Northern Colorado's volleyball team (10-19, 8-8 Big Sky) heads to the Big Sky Volleyball Tournament hosted by Sacramento State from Nov. 23-24 for the second consecutive season ... the Bears will take on Weber State (15-12, 11-5 Big Sky) on Nov. 23 at 9:30 a.m. pst ... a Bears victory will lead to a second match that day against either top-seed Portland State or host school Sacramento State at 5:30/7:30 p.m. pst ... the Vikings will take on the lower of the remaining seeds since they are seeded first in the tournament ... the Bears will continue playing in the single elimination tournament until either they are eliminated or they make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since moving up to Division I

About the Weber State:

Located in Ogden, Utah, the Wildcats earned the fourth seed in the Big Sky Tournament with a pair of wins last weekend ... WSU ended the season with a 15-12 record but were 11-5 in conference play ... sophomore Micah Lines leads the team with 344 kills (3.31 per game) ... Lines is second on the team with 363 digs (3.49 per game) ... sophomore Chelsea Bair is the team's second best hitter with 330 kills (3.14 per game) ... Bair also has 37 service aces ... sophomore Brittney Bisaillion helps control the middle with 139 blocks (1.32 per game) ... sophomore Caitlyn Anderson is another defensive standout with a team-high 446 digs (4.29 per game).

This Season Against Weber State:

The Bears and Wildcats split their two matches this season with each taking the match on the other's home court ... on Oct. 4th, Weber State defeat Northern Colorado in a five-game thriller ... senior Dulcie Stone led the offensive charge for the Bears with 17 kills ... NC did a great job of digging in that game with five players that reached double figures (Lindsey McDaniel, Breanna VanDerMost, Stone, Lauren Carter, Abby Mayne and Kenzie Shreeve) ... in the match on Nov. 8th, the Bears were able to defeat Weber State in four games ... Shreeve led the offensive charge with 17 kills ... Carter had one of the better matches of her career with 55 assists and 16 digs ... sophomore Allison Raguse also played well with 14 kills and eight blocks.

The End Regular Season:

Northern Colorado with only seeding to play for in the final regular season match against Northern Arizona fell to the Lumberjacks in three games (11/17) ... Northern Arizona was playing for a spot in the tournament and it showed in the three-game victory ... Kenzie Shreeve led the Bears' attack with 12 kills ... Allison Raguse also played well in defeat with 11 kills and seven blocks while hitting .350 (11-4-20).

Last Year At The Big Sky Tournament:

The Bears made the Big Sky tournament for the first time last season and made a strong showing as they upset Montana in the first round before falling to eventual champion Sacramento State ... Dulcie Stone tied for the team lead with 14 kills while current student assistant Lenay Goble tallied 10 kills, five digs and four blocks in the five-game victory over Montana (11/16/06) ... in the match against Sacramento State, five current Bears got court time (Stone, Breanna VanDerMost, Lauren Carter, Abby Mayne, Allison Raguse) ... Stone led the effort with seven kills and 10 digs.

Iron Group:

The Bears have had six players that have played in all 111 games this season ... the iron group includes Kenzie Shreeve, Dulcie Stone, Allison Raguse, Taylor Smith, Breanna VanDerMost and Abby Mayne.

The Song Remains The Same:

Three NC players have started every match on the year in Dulcie Stone, Allison Raguse and Taylor Smith ... senior Abby Mayne has been on the floor for the first play of every match but because the libero is not counted in the stats with a start she has not been credited.

Trends and Bests:

Dulcie Stone set a new career-high with 23 kills against Portland (8/24) ... Kenzie Shreeve tallied a personal-best 25 kills against Idaho State (10/6) ... Abby Mayne has reached 20+ digs in nine matches this season ... Ashley Lichtenberg set a new career-high with her 17 kills against Northern Arizona (10/13) ... Stone set a new career best with her 22 digs against the Montana State (9/15) and later tied her mark against those same Bobcats (10/19) ... sophomore Breanna VanDerMost set a personal best with 18 digs against Denver (9/18) ... freshman Lindsey McDaniel reached the 50 assist mark for the first time against Montana State (9/15), as she totaled 52 ... she set a career-high with 56 against Weber State (10/4) ... Lauren Carter tallied a career best 18 digs against Idaho State (10/6) ... Allison Raguse tallied 12 blocks against Eastern Washington (9/27) and 23 kills against Idaho State (10/6) ... Carter set a new career best in several categories against Northern Arizona (10/13) including kills (6) and assists (61) ... Carter promptly tied her career-high with 61 assists against Montana State (10/19) ... Carter continued the run and set a new best with 69 assists against Sacramento State (10/25) ... Jaclyn Bruns tallied a career-high 16 digs against Northern Arizona (10/13) ... Taylor Smith tied her best efforts with 13 kills against the Lumberjacks (10/13) ... VanDerMost set a new best with 19 digs against Portland State (11/2/06) ... Smith's 19 kills against Eastern Washington (11/3) were her best career effort ... Shreeve's six blocks against Weber State (11/9) is a new career-high.

Moving Up In The World:

Senior Abby Mayne is ranked third in school history with 1,759 digs ... she just passed Debbie Ponis (1993-95), Inge Otte (1984-84), Teale Goble (1999-02) with 39 digs five weekends ago (10/19-20) ... next up on the career digs list is Erin Deffenbaugh (2000-04), who tallied 1,819 in her career ... with one match remaining for sure for Mayne she still needs to tally 60 digs to catch Deffenbaugh .. Mayne is one of only three active Big Sky players with over 1,000 career digs along with Jackie White (Montana) and Jennifer Ferguson (Sacramento State).

All In the Conference:

Listed below is how the Bears rank in the Big Sky Conference overall in matches this season:

Digs: Abby Mayne, 478 (4.31 per game) (6th)

Kills: Kenzie Shreeve, 355 (3.20 per game) (9th)

Assists: Lauren Carter, 818 (7.72 per game) (8th)

Blocks: Taylor Smith, 118 (1.06 per game) (9th)

League Leaders:

In conference games only this season the Bears are second in digs 17.58 per game ... The team's total of 1125 are the most in the conference ... NC is also fourth in opponents hitting percentage (.184) and blocks (2.66 per game) ... Northern Colorado's 310 block assists are the most in the league.

It's A Conference Thing:

NC has several players that rank among the conference leaders in conference games only this season ... Abby Mayne is fifth in digs at 4.50 per game ... Lauren Carter is seventh in assists per game (8.23) ... Kenzie Shreeve is fifth in kills (3.55) and 9th in points per game (3.91) ... Allison Raguse is fifth hitting percentage (.303), sixth in blocks per game at 1.28 and eighth in points (3.96) ... Taylor Smith is eighth in the league in blocks (1.17)

Single Match Leaders:

The Bears have several players that are among the top six in conference high's for matches this season ... Lauren Carter's 69 assists against Sacramento State (10/25) is the third highest total ... Carter's 61 assists against Montana State (10/19) are tied for the best individual effort in the conference in a four-game match ... Abby Mayne's 24 digs against UC Riverside (8/31) is tied for the highest in the league for a three-game match ... Kenzie Shreeve's 25 kills against Idaho State (10/6) is the sixth highest total for a four-game match ... Allison Raguse's 12 blocks against Eastern Washington (9/27) are tied for the fifth highest total by a player in the Big Sky Conference this year ... Taylor Smith's 11 blocks against Eastern Washington (9/27) is tied for the sixth highest total in the league ... Raguse has two of the better hitting percentage games in the conference as she hit .667 against Idaho State (11/8) and .618 against the same Idaho State team (10/6).

Neutral Sites Matches:

The Bears are 0-4 in neutral site matches this season ... senior Dulcie Stone led the team with 56 kills (3.50 per game) ... junior Lauren Carter has 116 assists (7.73 per game) ... senior Abby Mayne has totaled 59 digs (3.69 per game) ... sophomore Allison Raguse has been the big blocker with 17 total blocks (1.06 per game)

A Very Successful Week:

Northern Colorado won both of its matches on the week with victories over Idaho State (11/8) and Weber State (11/9) ... in the 3-0 victory over Idaho State, NC's Allison Raguse led the charge with 15 kills on a .667 hitting percentage (15-1-21) ... senior Abby Mayne tallied 23 digs for the Bears ... NC hit .262 from the field as a team against the Bengals ... in the four-game win over Weber State, Shreeve led the NC attack with 17 kills and also a career-high six blocks ... Raguse had another strong performance with 14 kills and eight blocks ... Carter tallied 55 assists and 16 digs ... for the week, Raguse led the attack with 29 kills on a .500 hitting percentage (29-5-48) ... Mayne totaled 37 digs (5.29 per game) ... Carter picked up 80 assists (11.43 per game).

The Last Two Home Matches:

The Bears played their final two home regular season matches of the season from Nov. 1-3 ... NC, despite taking the first one, lost to Portland State in four games (11/1) ... Northern Colorado was led by 16 kills from Dulcie Stone ... she also chipped in 17 digs for her 12th double-double of the season ... sophomore Breanna VanDerMost set a new career-high with 19 digs ... their second match of the week served as Senior Day for Northern Colorado's three seniors (Abby Mayne, Dulcie Stone and Lenay Goble) ... the Bears fell in the thrilling five-game set to the Eagles ... Kenzie Shreeve led the attack with 23 kills, the third time she has tallied 20+ kills in match this season ... Taylor Smith had one of the better matches of her career with 19 kills on a .436 hitting percentage to go along with nine blocks ... on the week, Shreeve led the Bears with 31 kills (3.44 per game) ... Smith also played well 29 kills and 16 blocks (1.78 per game) ... Stone and VanDerMost tied for the team lead with 34 digs each ... Lauren Carter totaled 79 assists (11.29 per game).

Smith Stars:

In the two five-game losses to the Eagles, Taylor Smith played well ... she totaled 28 kills while hitting .333 (28-8-60) ... Smith also was active around the net with 20 blocks (2.00 per game) for 39 points.

Stone's Doubling Up:

Senior Dulcie Stone has 12 double-doubles on the season and 29 in her career ... the 12 double-doubles are the fourth most in the conference.

If Only The Conference Season Was Only Played At Home:

In home conference games this year the Bears went 5-3 with wins over Montana (9/13), Montana State (9/15), Idaho State (10/6), Northern Arizona (10/13) and Sacramento State (10/25)... in those eight matches, Kenzie Shreeve had 134 kills (3.83 per game) ... Dulcie Stone also played well with 114 kills (3.26) and 133 digs (3.80) ... Allison Raguse had 112 kills (3.20 per game), eight service aces and 36 blocks .... the Bears, as a team, are averaging nearly 19 digs per game as well (18.80) against Big Sky opponents at home led by senior Abby Mayne's 152 (4.34 per game).

Our Current Ranking:

According to the most recent RPI rating released by the NCAA (11/7), the Bears are ranked as 228th best team in the country at the moment ahead of fellow Big Sky Conference schools Idaho State (294) and Montana State (299) ... Sacramento State is the highest ranked team in the conference at 62nd.

Home Sweet Home:

The Bears have been nearly unbeatable at home, posting a 275-61 record at home since Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion (formerly Butler-Hancock Hall) opened in 1976 and winning 55 of their last 68 matches played in the building ... the Bears had a 35-match winning streak at home (the second longest Division I home-court winning streak in the country) until falling to IPFW on Nov. 11, 2005 ... the Bears are 59-15 at Butler-Hancock since the beginning of the 1999 season (the 2000 season was played in the Campus Rec Center and not included in those totals) ... the volleyball team played its 300th match in Butler-Hancock on Sept. 7, 2004 defeating the Wyoming Cowgirls 3-0 in front of 914 fans.

Bears Play Better With An Early Lead:

In the two years plus under head coach Lyndsey Benson the Bears have played much better with an early lead ... Northern Colorado is 33-10 when leading a match 1-0 ... however if the team falls behind early - watch out ... the Bears are only 4-41 under Benson when trailing 1-0.

A Big Mover (600, 700, 700 Club):

Dulcie Stone after another steady week of five kills has now totaled 660 kills in her career ... Stone has 722 career digs ... she also has 764.5 points

On the Road:

In the Bears 12 road matches this season, Kenzie Shreeve leads the team with 125 kills ... Abby Mayne has 190 digs, while fellow senior Dulcie Stone is second in digs (129) and fourth on the team in kills (106)

Right At Home:

In home matches this season, the Bears have several individual standouts ... redshirt sophomore Kenzie Shreeve led the team with 189 kills (3.63 per game) ... sophomore Allison Raguse hit a solid .310 (158-56-329) and led the team with 16 service aces in home match ... senior Abby Mayne tallied 229 digs (4.40 per game) ... senior Dulcie Stone had a steady all-around effort with 158 kills (3.04 per game) and 180 digs (3.46 per game).

A BIG Win:

Northern Colorado came up with arguable the biggest win in program's history and certainly the biggest win since moving to Division I with their five-game victory over Sacramento State (10/25) ... NC tied their season best with five players in double figures in kills led by Kenzie Shreeve's 21 ... Allison Raguse had a tremendous match for the Bears with 20 kills, two service aces and seven blocks ... Dulcie Stone chipped in 14 kills and 19 digs ... Abby Mayne for the ninth time on the year tallied 20+ digs and led the team with 27 ... the win snapped Sacramento State's 15-match winning streak and extended the Bears record to 5-1 in home conference matches this season.

Raguse Takes Weekly Honors:

Allison Raguse, a sophomore from Lincoln, Neb. became the first Northern Colorado volleyball player to capture weekly recognition by the conference when she was named the Big Sky Player of the Week (10/29) ... Raguse tallied 20 kills on a .390 hitting percentage (20-4-41) in Northern Colorado's 3-2 win over Sacramento State ... the sophomore also contributed two service aces and a team-high seven blocks as NC stopped Sacramento State's 15-match winning streak and picked up their first ever win over the Hornets in eight career tries.

A Split Weekend:

The Bears split their two games over the weekend to Montana State (10/19) and Montana (10/20) ... NC started the weekend with a 3-1 win over the Bobcats ... Northern Colorado had five players with double figures in kills led by 16 from sophomore Taylor Smith and redshirt sophomore Kenzie Shreeve ... seniors Dulcie Stone and Abby Mayne tied for the team lead with 22 digs each ... junior Lauren Carter matched her career-high with 61 assists, while also totaling eight digs and four blocks ... sophomore Allison Raguse had a strong all-around effort with 10 kills, seven digs and six blocks ... the Bears then battled Montana in Missoula ... Shreeve and Raguse tied for the team lead with 12 kills each but it was not enough in the 3-1 loss to the Grizzlies ... Carter had a nice game with 44 assists, eight digs and five blocks ... Mayne reached double-digits in digs with 17 for the 18th time on the year ... Shreeve led the team on the week with 28 kills (3.50 per game) ... Smith had a steady week with 26 kills (3.25 per game) on a .264 hitting percentage ... Carter tallied 105 assists (13.12 per game) ... Mayne led the team with 39 digs (4.88 per game).

Getting It Done In Five:

Northern Colorado volleyball team broke a few persistent trends in the 3-2 win over Northern Arizona (10/13) ... the matched marked the first time the Bears won a match after losing the first game and the first time NC was able to escape a fifth game with a victory ... NC put four players in double figures in kills led by Kenzie Shreeve's 18 ... Lauren Carter had one her better matches of the season with six kills, 61 assists and 13 digs ... Dulcie Stone tallied a team-high 19 digs to go along with 16 kills for her ninth double-double of the year ... freshman Ashley Lichtenberg came through with a career-high 17 kills for NC ... Earlier in the week, in the final non-conference match of the season, NC fell in three games to Wyoming (10/9) ... Northern Colorado in defeat was led by nine kills from Stone ... senior Abby Mayne reached double figures in digs for the 16th time this season with 12 ... for the week, the Bears were led by Stone's 25 kills (3.12 per game) ... Carter picked up 79 helpers (9.88 per game) ... Mayne had a team best 30 digs (3.75 per game) ... the week also marked the second appearance of the season by freshman Kandace Walton, who played in the match against Northern Arizona.

A Strong Finish To The Week:

Northern Colorado started their week playing the team's first ranked opponent since Sept. 8, 2006 (the team played against then No. 11 Wisconsin a 3-0 loss on that date) in No. 25 Colorado State (10/2) ... the Bears fell to the ranked Rams in three games ... sophomore Allison Raguse led the team in kills with nine in the three-game set ... NC then returned home and took on conference opponent Weber State (10/4) ... Northern Colorado started strong and won the first game but unfortunately even after battling back to extended the action to a fifth game, the Bears were defeated 3-2 ... the loss extended the losing streak to a season long six ... against Weber State, NC had three players reach double-digits in kills lead by senior Dulcie Stone's 17 ... the squad also put six players in double figures in digs against WSU led by senior Abby Mayne's 19 ... the Bears continued their busy week with a conference match against Idaho State (10/6) ... Northern Colorado defeated the Bengals in four games and were led by the dynamic duo of Kenzie Shreeve and Raguse ... Shreeve totaled a career-high 25 kills with Raguse chipping in a career-best 23 on a .618 hitting percentage (23-2-34) ... junior Lauren Carter had one of her better matches of the season with team-highs of 34 assists and 18 digs ... the 18 digs were also a career-best for Carter ... the win snapped NC's season long six-match losing streak ... on the week, Shreeve and Raguse tied for the team lead with 46 kills each (3.83 per game) ... Raguse lead the team with a hitting percentage of .376 ... freshman Lindsey McDaniel averaged 10.73 assists per game ... senior Abby Mayne totaled 44 digs to lead the club.

20-20 Vision:

Against Idaho State (10/6), Northern Colorado had a pair of players reach the 20 kill mark for the first time in their careers ... Kenzie Shreeve totaled a team season-best with 25 kills against the Bengals, while Allison Raguse did all her damaged (23 kills) on only 34 swings .... NC's previous high for kills this season-high was 23 by senior Dulcie Stone.

You're Going The Wrong Way:

The past six-match losing streak from Sept. 18-Oct. 4 was the longest for the Bears since Nov. 5-25, 1998 when the team also lost six in a row, but it is only the third time in the programs history that such a streak has happened.

A Pair Of Conference Defeats:

Northern Colorado saw its losing streak reach four with conference losses to Eastern Washington (9/27) and Portland State (9/29) ... Northern Colorado put up a great fight in the five-game loss to Eastern Washington ... the team trailed EWU 2-1, before rallying to win the fourth game and extend the match to a fifth and deciding game ... the Bears lost the fifth game but still showed great heart in even reaching that point ... redshirt sophomore Kenzie Shreeve led the Bears attack with 12 kills ... the story of the match was the fact that a pair of NC players reached double figures in blocks, as sophomores Allison Raguse and Taylor Smith both hit the mark ... Raguse blocked 12 shots with Smith totaling 11 ... the Bears also had a pair of players that tallied better than 20 assists ... freshman Lindsey McDaniel had 22 assists with junior Lauren Carter contributing 21 helpers ...in the match against Portland State, the Bears lost in three games but Smith led the offensive attack with 10 kills on a .316 hitting percentage (10-4-19) ... freshman Julie Stephenson had one of the better matches of her young career with four kills and a service ace for NC ... on the week, Smith led the Bears with 19 kills (2.38 per game) ... she was also second on the team 13 blocks (1.62 per game) ... McDaniel led the team in assists with 41 (6.83 per game) ... Raguse had a team-high 15 blocks (1.88) ... senior Abby Mayne totaled a team best 29 digs in the two matches.

The Blockers:

Allison Raguse not only set a new career-high with 12 blocked shot attempts against Eastern Washington (9/27), the 12 blocks are the most for a Bears player since former Bears player Lizzy Rhoads blocked 11 in 2005 ... Raguse's 12 block is just behind the school's all-time mark of 14 set by former NC athlete Erica Wymore in 1992 ... her classmate Taylor Smith also reached double figures in blocks for the first time in her career with 11.

A Tough Week:

The Bears lost a pair of matches on the week (9-18/22) to snap their two-match winning-streak ... NC started the week battling but falling short to Denver (9/18) in a 3-0 loss ... freshman Ashley Lichtenberg had one of the better matches of her career with 15 kills on a .379 hitting percentage against the Pioneers ... Dulcie Stone put together her seventh double-double of the season with 11 kills and 15 digs ... Allison Raguse continued her strong all-around play with seven kills, six digs and three blocks ... against Sacramento State (9/22), Stone led the charge with 10 kills in a 3-0 defeat ... senior Abby Mayne tallied 14 digs ... on the week, Stone and Lichtenberg tied for the team lead with 21 kills each ... Mayne led the team with 33 digs ... freshman setter Lindsey McDaniel led the team with 66 assists (11.00 per game)

Great Start To Conference Season:

The Bears got off to a great 2-0 start in conference ... Northern Colorado swept Montana (9/13) behind 18 kills and nine digs from senior Dulcie Stone ... redshirt sophomore Kenzie Shreeve chipped in 11 kills to the NC victory ... Northern Colorado kept the momentum up with a thrilling four-game victory over visiting Montana State (9/15) ... sophomore Allison Raguse led the charge against the Bobcats with 17 kills while hitting .500 from the field ... Stone produced a great effort with 16 kills and a career-high 22 digs ... the Bears put a then season-best four players in double figures against Montana State as both Shreeve (14) and sophomore Taylor Smith (10) also eclipsed the mark ... this is the second consecutive season the Bears began Big Sky play with an unblemished 2-0 record ... on the weekend, Stone led the team 34 kills ... senior Abby Mayne totaled a team-best 41 digs .... freshman Lindsey McDaniel had 93 assists.

Stone Killer:

Dulcie Stone proved to be the great equalizer in the two match against Montana and Montana State (9/13-15) ... during those two matches, Stone tallied 10 kills that either tied or ended a game for the Bears ... for the week, Stone led the team with 34 kills (4.86 per game) while also tallying 31 digs (4.43 per game) for 39.5 points ... Stone also set a new career-high with 22 digs against Montana State (9/15)

A Change:

Freshman Lindsey McDaniel took over as the NC setter and had a strong week, Sept. 13-15 ... McDaniel totaled 93 assists (13.29 per game) while also registering four blocks.

A Rough Weekend In New Mexico:

Northern Colorado had a rough weekend at the Comcast Lobo Invitational (9/7-8) ... NC started the weekend playing host school New Mexico (9/8) ... the Bears played the Lobo tough but still fell in five-games ... in their second match of the day, NC fell to a tough Gonzaga squad in three ... the following day, NC wrapped up the tournament with a three-game loss to Bowling Green (9/8) ... senior Dulcie Stone led the team on the week with 28 kills (2.80 per game) ... junior Lauren Carter served as the primary setter and racked up 83 assists ... Stone led the team with three service aces ... Stone also led the squad with her 3.20 digs per game and 32 overall digs.

UNC Hampton Inn & Suites Classic:

The Bears had a strong start to the weekend (8/31-9/1) with a pair of sweep victories over Saint Francis and UC Riverside on the first day of the UNC Hampton Inn & Suites Classic (8/31) ... the second day proved to be a bit more difficult with NC dropping a pair of four-game sets to Florida Gulf Coast and Iowa (9/1) ... Kenzie Shreeve led the team in kills on the week with 42 (3.82 per game) ... Allison Raguse had a team best hitting percentage of .286 (29-13-56) ... Lauren Carter had a strong week with 106 assists ... Abby Mayne totaled 52 digs (4.73 per game)

UNC Hampton Inn & Suites Tournament Wrap:

Florida Gulf Coast was named the winner of the tournament on point differential over Iowa (since neither team played each other head-to-head and both had an undefeated record) ... FGCU's Roberta Paula Santos was named the tournament MVP ... the Bears had one player selected to the all-tournament squad in sophomore Allison Raguse.

Baden Cougar Challenge Recap:

The Bears played three matches on the road at the Baden Cougar Challenge last week (8/24-25) ... NC played their competitors tough but fell in a pair of five-game matches (Portland & South Dakota State) and one four gamer (Washington State) ... Dulcie Stone led the team with 50 kills ... Lauren Carter totaled 91 assists ... Abby Mayne had 62 digs.

Good Starters:

The Northern Colorado volleyball team now has a record of 23-10 in its first match of the season since the inception of the program with records in 1976 ... overall the Bears are 43-17 on the first day of the season ... this season, the Bears fell twice in two tough five-gamers to Portland (3-2) and South Dakota State (3-2) at the Baden Cougar Challenge.

A Nice Return:

Redshirt sophomore Kenzie Shreeve made her return to the court in the three matches at the Baden Cougar Challenge ... in the team's three matches she tallied 43 kills (3.07 per game) while hitting at a team-high .183.

The Queen of the Nines:

In seven matches this season sophomore Taylor Smith has tallied exactly nine kills.

Bears Coaching Staff:

Lyndsey Benson returns for her third year at Northern Colorado (37-50) ... Benson has added a pair of new coaches to her staff in Jenny Glenn (Truman State `02) and Tom Hunter (San Diego State `99) ... Paul Richardson returns for his second year as a volunteer coach ... Lenay Goble, a former Bears player that had her career cut short by injuries, has joined the coaching staff as a manager this season.

Familiar Names And Faces:

Northern Colorado returns seven of 14 players from last year's roster ... the veterans include: senior Dulcie Stone, senior Abby Mayne, junior Lauren Carter, sophomore Allison Raguse, redshirt sophomore Kenzie Shreeve, sophomore Taylor Smith and sophomore Breanna VanDerMost.

Welcome, Newcomers:

Five freshman are on the 2007 NC Roster ... new to the team this year are Jaclyn Bruns (5-6, DS), Lindsey McDaniel (5-10, S) Kandace Walton (5-11, MB/RS), Ashley Lichtenberg (6-2, OH) and Julie Stephenson (5-11, OH).

Big Sky TV:

The Big Sky Conference and new video streaming partner Broadcast International are pleased to announce the re-launch of www.bigskytv.org .... the Big Sky and Broadcast International will partner to bring all football, men's and women's basketball, and volleyball matches held in Big Sky venues to fans around the world ... Big Sky TV will feature sport specific packages this season ... to see more than 100 volleyball matches, the cost is $39.95 ... single-match costs for volleyball is $4.95 ... the Big Sky will also offer school and conference packages ... the school pass will allow viewers to see all the action featuring their favorite school for $69.95 ... the conference package- $99.95-allows viewers to see the entire league which is more than 350 events ... fans who registered last year for www.bigskytv.org, must register once again in 2007-08 ... events can be viewed either live, or once through an archive ... games will remain in the archive for two weeks ... viewers will also have the option of downloaded the game.

The Start of Something:

The Bears sweep of Saint Francis on Aug. 31 was the first sweep of an opponent by NC since Oct. 24, 2006 when the squad took out Air Force in three ... the consecutive sweeps by NC over Saint Francis and UC Riverside (8/31) was the first time the Bears have swept consecutive matches since the sweeps of conference rivals Idaho State and Wyoming on Oct. 12 and Oct. 18, 2006.

Butler-Hancock Gets a Face Lift:

The Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion, which originally opened in 1976, has been undergoing a bit of a face lift the last two seasons ... among the renovations are brand new theatre-style chairbacks, a new sound system, scoreboard/message center, a new entrance and a brand new painted logo at center court to the now over 30-year old building.

Northern Colorado Eighth in Preseason Poll:

In the Big Sky Conference Preseason Poll, Northern Colorado was picked eighth ... the Bears collected 19 points in the poll ... Sacramento State earned the top spot with 64 points and all eight first-place votes.

Early Beginnings:

Northern Colorado's matches against Portland and South Dakota State on Friday, August 24 were be tied for the earliest start date in program history ... the Bears also opened on August 24 back in 2001 when the team took on Incarnate Wood (W, 3-0) and then No. 10 Nebraska-Kearney (L, 1-3) ... the home opener of August 31 against Saint Francis (PA) (W, 3-0) in the first match of the UNC Hampton Inn & Suites Classic was the earliest home match ever for the Bears ... the previous earliest home match was September 1 ... the Bears played against Colorado Mines (W, 3-0) in 1998 and CU-Colorado Springs (W, 3-0) in 1992.

The Return:

Kenzie Shreeve returns to the Bears this season after missing her sophomore season with an injury ... Shreeve had a strong exhibition performance in the alumni match on (8/18) in leading the team in kills ... as a freshman in 2005, Shreeve played in 17 games while totaling 20 kills, six service aces and seven digs.

She Knows People:

Senior libero Abby Mayne is well connected in the Northern Colorado community as her father, Dick Mayne, is the band director for the Bears Marching Band (The Pride of the Rockies).

The Designated Leaders:

The Bears have named seniors Abby Mayne and Dulcie Stone as the team captain for the 2007 season ... this is the first time Stone has captained the Northern Colorado volleyball team, while Mayne was co-captain last season.

Bringing Them Back and Digging Them Up:

The Bears are bringing back 70 percent of their digs back from last year's squad (1,238 total digs returning) ... of the 70 percent, 98 percent (1213 digs) come from four returning players (Abby Mayne-429, Dulcie Stone-355, Breanna VanDerMost-236, Lauren Carter-193).

First Time Opponents:

Three of the teams that participated in the UNC Hampton Inn and Suites Classic were first time opponents for the Bears ... the three new teams were Saint Francis (PA) (W, 3-0), Florida Gulf Coast (L, 3-1) and Iowa (L, 3-1).

A Noteworthy Achievement:

The 2007 season is the 40th for the women's volleyball program at Northern Colorado ... the program began in 1967 under Rosemary Fri ... Fri (1967-75) coached the Bears until 1975 when Linda Delk took over ... Delk (1976-2001) stayed as the head coach until 2001 when Ron Alexander (2002-04) started his three-year stint. ... after Alexander, Lyndsey Benson was named the program's fourth-ever head coach on August 8, 2005.

Seeing the World:

The Northern Colorado volleyball will have the chance to see the world in the spring as the team travels to China in May 2008 ... the tour is planned from May 12-23 and friends and family of the program are invited to join the team ... sponsorship opportunities for those who are not able to travel with the team, but will still like to help fund the trip for the Bears are also available ... please contact assistant coach Jenny Glenn at 970.351.2180 if you are interested in assisting the team ... for those interested in traveling with the team, please fill out the form on the Northern Colorado website (www.uncbears.com) and return the form to TranSports Athletic Team Tours or call Dale at 877-754-8726 for more information ... the cost of the trip is just $3,190 based on double occupancy ... the cost is per passenger and is subject to change based on availability, supplier costing and variance in passenger numbers ... included in that cost is round-trip air from United States, English speaking local guides, hotel accommodations, private coach, three meals a day, all tours and entrance fees as stated and the services of TranSports staff throughout.

Keeping Busy During the Summer:

The Bears coaching staff hosted what is believed to be the largest volleyball team camp in the nation over the summer from July 26-28 at Butler-Hancock ... there were 122 teams from 73 schools and seven different states represented (Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana and Kansas) at the camp and most of the local high schools (Greeley West, Greeley Central, Northridge, Frontier Academy, Eaton, Platte Valley and Windsor) were also in attendance.

Volleyball Earns Academic Honor:

At the end of the summer, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced the University of Northern Colorado volleyball team had earned a GamePlanTM/AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2006-2007 season ... the award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale during the school year ... Nominating head coaches must be AVCA members ... the Bears were one of 55 Division I teams honored for their academics.

Up Next:

The Bears, if they can escape the Big Sky Tournament, will make their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since moving to Division I

Dates/Times For Big Sky Tournament (Hosted by Sacramento State):

Nov. 23 Quarterfinals: No. 4 seed Weber State vs. No. 5 seed Northern Colorado 9:30 a.m. pst

Nov. 23 Quarterfinals: No. 3 seed Eastern Washington vs. No. 6 seed Northern Arizona 11:30 a.m. pst

Nov. 23 Semifinals: Highest remaing seed vs. No. 1 seed Portland State 5:30 p.m. pst

Nov. 23 Semifinals: Second-highest advancing seed vs. No. 2 seed Sacramento State 7:30 p.m. pst

Nov. 24 Championship 7:00 p.m. pst