UNT Volleyball Wins Thrilling 5-Set Match at Wichita State
The University of North Texas (UNT) volleyball team secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory (25-23, 25-20, 14-25, 23-25, 16-14) against Wichita State yesterday afternoon at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
The Mean Green (17-5, 7-3) dominated the first two sets before the Shockers (13-8, 5-4) rallied to force a decisive fifth set. In that final frame, Wichita State jumped to an early 5-0 lead, but UNT responded with a 7-1 run to take control. Redshirt sophomore Jahniya Jackson and freshman Sidney Soria were instrumental in the comeback, with Jackson recording five kills and Soria notching 10 assists in the fifth set alone. This win keeps UNT firmly in contention for a top seed in the Conference USA tournament.
A shift in offensive strategy proved crucial as star setter Alexa Washington, who had already achieved her 12th double-double of the season with 21 assists and 12 digs, left the game late in the fourth set. Head coach Dave Fleming transitioned to a 5-1 offensive scheme, placing Soria as the sole setter. “I’ve told [Sidney] in the past, ‘You’ve been here before and you’ve done this. You’re an all-state volleyball player that ran a 5-1, you can do this,’” Fleming said. “Basically, the message was that we believe in her and she responded.” Soria finished with a career-high 32 assists, along with eight digs, two kills, and an ace. For more information on collegiate volleyball, visit the NCAA website.
Opposite hitter Lilly Croshaw led the team in kills with 17 on a .302 hitting percentage, adding four blocks. “We love playing in games like this,” Croshaw stated. “The more difficult games are fun and our team does a great job playing together as one.” The victory marks the 15th time in program history UNT has reached 17 wins and extends their winning streak to six matches – their second-best of the season. You can find the full UNT Volleyball schedule here.
North Texas will return to the UNT Volleyball Center on Wednesday at 6 p.m. to face Abilene Christian in a non-conference match, which will be broadcast on ESPN+.
