DENTON- North Texas volleyball is 5-2 after a pair of tournaments, which is the program's fastest start since its first year of competition - 1976. Kayla Saey continues to be the key at setter. The junior piled up 12.25 assists per set at the Bulldog Invitational. Sarah Willey earned Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors for tallying 4.88 digs per set in leading the Mean Green.
A tough threesome of Alabama, Texas State and Tennessee-Martin awaits NT in San Marcos this weekend. The Crimson Tide is coming off a championship effort in hosting the Bama Bash. Libero Kelsey Anderson was named the MVP, and MB Leigh Moyer earned all-tourney honors. Texas State fell in all three matches at the SMU Invite, but nearly completed a five-set comeback on Texas Tech. Tennessee-Martin returned to full strength and picked up a pair of wins at the Bear Brawl Classic.
CenturyLink Premier Schedule
Sept. 10 - Alabama - 10 a.m.
Sept. 10 - Texas State - 7:00 p.m.
Sept. 11 - Tennessee-Martin - 12:00 p.m.
READ THE FULL GAME NOTES
Willey's Ways
Sarah Willey was unstoppable on the Mean Green back line at the Bulldog Invitational, and earned Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors. She notched 78 total digs for an average of 4.88 digs per set. The junior's efforts vaulted her up the career digs charts at NT from 10th to eighth. She already has 822 career digs. Against Northwestern State, Willey notched a team season-best 29 digs. She had at least 15 digs in every other match of the weekend.
Best Start In 34 Years
The North Texas volleyball team is off to the program's best start since 1976 after splitting four matches at the Bulldog Invitational last weekend. The Mean Green's 5-2 start is just behind the 1976 squad's 5-1-1 mark to begin the program's first ever season.
Can't Out-Hit the Mean Green
One vital stat stands out with seven matches in the books - North Texas has out-killed and out-assisted each of its opponents. Actually North Texas leads the Sun Belt in each of those categories. Those two stats go hand-in-hand, but have everything to do with the .243-.176 difference in NT and its opponent's attack percentage. NT has racked up 350 kills already, which is 3.5 kills per set more than it's opponents.
Saey & Wilson Earn All-Tourney Nods
A week after claiming MVP honors in NT's first championship since 2006, Kayla Saey earned a Bulldog Invitational All-Tournament nod after racking up 12.25 assists per set for the weekend - by far the best stretch of her career. The junior, who now leads the SBC with 11.04 assists per set, tallied 196 total assists in the four matches. ... Rachelle Wilson earned the second All-Tournament nod of her career at the Bulldog Invitational. The sophomore, whose father piloted the football team's charter to Clemson, racked up 45 kills on a team-high .314 hitting.
