Northern Colorado Bears women’s volleyball team ended its season after a close five-set loss to No. 3 Creighton in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha.
Creighton started strong, taking the first set 25–12 and forcing Northern Colorado to use an early timeout. Alayna Tessena led UNC’s offense with three kills in the opening frame, while Bella LePore and Nerea Alvarez Jorge contributed defensively with three digs each.
The second set was more competitive, with both teams exchanging points until late in the frame. Isabel Bennett’s attacks helped tie the score at 19–19, leading Creighton to call a timeout. The Bears capitalized on their momentum to win the set and even the match at one apiece. By this point, Tessena and Bennett had six kills each, and Bennett posted a .500 hitting percentage across two sets. Alvarez Jorge recorded 16 assists through two frames.
Northern Colorado carried its energy into the third set, building an early lead that forced Creighton into multiple timeouts as UNC extended its advantage to 12–6. Defensive plays by Brynn Reines kept rallies alive, though Creighton eventually tied it at 14–14. UNC responded with three straight points to regain control before winning the set 25–23. During this period, Alvarez Jorge notched her 14th double-double of the season with 24 assists and 11 digs.
This marked a milestone for Northern Colorado as it was the first time in program history that they won two sets in an NCAA Tournament match.
Creighton answered back in the fourth set with a 6–0 run and maintained enough distance throughout to take it 25–17, sending the contest into a deciding fifth set.
In the final frame, Creighton built an early lead that Northern Colorado could not overcome despite continued defensive efforts. The Bluejays secured victory by closing out the fifth set.
Pushing Creighton to five sets was notable for Northern Colorado; it was also significant as no Big Sky Conference team had taken an NCAA Tournament match to five sets since 2001.
Alayna Tessena led UNC offensively with 14 kills, followed by Brynn Reines with 11 kills. Four Bears players finished with double-digit digs as part of their defensive effort.
Northern Colorado concluded its season with totals of 52 kills and 73 digs in this final match.
