Aug. 25, 2017
Cumulative Stats 
DENTON - The North Texas volleyball team started 2017 on the right foot, defeating Tulsa 3-1 (25-17, 25-17, 21-25, 25-19) in the first match of the North Texas Invitational. In front of a packed crowd at the North Texas Volleyball Center, senior Holly Milam registered a double-double (11 kills, 13 digs) to lead the Mean Green to victory.
"It's always good to start the season with a win, home or away," North Texas head coach Andrew Palileo said. "We started out a little tentative, but once we settled down, we started playing really well."
After falling behind 9-6 in the first set on their third error of the match, North Texas rattled off a 10-2 run, highlighted by a pair of kills by Milam and newcomer Valerie Valerian. Junior Karley York also recorded a pair of aces in the run. The Mean Green registered seven of their nine aces in the first two sets.
"We stabilized our passing, defended around the block well, and I think consistently put pressure on Tulsa from the service line," Palileo said.
The Mean Green would not trail again until the latter part of the third set, eventually dropping the set. However, errors marred Tulsa in the fourth set, as three straight mishaps set up a match point for North Texas. York assisted senior Alexis Wright on her eighth kill of the night to seal the win for the Mean Green.
UP NEXT FOR NORTH TEXAS
North Texas returns to action tomorrow morning against Texas Tech at 10 a.m. The Mean Green also take on Montana in the final match of the North Texas Invitational at 7:30 p.m.
QUICK HITS
• Under Palileo, North Texas boasts a 41-16 record at the North Texas Volleyball Center.
• The Mean Green have not dropped a home opener since 2009.
• Holly Milam tied a career high with four aces in the match.
• Alex Janak set a career high with three aces of her own.
• Milam also extended her streak of 10+ kills to 14 games.