University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
*Southern Illinois (Kill Cards)
May, Brazda Help Panthers Sweep Southern Illinois
9/23/2005 8:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 23, 2005
Cedar Falls, Iowa - Junior outside hitter Stephanie May (Dubuque, Iowa) had 15 kills and 10 digs, while sophomore middle blocker Danielle Brazda (Omaha, Neb.) had 13 kills and five blocks to lead the University of Northern Iowa volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep of Southern Illinois at the West Gym. Game scores were 30-24, 32-30 and 30-22.
May hit .343 (15-3-35) on the evening, tying her career high with 15 kills. Brazda was even more efficient offensively, hitting .579 (13-2-19), which was a season-high for any UNI player. Junior libero Patricia Dietz (Tripoli, Iowa) had a match-high 23 digs.
UNI was firing on all cylinders offensively in the first game, ending with a .395 (20-5-38) hitting percentage, including six kills by May. However, Southern Illinois was able to maintain contact with UNI much of the game, trailing by just one as late as 19-18. Brazda then took over, posting four kills during a 6-1 stretch that extended the Panthers' lead to 25-19, and UNI was able to trade points the rest of the way for the 30-24 game one win.
Game two was again close until the midway point. With UNI holding a 16-15 advantage, SIU went on a 7-0 run, getting four points on Panthers' hitting errors, to build a 22-16 lead. UNI fought back, going on a run of its own to eventually tie the score at 25-all. The teams battled back and forth down the stretch, with SIU eventually serving for game point at 29-28. A Brazda kill evened the score, and after the Salukis fought off a game point of their own at 30-29, Laura Rowen (Hansell, Iowa) and May put down back-to-back kills to give the Panthers a 32-30 win.
The Panthers used an 8-2 run in game three to turn a 16-14 advantage into a 24-16 lead. UNI had two blocks and Southern Illinois committed five hitting errors during that stretch. After the Salukis crept back within 26-22, May had two kills and a block assist to help UNI rattle off the final four points of the match.
With the win, UNI improves to 9-4 overall, 3-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Southern Illinois falls to 3-7, 1-1 in MVC play. The Panthers are home again tomorrow night (Sept. 24) when they face Evansville. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.
