"This is a great honor for these three student-athletes,” UNC coach Lyndsey Oates said in a news release. “They are an example of someone who wins on and off the court.”
UNC (18-11) won the match 26-24, 25-22 and 25-14 to advance to the second round of the 32-team postseason tournament. UNC will play Mountain West member Wyoming (21-9) at 6 p.m. Friday. Wyoming advanced to the second round Thursday afternoon with a 3-1 win over South Dakota also at Bank of Colorado Arena.
“We knew this was going to be a big match and we wanted to make sure it wasn’t any bigger than it needed to be,” second-year Eagles coach Jon Haruguchi said. “Play where our feet are and play together.”
The Bears, 11-4 in the Big Sky and 16-10 overall, defeated the Bengals 25-14, 25-16 and 25-17. UNC has not lost since Oct. 26 when they were swept in three sets at home by league leader Sacramento State.