great in the win over ACU. Our game changes also did a great job providing energy. It's not too often you play two matches in an afternoon, and the game changes were awesome making sure the effort and energy didn't drop off."
North Texas opened the day with a thrilling 3-1 victory (27-25, 15-25, 25-23, 25-22) over Lamar that saw it overcome late deficits in both the first and third sets. It was a different story in the follow-up win (25-18, 25-14, 23-25, 25-13) against Abilene Christian, as the Mean Green held the Wildcats to 18 points or less in three of four sets. Including Friday's 3-1 triumph over CSU Bakersfield, UNT did not allow a single match of its undefeated weekend to reach the fifth set.
Outside hitter Jahniya Jackson was once again crucial to the offensive attack, compiling 27 total kills throughout the day and the first double-double of her Mean Green career against the Cardinals. She led UNT in kills in all three matches of the tournament.
"Great team wins," Jackson said. "We worked really hard, trusted our training and leaned on each other."
UNT continued to receive fantastic production from the setter position when sophomore Sidney Soria and freshman Olivia Branum each recorded their second double-doubles of the weekend versus Lamar. Branum added 17 more assists against the Wildcats, while Soria concluded the weekend averaging 8.20 assists per set.
Defensively, Alessandra Romo contributed a career-high 23 digs against Lamar in alongside the team totaling 16 total blocks in the ACU match, its most since blocking 17 attacks versus UT Arlington on Sept. 14, 2025. That effort included eight blocks from Addison Achilles and six from Lillian Croshaw, who each tied their career-high marks.
"We were very disciplined," Achilles said. "We trusted the people around us, leaned on others for support and trusted what we do in practice every day."
Another big week awaits the Mean Green with a road trip to No. 21 Baylor scheduled Thursday and the home opener coming Sunday in the Super Pit against No. 17 Florida. Both matches will be available for streaming on ESPN+.
