North Texas Daily

Brady Keane | Staff Writer

@BradyKeane3

The North Texas women’s volleyball team got off to a slow start this season, but after winning four straight games and sweeping the field at the Tulsa Volleyball Invitational, the Mean Green (9-6) seem to be heading in the right direction.

The Mean Green kicked off the weekend with a straight set win over Houston Baptist University before knocking off Oral Roberts University in four sets and beating the tournament host Tulsa Hurricanes in straight sets.

“I think it was very important just to get on a run again and get into a rhythm,” senior captain Carnae Dillard said. “We had some ups and downs, but we worked together well as a team and it was a great overall effort.”

In the win over Oral Roberts, the Mean Green rode the strong play of Dillard and sophomore Amanda Chamberlain on their way to a 25-20, 16-25, 25-23, 25-21 victory.

Dillard had 19 kills in the win for the Mean Green, while Chamberlain added 13 kills and five blocks. Junior captain Amy Henard had another strong game with 40 assists and 13 digs.

From there, the Mean Green moved on to a matchup against the Tulsa University. In an overall dominating performance, North Texas was able to outplay Tulsa from the opening serve en-route to a (25-23, 25-18, 25-12) win.

The championship game against the Hurricane again showed the continuing dominance of Dillard, who finished the game with 20 kills.

However, the Mean Green also had strong showings from several other offensive players including sophomores Holly Milam and Amanda Chamberlain. Milam finished with a double-double (11 kills, 16 digs), while Chamberlain added 6 kills.

“Whenever everyone is involved and getting kills, it’s a lot easier for our outsides,” Milam said. “It relieves them from a lot of pressure.”

With four straight wins under their belt, the Mean Green will head back to Denton for a matchup with Baylor (9-2) on Sept. 22.

North Texas will then travel to the University of Texas at El Paso to kick off the full slate of Conference USA action on Sept. 25. The Mean Green had their C-USA opener against the University of Alabama at Birmingham earlier in the season, winning in straight sets.

“I know our confidence is better,” head coach Andrew Palileo said. “We’re starting to get a lineup that is playing well together. It always feels good to be on a winning streak going into conference, but we have to focus on Baylor first.”

Featured Image: North Texas middle blocker Amanda Chamberlain (13) blocks a set by Boise State. Ryan Vance | Senior Staff Photographer