Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Northern Colorado
Wildcats take care of Bears in four sets
10/12/2014 5:48:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
OGDEN, Utah – The Weber State women's volleyball team hosted their second match of the weekend on Saturday as they welcomed in the University of Northern Colorado. The Bears were coming off an emotional victory over Idaho State, while the Wildcats were hoping to rebound after a humbling loss to North Dakota.
The Wildcat faithful witnessed some great volleyball from the home team as they defeated the Bears in four sets, 14-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-23.
The win improves the Wildcats record to 5-14, 2-5 in Big Sky conference play.
The Wildcats were led by the double-double of Audrey Biggs, 21 kills and 12 digs. Biggs was able to find a way to get attacking opportunities from all over the court. Taylor Christensen had a match-high 40 assists and 5 digs. McKay Tarbox had 24 digs while Jesse Hover was second on the team with 8.
Audrey Hunter had a season-high 8 blocks in the match and played a huge role in the fourth set. Samantha Staker added support upfront with 6 blocks and 8 kills.
“It was fun tonight and I thought we put together a pretty good match,” WSU head coach Tom Peterson said. “Putting three games together was something that's very satisfying. And it wasn't just the winning but I thought we played fairly consistent for next three whole games and that's something we have to do.”
After a lackluster first set that saw the Bears lead the whole set but a different Wildcat team came to play in the second set. After allowing Kendra Cunningham to have her way in the first set, 7 kills, the Wildcats buckled down. They didn't allow Cunningham to get into any kind of rhythm which disrupted their offense. But The Wildcats were able to find ways to get Biggs the ball, whether it be on the outside or up the middle. They never trailed in the second set and were able to hold off a rally from the Bears.
The third set was a back-and-forth battle until the Wildcats started to pull away with the set tied at 10. But once again the Bears rallied together trying to steal the set. With the Wildcats holding a 24-18 advantage, the Bears scored five straight points which forced a timeout. But an almost perfect set from Christensen gave Biggs the opportunity the Wildcats needed to take the 2-1 advantage.
After a fast start in the fourth set by the Wildcats, the Bears gained momentum and it looked as if they were going to force a fifth set. But their 15-11 advantage wouldn't last long for the determined Wildcats. The Wildcats tied the set at 18-18 due to attack errors by the Bears. A kill from Christensen and Big opened the Wildcats lead to 24-22. The Bears were able to get within a point but a service error ended the match.
The Wildcats will return to action on Tuesday, October 13th, when they travel to take on Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The first serve is set for 7 p.m.
