UNLV 3, ARIZONA 2 (25-22, 25-20, 17-25, 19-25, 15-9)

TUCSON, AZ — Mariena Hayden punched home four kills in crunch time during the fifth set as UNLV outlasted Arizona to earn a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2021 NIVC. UNLV will play Arkansas next in a match hosted by UTEP, Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. ET.

Set 5 was tied at 7-7 before the Rebels (25-9) made the big push. Hayden (a two-time Mountain West Conference player of the year) finished with 17 kills, and Shelby Capllonch closed with 11 kills and 24 digs as UNLV won for the first time in four meetings versus the Wildcats (17-16).

Jaelyn Hodge had 23 kills and 12 digs for Arizona. Sofia Maldonado Diaz had 11 kills, Alayna Johnson added nine kills and Emery Herman dished out 49 assists. Kamaile Hiapo came up with 30 digs.

UCONN 3, NORTH CAROLINA A&T 0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-19)

CHESTNUT HILL, MA — UConn hit .300 overall and rang up five service aces in a sweep of North Carolina A&T in a Round 1 matchup at the 2021 NIVC.

The Huskies (22-10) will face Boston College on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET in Round 2. Caylee Parker had 11 kills and nine digs for the Huskies; Taylor Pannell added 10 kills and McKayla Wuensch delivered 28 assists. Karly Berkland tallied 11 digs.

The Aggies (20-11) were paced by Naiya Sawtelle’s 12 kills. Macenzie Richards had four kills and Edie Brewer added 15 assists.

ARKANSAS 3, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-18) 

NACOGDOCHES, TX – Taylor Head paced Arkansas with 15 kills as the Razorbacks swept by Stephen F. Austin to advance out of Round 2 at the 2021 NIVC.

Arkansas, which hit .347 overall, will take on UNLV in Round 3. That match will be hosted by UTEP and be held Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. ET.

The Razorbacks (20-10) got 34 assists from Gracie Ryan and 12 digs from Courtney Jackson. Three other players had eight kills apiece.

The Ladyjacks (19-10) got eight kills from Leah Powell. Bryli Contreras added 13 digs.

​NORTH FLORIDA 3, TROY 0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-14)
 
TROY, AL – In a thoroughly dominating fashion, North Florida advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2021 NIVC with a road sweep.
 
The Ospreys dominated all facets of the match, hitting .321 compared to just .069 for Troy. Leading the way for UNF was Dariana Hollingsworth-Santana, who had 11 kills on .474 hitting, and added a season-high five service aces.
 
The first set found the two teams all tied up at 16-16, but North Florida rattled off a 9-3 run to close the set in convincing fashion. The Ospreys used that momentum and carried it through to the rest of the match, never looking in danger of dropping either of the final two sets. North Florida will take on the winner of the Boston College region (Boston College, Delaware State, UConn and North Carolina A&T) in the quarterfinals. 

BOSTON COLLEGE 3, DELAWARE STATE 0 (28-26, 25-16, 25-21)
 
BOSTON, MA – The Boston College volleyball team advanced to the second round of the 2021 NIVC with an opening-round sweep over Delaware State on Saturday afternoon to secure the program’s first-ever postseason victory.
 
The first set was a close back-and-forth affair that saw Boston College fight off two set points before the Eagles were able to take a 28-26 victory. Boston College carried its late-set surge into the second set, and dominated the frame, hitting .370, en route to a 25-16 victory. Conversely, Delaware State was held to just eight kills and five attack errors in the frame.
 
Katrina Jensen and Clare Naughton led the way for the Eagles with 12 kills each, while Amaka Chukwujekwu added nine. Boston College will take on the winner of UConn and North Carolina A&T in the second round of the 2021 NIVC on Sunday.

WEBER STATE 3, PORTLAND STATE 1 (16-25, 25-13, 25-20, 25-23)
 
OGDEN, UT – After dropping the first set, Weber State rattled off three straight sets to knock off Portland, 3-1, and advance to the quarterfinals of the 2021 NIVC, where the Wildcats will take on UTEP.
 
Portland State jumped all over Weber State in the opening set and scored the final four points of the frame to win the opening set 25-16 on Weber State’s home court. The Wildcats weren’t rattled from the shaky start, however, and quickly responded with a 9-2 run to open the second set. Weber State led by as much as 15 points in the second set en route to its 25-13 victory.
 
The third and fourth sets started just as the second set did, with Weber State jumping out to a large lead and holding onto it for the 3-1 victory. The Wildcats were led by Dani Nay, who registered her fourth 20-kill game of the season with 20 kills on .474 hitting. Nay also chipped in with four of the team’s 11 service aces in the match. As a team, Weber State hit .311 compared to .217 for Portland State.​

​ARKANSAS 3, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-18) 

NACOGDOCHES, TX – Taylor Head paced Arkansas with 15 kills as the Razorbacks swept by Stephen F. Austin to advance out of Round 2 at the 2021 NIVC.

Arkansas, which hit .347 overall, will take on UNLV in Round 3. The Razorbacks (20-10) got 34 assists from Gracie Ryan and 12 digs from Courtney Jackson. Three other players had eight kills apiece.
​
The Ladyjacks (19-10) got eight kills from Leah Powell. Bryli Contreras added 13 digs.

UNLV 3, ARIZONA 2 (25-22, 25-20, 17-25, 19-25, 15-9)

TUCSON, AZ — Mariena Hayden punched home four kills in crunch time during the fifth set as UNLV outlasted Arizona to earn a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2021 NIVC.

Set 5 was tied at 7-7 before the Rebels (25-9) made the big push. Hayden (a two-time Mountain West Conference player of the year) finished with 17 kills, and Shelby Capllonch closed with 11 kills and 24 digs as UNLV won for the first time in four meetings versus the Wildcats (17-16).

Jaelyn Hodge had 23 kills and 12 digs for Arizona. Sofia Maldonado Diaz had 11 kills, Alayna Johnson added nine kills and Emery Herman dished out 49 assists. Kamaile Hiapo came up with 30 digs.

UCONN 3, NORTH CAROLINA A&T 0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-19)

CHESTNUT HILL, MA — UConn hit .300 overall and rang up five service aces in a sweep of North Carolina A&T in a Round 1 matchup at the 2021 NIVC.

The Huskies (22-10) will face Boston College on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET in Round 2.

Caylee Parker had 11 kills and nine digs for the Huskies; Taylor Pannell added 10 kills and McKayla Wuensch delivered 28 assists. Karly Berkland tallied 11 digs.

The Aggies (20-11) were paced by Naiya Sawtelle’s 12 kills. Macenzie Richards had four kills and Edie Brewer added 15 assists.

​WEBER STATE 3, PORTLAND STATE 1 (16-25, 25-13, 25-20, 25-23)
 
OGDEN, UT – After dropping the first set, Weber State rattled off three straight sets to knock off Portland, 3-1, and advance to the quarterfinals of the 2021 NIVC, where the Wildcats will take on UTEP.
 
Portland State jumped all over Weber State in the opening set and scored the final four points of the frame to win the opening set 25-16 on Weber State’s home court. The Wildcats weren’t rattled from the shaky start, however, and quickly responded with a 9-2 run to open the second set. Weber State led by as much as 15 points in the second set en route to its 25-13 victory.
 
The third and fourth sets started just as the second set did, with Weber State jumping out to a large lead and holding onto it for the 3-1 victory. The Wildcats were led by Dani Nay, who registered her fourth 20-kill game of the season with 20 kills on .474 hitting. Nay also chipped in with four of the team’s 11 service aces in the match. As a team, Weber State hit .311 compared to .217 for Portland State.

BOSTON COLLEGE 3, DELAWARE STATE 0 (28-26, 25-16, 25-21)
 
BOSTON, MA – The Boston College volleyball team advanced to the second round of the 2021 NIVC with an opening-round sweep over Delaware State on Saturday afternoon to secure the program’s first-ever postseason victory.
 
The first set was a close back-and-forth affair that saw Boston College fight off two set points before the Eagles were able to take a 28-26 victory. Boston College carried its late-set surge into the second set, and dominated the frame, hitting .370, en route to a 25-16 victory. Conversely, Delaware State was held to just eight kills and five attack errors in the frame.
 
Katrina Jensen and Clare Naughton led the way for the Eagles with 12 kills each, while Amaka Chukwujekwu added nine. Boston College will take on the winner of UConn and North Carolina A&T in the second round of the 2021 NIVC on Sunday.

​NORTH FLORIDA 3, TROY 0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-14)
 
TROY, AL – In a thoroughly dominating fashion, North Florida advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2021 NIVC with a road sweep.
 
The Ospreys dominated all facets of the match, hitting .321 compared to just .069 for Troy. Leading the way for UNF was Dariana Hollingsworth-Santana, who had 11 kills on .474 hitting, and added a season-high five service aces.
 
The first set found the two teams all tied up at 16-16, but North Florida rattled off a 9-3 run to close the set in convincing fashion. The Ospreys used that momentum and carried it through to the rest of the match, never looking in danger of dropping either of the final two sets. North Florida will take on the winner of the Boston College region (Boston College, Delaware State, UConn and North Carolina A&T) in the quarterfinals. 

By Kyle Koso
 
A serve that floats an inch long; a shot that catches a whisper too much net and lands out; an opponent’s kill that somehow splits the block when it seemed like the defense was in the right spot.
 
Disappointment is part of the bargain in volleyball, and teams know they quickly must get back in the fight when something they’ve done a million times – for some reason – doesn’t work out.
 
The Arkansas women’s team is getting a fresh lesson on how to bounce back, making the best of a difficult moment by taking part in the 2021 NIVC after being left out of the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks (who got a first-round bye in the NIVC and will play Saturday evening) were excluded from the NCAA field despite having victories over fellow SEC members Ole Miss and South Carolina, two teams that made the cut. Adding extra duress to the mix, Arkansas had just swept South Carolina on the road two days before Selection Sunday.
 
Contesting the decision-makers is a familiar sight when it comes to any NCAA postseason, and Arkansas (19-10) will probably be talking about this for years to come. But first comes the NIVC, and a chance to wrap up the fall 2021 campaign in a more satisfying fashion.
 
“Listen, the goal is to go to the NCAA Tournament,” said Razorbacks coach Jason Watson, who is in his sixth year in Fayetteville. “I asked each of them as they came into practice (Monday), how do you feel about playing more volleyball? More times than not, what was expressed was, ‘I’m just so thankful that’s not how the season is going to end.’
 
“That’s what the NIVC is providing that is so wonderful. You’re giving us an opportunity not to end our season in disappointment, to end the season on the court. We get to define the year and compete, and the NIVC provides the venue where we finish the season on the court. That’s what is so important. Athletes understand winning and losing. You can’t learn without doing what we are about to do. That’s why we are all in on this opportunity.”
 
The program certainly wants to embrace a sense of positive momentum; it stands at 33-18 over the past two seasons, an impressive bounce that was managed during COVID-19’s disruptions and is a stark contrast from a 22-36 record the two previous years.
 
“We were able to recruit a little deeper, get more talent on the roster, and put them in situations where they just got better. That’s really helped us, and we’ve blossomed over the last two seasons,” Watson said. “We’re more experienced, and that’s why we’re excited about the NIVC opportunity – to get some postseason looks for a group that might be together still for another two years. It’s been a long time coming and a lot of hard work for people, but this is a fun group to coach. They are competitive, work hard, and in a good place right now.”
 
Step 1 for Arkansas’ postseason is to get senior setter Gracie Ryan in uniform, on the floor, and let her go to work. She has 1,223 assists (11.12 per set), which ranks 13th in the nation, and has been metronome-steady in tone and temperament for her squad.
 
“One of things about Gracie is she came in as a freshman and had to work. She didn’t get playing time right away,” Watson said. “She put in her time; last season was the first one she was our setter in a 5-1. That’s an important piece; here’s a talented setter who sat for two years before she got her shot, and then has flourished. Seems like that used to be commonplace, and now it feels like an exception. It speaks to her commitment. She’s her toughest critic. She was in the gym (Monday) trying to get better; that has to inspire others, a senior trying to get better again.”
 
Offensively, the Razorbacks have a lot of shots come off the swings of Jillian Gillen (444 kills) and Taylor Head (392 kills), two players who don’t profile as classic SEC bangers. Head is a modest 5-foot-10, and Gillen is 5-7, but don’t be deceived as Gillen earned first-team all-SEC honors.
 
“We are a little undersized … Jill and even Taylor. They certainly have been told at some point, you’re not tall enough to play Division I volleyball,” Watson said. “We have said, we’ll give you this opportunity to shine; we are concerned about how well you jump, play above the net, and they do it well.
 
“People know we are going to set Jill, and she has to find a way. Her work ethic and mindfulness is extraordinary, and she’s had to be that way because people have told her she can’t do it. Same with Taylor. They are good volleyball players, and that’s what we are trying to do. We don’t want specialists; we want players who can perform well for long periods of time.”
 
And for this time, this moment, the NIVC will be the springboard Gillen, Taylor and the rest of the Razorbacks will use.

VALPARAISO 3, TOLEDO 0 (25-20, 25-21,25-21)
 
VALPARAISO, IN – Haley Hart had 12 kills for Valparaiso, which authored its second sweep of the 2021 NIVC by taking down Toledo and advancing to Round 3.
 
The Beacons (24-9) also got 10 kills from Peyton McCarthy. Rylee Cookerly had 20 digs, which pushed her career total to 3,139 digs, just 37 shy of the NCAA D-I record. Elise Swistek had 14 digs, Brittany Anderson added 21 assists and Victoria Bulmahn had 17 assists.
 
In Set 1, Valpo broke open a tight 12-10 lead to an 18-12 advantage, winning the set as six players registered kills. A 7-1 run in Set 3 set the Beacons up for their comeback win.
 
The Rockets (20-13), who got their first-ever postseason win Thursday, also reached 20 victories in a season for the second time. Sinalauli’I Uluave had 11 kills and 13 digs, Taylor Alt came through with 11 kills and 15 digs, and Elaine Redman added.29 assists.
 
TROY 3, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-14)
 
TROY, AL – Troy hit a strong .325 overall in its Round 1 win over Middle Tennessee, getting the sweep as Tori Hester rang up 12 kills.
 
The Trojans (18-12), who had trailed in the all-time series against the Blue Raiders 16-5, will face North Florida on Saturday in Round 2.
 
Cheyenne Hayes had 11 kills for Troy; Amara Anderson added 33 assists and Caroline Darracott came up with 11 digs.
 
Middle Tennessee (9-12) saw Samira Lawson Body get 12 kills and 10 digs. Taylor Eisert had 23 assists and Marley Banton added 11 digs.
 
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 3, JACKSON STATE 1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-21, 25-12)
 
NACOGDOCHES, TX – Leah Powell paced the attack for Stephen F. Austin, ringing up 14 kills and 16 digs as the Ladyjacks won the fourth set in dominant fashion to advance in the 2021 NIVC.
 
The Ladyjacks (19-9) will play Arkansas in Round 2 on Saturday.
 
Payton Cerny had 12 kills for SFA; Maddy Bourque dished out 20 assists, Kodi Garcia added 16 assists and Ariana Pagan came up with 19 digs.
 
The Tigers (17-14) saw Jylen Whitten bash away to the tune of 18 kills. Marina Brito had 10 kills, Damassy Thompson added 38 assists and 15 digs and Alana Washington finished with 17 digs.
 
ARIZONA 3, UTRGV 0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-16)
 
TUCSON, AZ – Arizona got a big bounce after coming back to win the first set, rolling to a sweep of UT-Rio Grande Valley to kick off the Wildcats’ time at the 2021 NIVC.
 
The Wildcats (17-15) hit an impressive .395 overall; they will face UNLV on Saturday in Round 2. Jaelyn Hodge had 12 kills, Puk Stubbe chipped in with 10 kills and Emery Herman came through with 31 assists and nine digs.
 
The Vaqueros (17-11) saw Sarah Cruz secure 12 kills; Luanna Emiliano had 20 assists and Evana Ramos closed with 12 digs.
 
EVANSVILLE 3, BRADLEY 1 (25-18, 25-27, 25-15, 25-20)
 
CHICAGO, IL – Missouri Valley Conference freshman of the year Giulia Cardona led Evansville with 23 kills, pushing the Aces past conference mates Bradley for a Round 2 victory in the 2021 NIVC.
 
The Aces (21-11) saw Melanie Feliciano and Alondra Vazquez each jump in with 15 kills; Taya Haffner directed the show with 53 assists and 14 digs, and Blakeley Freeman added 23 digs. Evansville, which reached the 20-victory mark for the first time since 1988, will play at Valparaiso in Round 3 on Monday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. ET.
 
The Braves (17-15) had Hannah Thompson and Karagan Coggin each register 10 kills. Serena Sparks had 25 digs and Kora Kauling closed with 24 assists.
 
WEBER STATE 3, CSU BAKERSFIELD 1 (25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21)
 
OGDEN, UT – Weber State had an 8-1 edge in service aces and outlasted CSU Bakersfield in a Round 1 matchup of the 2021 NIVC.
 
The Wildcats (21-9) will face Portland State in Round 2 on Saturday. Dani Nay had 12 kills for Weber State; Rylin Adams added 11 kills to go with 12 digs, and Emma Mangum closed with 10 kills. Ashlyn Power dished out 35 assists and four aces, and Makayla Sorensen added 12 digs.
 
The Roadrunners (18-11) got 20 kills from Brooke Boiseau, 43 assists from Seleisa Elisaia and 12 digs from Paige Calvin.

UTEP 3, COLORADO STATE 1 (25-22, 13-25, 25-18, 25-19)
 
FORT COLLINS, CO – UTEP started off strong and shook off a lull in Set 2, taking charge at the net and going on to take down Colorado State in Round 2 of the 2021 NIVC.
 
The Miners will face Portland State or Weber State in Round 3.
 
UTEP had five aces in set 1. In set 4, CSU went down 5-1 but a challenge on a UTEP foot dig turned the score back to 4-2, and the Rams used that to bounce back and take a 8-7 lead. UTEP used a 5-0 to take control, 19-14, and closed out the match.
 
The Miners (23-7) saw Paulina Perez Rosas close with 11 kills, and Serena Patterson had 10 kills. Kristen Fritsche had 23 assists and Alyssa Sianez closed with 17 digs.
 
The Rams (19-11) had won 30 straight sets on their home floor of Moby Arena. Kennedy Stanford had 14 kills, Ciera Pritchard dished out 30 assists, and Helena Perez added 11 digs.

PORTLAND STATE 3, PACIFIC 2 (26-28, 25-15, 25-12, 23-25, 15-7)
 
OGDEN, UTAH – Portland State’s volleyball team advanced to the second round of the 2021 NIVC with a 5-set victory over Pacific on Friday afternoon.
 
The Vikings dropped the first set, 28-26, after leading 14-5 in the first set, but didn’t let that carry over to the next two sets. In Sets 2 and 3, Portland State beat Pacific, 25-15 and 25-12, respectively, and held Pacific to a negative hitting percentage in both frames.
 
In Set 4, however, Pacific once again showed its resolve in a back-and-forth affair. The Tigers racked up 16 kills in the set and held on to a 25-23 victory to forth a deciding fifth set.
 
The fifth set belonged to Portland State once again, though. The Vikings raced out to an early lead and never looked back en route to a 15-7 victory in the final set. With the win, Portland State advances to the second round of the 2021 NIVC and will play Weber State on Saturday.
 
The Vikings were led by Parker Webb, who had 15 kills on .480 hitting, and Makayla Lewis, who added 14 kills and 12 digs. Ellie Snook had two service aces in the match, setting a new single-season school record with 48. For the match, Portland State registered 17 aces, which was just one shy of a single-match team record.

UNLV 3, NEW MEXICO STATE 0 (25-21, 25-10, 25-22)
 
TUSCON, AZ – The UNLV Rebels advanced to the second round of the 2021 NIVC with a convincing sweep over New Mexico State on Friday afternoon.
 
UNLV racked up 12 blocks compared to two blocks for New Mexico State and hit .288 in the match compared to just .115 for the Aggies. The Rebels were led by the trio of Mariena Hayden (10), Kate Brennan (nine) and Chloe Thomas (nine), who combined for 28 of UNLV’s 45 kills, and hit a combined .400 in the match.
 
UNLV trailed early in Set 1, 9-5, but rattled off five-straight points to take the lead. The first set remained back and forth until UNLV scored the final three points of the set to take it, 25-21. In Set 2, there was never a doubt, with UNLV jumping out to an 8-2 lead en route to a 25-10 set victory. In the set, the Rebels hit .480 and didn’t have a single attack error.
 
The Rebels carried the momentum through to Set 3, which once again was a back-and-forth affair. Holding just a one point lead, UNLV went on a mini 4-1 run to make it 24-20, and put the pressure on New Mexico State. The Aggies scored the next two points before UNLV finally put them away. UNLV will take on Arizona in the second round of the NIVC.

UTEP 3, COLORADO STATE 1 (25-22, 13-25, 25-18, 25-19)
 
FORT COLLINS, CO – UTEP started off strong and shook off a lull in Set 2, taking charge at the net and going on to take down Colorado State in Round 2 of the 2021 NIVC.
 
The Miners will face Portland State or Weber State in Round 3.
 
UTEP had five aces in set 1. In set 4, CSU went down 5-1 but a challenge on a UTEP foot dig turned the score back to 4-2, and the Rams used that to bounce back and take a 8-7 lead. UTEP used a 5-0 to take control, 19-14, and closed out the match.
 
The Miners (23-7) saw Paulina Perez Rosas close with 11 kills, and Serena Patterson had 10 kills. Kristen Fritsche had 23 assists and Alyssa Sianez closed with 17 digs.
 
The Rams (19-11) had won 30 straight sets on their home floor of Moby Arena. Kennedy Stanford had 14 kills, Ciera Pritchard dished out 30 assists, and Helena Perez added 11 digs.