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University of Northern Iowa
Kentucky
Kentucky Edges UNI
8/25/2007 8:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 25, 2007
Cedar Falls, Iowa - Kentucky outlasted the University of Northern Iowa volleyball team tonight, 3-2, in the final match of the 2007 UNI Invitational. Game scores were 26-30, 30-23, 30-24, 29-31 and 17-15 in favor of the Wildcats.
Five UNI players reached double-figures in kills, led by Shannon Aschoff (Ankeny, Iowa) with 17. Ashten Stelken (Manchester, Iowa) and Laura Rowen (Hansell, Iowa) each had 14, while Danielle Brazda (Omaha, Neb.) added 13 and Amy Sampson (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) recorded 10. Brazda led the team with nine blocks, and freshman libero Ellie Blankenship (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) recorded a career-high 32 digs. Kentucky was led by Nicole Britenriker who had 17 kills, while Queen Nzenwa had 10 kills and 12 blocks.
UNI held an 11-8 lead in the fifth game, but Kentucky scored three straight points to pull even. The Panthers got kills from Aschoff and Rowen to go back up 13-11, and the teams then traded points, putting UNI on the edge of winning at 14-12. However, a UNI service error followed by a UK kill evened the score at 14-all. After a UNI hitting error put Kentucky up 15-14, Aschoff recorded a kill to pull UNI back even at 15-all. But UNI then had two straight hitting errors, and Kentucky escaped with the 17-15 game five win, in a match that took 2:32 to complete.
The Panthers held a 15-11 lead midway through the first game, before Kentucky went on an 8-2 run to go up 19-17. UNI scored two straight to pull even, and the score was tight the rest of the way, with neither team holding more than a one point edge until late. Trailing 26-25, the Panthers then scored the final five points of the game - two on kills from Stelken, and two on blocks - to take the opener, 30-26. UNI had six of its 16 team blocks in the first game alone.
Kentucky pulled away late in game two. UK led, 18-17, before reeling off three unanswered points and forcing a UNI timeout. The Panthers were as close as three, 24-21, after a Kristin Belzung (Ankeny, Iowa) service ace, but four straight Kentucky points extended its advantage to 28-21, and it eventually posted a 30-23 win.
Another late Wildcats run in game three gave UK a 2-1 lead. With the score tied at 19-all in the third game, Kentucky rattled off eight straight points - five of them on UNI hitting errors - to take a 27-19 lead. Trailing 29-20, UNI scored four straight points and forced Kentucky to take a timeout, but UK recorded a kill to win the game, 30-24.
UNI held the lead throughout much of game four, and was up 26-21 after a Belzung kill. After Stelken put the ball away to put the Panthers up 27-23, Kentucky fought back, scoring four in a row to pull even at 27-all. The teams then traded points until UNI was able to put the game away. An Aschoff kill put the Panthers ahead 30-29, and Rowen sealed the deal with a cross-court kill to give UNI the 31-29 win in game four.
Despite the loss, UNI claimed the tournament championship. The Panthers, Kentucky and Western Michigan each finished with 2-1 records, with the tiebreaker being game winning percentage in the tournament. UNI was 8-3 in games, Western Michigan was 6-3, and Kentucky was 6-5. UNI's heads to the Molten Classic next weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 1) in Provo, Utah, where it will face American, Wisconsin and host Brigham Young.
UNI Invitational All-Tournament Team Lindsey Frank, Wright State Nicole Britenriker, Kentucky Caitlin Strimel, Western Michigan Ashley Vogl, Western Michigan Shannon Aschoff, UNI Danielle Brazda, UNI Kristin Belzung, UNI (MVP)
