For a team that hangs its hat on playing clean and with minimal miscues, UND (9-8, 1-1 Big Sky) chalked up 21 attack errors as a team to allow UNC (7-7, 1-1) to take advantage.

"Northern Colorado played very well today and to be brutally honest, we didn't." UND head coach Mark Pryor admitted. "Twenty-one hitting errors in three sets is just not going to allow you to beat a solid opponent. Our net play blocking was not there at all today.

"We started out exceptionally well in set one, but once again, we put it in cruise control and didn't make the conscious choice to stay committed and invested. In set two, we did not serve aggressive enough to stop them from siding-out efficiently."

UND got out to that good start, leading 8-3 and controlling play throughout most of the opening set. It was a 21-16 Fighting Hawk edge until the Bears embarked on a 7-2 spurt to tie the score at 23. An attack error gave UND set point, but three straight UNC points helped the home team escape with a 26-24 victory in the first frame.

The Bears took that momentum into the second set, never trailing to eventually grab a 25-18 win and a 2-0 lead at the break. In the final set, UND held a slight advantage at 5-4 but an 8-1 push put Northern Colorado on top for good as both teams went to 1-1 in conference play.

Senior Chelsea Moser collected 11 kills to lead the UND offense while Faith Dooley and Tamara Merseli each added eight. Alivia Fraase chipped in 19 digs for North Dakota.

"There is zero doubt that this team can accomplish a lot of special things, but each individual on the court has to play efficiently, not perfect, but much more efficient than today."

North Dakota (9-8, 1-1 Big Sky) remains on the road, battling Idaho and Eastern Washington on Thursday and Friday, respectively.