Box Score Aug. 26, 2016 Box Score
RENO, Nev. - The Nevada Wolf Pack volleyball team had a thrilling start to their 2016 campaign, dropping a close, back and forth set to North Texas Friday morning, 3-2.
The Wolf Pack dropped the first two sets, but surged in the next two to force a fifth set that North Texas ended up claiming (23-25, 12-25, 27-25, 26-24, 7-15). Senior Madison Morell led the team in kills with 20 with freshman Ayla Fresenius making a big mark in her first collegiate match with 11 kills and five digs. Junior Madison Foley led defensively with 11 digs as senior libero Madison Thorpe logged nine. Senior Kathryn Groenweghe led defensively at the net for the Pack with three blocks. Nevada opens up the season 0-1 with two matches remaining in the North Texas Challenge.
Nevada kept it close early in the first set, tying it up 2-2 with a kill from Groenweghe. North Texas then went on a run, and a combination of errors, kills and a service ace put the Mean Green up 7-2, forcing a Nevada timeout. The timeout did what it was supposed to, and kills from freshman Shayla Hoeft, Groenweghe and Morell brought the score to 12-8 North Texas. Nevada continued their run after a Mean Green timeout, scoring eight total straight points to take the lead 14-13. Nevada then took an 18-16 lead later in the set before North Texas tied it back up at 18. The back and forth continued until Nevada called a timeout, down 22-20 late in set one. Despite late attacks from Foley and a block from Hoeft, Nevada fell in a very tight first set, 25-23.
North Texas came charging out of the gates in the second set, taking an early 7-3 lead. Nevada continued to try and gain ground, but eventually took a time out when they found themselves down 11-5. While Morell continued to record kills, the Nevada offense couldn't keep up, down 18-10 at its second timeout of the set. The Pack just couldn't hit their stride in the second set, falling 25-12.
Nevada ended up in another early hole to start the third set. Down 5-1, The Pack scored three straight points to get to within one, 5-4. After North Texas sided out, Morell hammered down two straight kills to tie the set up at six. Nevada then found themselves down 11-7 before surging to tie it up at 12. The teams went back and forth and Nevada found themselves down 16-13. Morell decided to take things into her own hands, and two kills and a Mean Green attack error later, Nevada led 17-16. North Texas immediately tied it up and kept Nevada's biggest lead to just two before tying it up at 22, forcing the Pack timeout. The third set was then forced to extra points as the teams were deadlocked at 24. After the set tied up again at 25, a Morell kill and Mean Green attack error gave Nevada their first set of the match 27-25.
Nevada was the team to jump out hot in the fourth set, taking a 5-3 lead with three of those points coming via the Morell kill. The set then tied up at seven after a Mean Green ace, and North Texas took the lead. Fresenius logged her ninth kill of the match to bring Nevada within one, trailing 10-9. North Texas continued to lead by a margin as big as three before a block from Morell tied up the match at 16. Six straight points for the Pack gave them a 19-18 lead. The fourth set tied up at 19, then 20, then 21 before Nevada jumped to a two point lead, 23-21 off a Foley kill and a Mean Green attack error. North Texas then made a charge, tying the match up at 24. Fresenius logged her 10th kill of the match and, after an attack error on the opposing side, Nevada took the fourth set to even the match up at two.
The deciding set got off to a start as close as the whole match, with both teams going back and forth until they tied at three. Errors on the Nevada side combined with a pair of North Texas kills led to a 9-4 deficit for the Pack and a called timeout. The Mean Green charge continued, and Nevada fell in the fifth set 15-7 to drop the exciting match three sets to two.
Nevada's next match in the North Texas Challenge with be its toughest as it takes on No. 16 Texas A&M at 1:30 p.m. PT Friday afternoon.
