Alayna Tessena hit a match-winning kill for the UNC volleyball team Monday night and let go of a tension-releasing scream. Bears teammate Zoe Gibbs recalled Tessena screaming when she went to Bank of Colorado Arena floor after a five-set win over Montana State in a Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinal. Tessena’s kill capped a nearly 3-hour, back-and-forth match of high-quality tournament volleyball, leaving fans dizzy with every shot, block, dig, time out and challenge. UNC’s 15-13 win in the fifth set on the swing of Tessena’s right arm sent the Bears to the semifinals after escaping the sixth-seeded Bobcats. Montana State (13-15) won the first set 25-18, UNC took the next two sets 25-18 and 25-23, and the Bobcats pulled out the fourth set 25-23. PHOTOS: UNC volleyball beats Montana State in Big Sky Conference tournament The in-match tension and intensity was so high that while Gibbs focused on each point, 15 minutes later she couldn’t 100% remember Tessena’s immediate reaction to ending the match. “I think we were all screaming,” Gibbs said. “That’s all there was.” Third-seeded UNC (15-15) returns to the semifinals for the second time in two years Tuesday where it will meet No. 2 Sacramento State, a team the Bears beat in both matches during the regular season. The semifinal begins at 7 p. m. Tuesday at Bank of Colorado Arena. UNC is hosting the tournament as the 2024 regular-season champion. No. 4 Weber State and No. 8 Idaho State play in the first semifinal at 4 p. m. Sacramento State (20-9) needed five sets to win its quarterfinal earlier in the day Monday over No. 7 Portland State. The Hornets are the defending tournament champions after defeating UNC in a five-set final last year. They go into the semifinals on a four-match winning streak, not having lost since Nov. 8 when UNC beat them in five sets in Sacramento. Sacramento State is also the highest seed left in the tournament. Idaho State upset No. 1 seed and regular-season champion Northern Arizona in five sets in a quarterfinal Monday afternoon. “It’s hard to beat a good team three times,” UNC coach Lyndsey Oates said of facing Sacramento State. “I would say in that regard they have the advantage. In that regard, we were looking forward to maybe playing NAU (which beat UNC twice during the regular season) because I think you have the advantage, you’re learning more about a team as you’re playing them. We gotta be ready to take on Sac. State.” Montana State and UNC split the two regular-season matches with each team winning on its home floor. Montana State beat the Bears in four sets in early October in Bozeman. UNC avenged the loss later in the month with a three-set sweep in Greeley. The quarterfinal Monday night was a different beast. Bobcats coach Matt Houk said the match was about two teams pressuring the other from the service line and defensively, limiting quality offensive opportunities. UNC finished the night with a . 108 hitting percentage and Montana State was under 100 at . 094. In college volleyball, a good hitting percentage is over . 200. “It was hard to kill the ball,” Houk said. “I think people were taking good swings, but the other team was making it really hard to score the point with their defense and the block and the dig. The defenses were making it extremely difficult to score points.” UNC clung to a 9-7 lead in the fifth set when Gibbs pounded a kill called out, cutting the Bobcats’ lead to 9-8. Oates challenged the officials’ ruling, and replay review showed the ball was in giving UNC a 10-7 lead. UNC gave back the next point when Nerea Alvarez-Jorge had a service error, again cutting the lead to two points at 10-8. UNC came up with the next two points on a Brynn Reines kill and ace when Reines’ serve hit the net and trickled over to the Montana side. Oates said she saw Gibbs’ kill that was called out as a close play. Oates said she was going to challenge the call because it was late in the match, and “you’re not going to take your challenges home.” “I was hopeful it was in,” Oates added. “Challenges are important. It went both directions tonight. CRS (the challenge review system) is super important in matches like this because you want to get the call right.” Montana State tied the set 13-13 on a Karli Heidemann kill that knocked UNC defensive specialist Bella LePore off her feet. Heidemann’s swing connected with LePore’s face, and the Bears player fell to the court. The arena was nearly silent. LePore was shaken up for a minute, but she was checked by a trainer before returning to the match. Oates said after the match LePore was OK. UNC closed out the match on a kill by Isabel Bennett and the game winner from Tessena. “It was definitely a good swing by Montana State,” Gibbs said. “Bella is so tough. It takes a lot to get her down. She popped right back up. We try to give all plays the same way. We’re like ‘OK, next one, next one.’” Reines led UNC with 17 kills, Tessena had 12 and Gibbs added 10 with seven blocks. Gibbs is a senior from Niwot. Bennett added eight kills and 7 blocks. Bennett was named to the 10-player Big Sky Conference first team Sunday, the conference announced. She is a senior from Aurora. Reines, Gibbs and Tessena were chosen for the conference second team. Montana State middle blocker Joelie Spelts was a problem for the Bears all night. She led the Bobcats with 14 kills and five blocks. Madilyn Siebler had 13 kills and Heidemann added 11. Camryn Greenwald led Montana State with nine blocks.
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UNC volleyball advances to Big Sky Conference Tournament semifinals
