North Texas Daily

By Courtney Anderson

The Mean Green volleyball team dropped both of its games on Saturday in the North Texas Challenge, falling to Texas State University and No. 16 Texas A&M University.

Game One: Texas State 3, North Texas 1

North Texas began the first set with a slim lead, but that would be the only time it held an advantage. The Bobcats (1-2) proved they came to battle, constantly showing up to the net to block out any attempted kills by the Mean Green. The set ended with a 25-17 Texas State victory.

The second set was similar to North Texas’ first day of the tournament. The largest lead either team had on each other was three points. In the end, the Mean Green eked out a 25-22 victory.

Mean Green Volleyball head coach Andrew Palileo challenges a call Saturday in the North Texas Challenge. Hannah Breland | Senior Staff Photographer

The third and fourth sets both presented chances for North Texas to come away with wins, but consistency issues kept the Mean Green from doing so.

Head coach Andrew Palileo attempted to rally the troops by calling multiple timeouts, but could not adjust quickly enough to thwart off the Bobcats’ attack.

“We tried to refocus them and get their heads back in the game,” Palileo said.

Game Two: No. 16 Texas A&M University 3, North Texas 1

With their last game of the two day tournament, North Texas did battle with No. 16 Texas A&M (2-1).

However, after multiple sets highlighted by intense rallies from both sides, the Mean Green came up empty.

“We’ve played top 25 teams before,” junior middle blocker Amanda Chamberlain said. “We try not to play the name on the jersey but the players in them.”

The first three sets were extremely close affairs, as both teams jostled for position it was unable to maintain. When the dust settled, the Aggies took a 2-1 lead into the fourth set.

Mean Green volleyball junior Amanda Chamberlain spikes a ball into the opponents playing field Saturday in the North Texas Challenge. Tomas Gonzalez | Visuals Editor

“I knew beforehand we were going to have to come out and compete and I think we still did that,” senior setter Amy Henard said. “We try to play for our teammates and worry about our side and not so much their side.”

Texas A&M won in the fourth set to claim the match victory, and hand North Texas its second loss of the day.

Next up: The Mean Green host the University of Texas at Arlington at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 30.

Featured Image: Mean Green volleyball faced off against the Texas State Bobcats Saturday in the North Texas Challenge. Hannah Breland | Senior Staff Photographer