DENTON – A win is a win. That was the North Texas volleyball team's mentality coming off a less-than-ideal win over Florida International on Sunday.

"It was definitely not our best play, so we just need to come in better, focus on the little things every day and be more disciplined on where we are on defense," freshman middle blocker Sarah Haeussler said.

But after recalibrating in practice this week, the Mean Green are ready to make a statement, continuing their four-game homestand against Florida Atlantic and Charlotte on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

"We talked about maintaining our discipline and habits through each rally and each point," head coach Andrew Palileo said. "We broke things down this week individually at first and then worked our system in."

A large part of the team's preparation is going to come on team defense, as North Texas faces off with an FAU squad that ranks first in the conference in hitting percentage and kills per set and a Charlotte team that features Conference USA kills leader Reeana Richardson. Fortunately for the Mean Green, the two schools share some similarities in their style of play.

"It helps because we can work on one type of defense in one game and keep it going in the next," Haeussler said. "We definitely have to come through with a stronger mentality in both games to ensure we're playing to the best of our ability."

Haeussler has played a vital role on the defensive side, averaging 1.06 blocks per set over the last four matches, including a career-high six blocks Sunday against FIU. In that span, UNT is stopping 2.44 shots per set and 2.79 per set in league play, which ranks second in C-USA.

"The biggest part for me has just been finding the hitter and lining up with her arms," Haeussler said. "It's hard on the right side to find where they're coming in, but that's what Geno and Pali have had me work on."

Last season, North Texas improved to 10-4 all-time against the Owls with a four-set win in Boca Raton, and the Mean Green mounted an impressive comeback over the 49ers a week later, marking the first time UNT won a match after dropping the first two sets in over three years.

Both matches will be streamed live on C-USA TV and live stats will be available on StatBroadcast. To purchase tickets for the weekend's action, visit the Mean Green Ticket Office page.