University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
*Southern Illinois
Panthers Sweep Southern Illinois
10/27/2006 8:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 27, 2006
Carbondale, Ill. - Three players had double figure kills as the University of Northern Iowa volleyball team posted a 3-0 win at Southern Illinois Friday night. Game scores were 30-13, 30-25 and 30-21.
Laura Rowen (Hansell, Iowa) and Trista Humpal (New Hampton, Iowa) led the way with 11 kills each for the Panthers, while Danielle Brazda (Omaha, Neb.) added 10. Rowen had her ninth double-double of the season, adding 15 digs, while setter Kristin Belzung (Ankeny, Iowa) had 46 assists.
UNI hit .336 as a team (54-14-119), its second-best hitting percentage of the season, while holding SIU to .100 hitting (35-21-140). The Panthers also had an impressive 71 digs in the three games, with Stephanie May (Dubuque, Iowa) leading the way with 17.
The Panthers hit an impressive .438 (14-0-32) in the first game. Leading 7-6, UNI scored 14 of the next 17 points to take control, and eventually win 30-13. Shannon Aschoff (Ankeny, Iowa) had five kills in the opening game.
In game two, UNI held a 19-18 lead before a kill by Brazda and a service ace from Belzung forced a Salukis' timeout. SIU would pull as close as 27-25, but Rowen, Amy Sampson (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and Humpal had consecutive kills to give the Panthers the 30-25 win.
Southern Illinois held an early 7-4 edge in the third game, but UNI then went on a 9-2 run to pull ahead, 13-9. The Salukis scored the next point, but that was as close as they would get, as UNI followed with a 9-3 run to pull away, eventually claiming a 30-21 victory.
The win, UNI's 29th straight over Southern Illinois, improves the Panthers to 18-7 overall, 10-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Salukis fall to 10-12, 5-7. UNI travels to face Evansville Saturday night (Oct. 28), with first serve at 7:00 p.m.
