University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Drake
UNI Defeats Drake, 3-1
11/20/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 20, 2008
Des Moines, Iowa - Seniors Ashten Stelken and Amy Sampson combined for 25 kills to lead the University of Northern Iowa volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Drake tonight at the Knapp Center. Set scores were 25-21, 25-18, 20-25 and 25-22.
Stelken had 15 kills and Sampson 11, while Shannon Aschoff added nine, and Bre Payton and Michelle Burow each had eight in the Panthers balanced offensive attack. UNI had 56 kills as a team, its most since having 59 kills against Illinois State Oct. 25. Libero Ellie Blankenship led the defensive effort with 19 digs.
UNI broke a 4-4 tie in the first set with three straight points, and would not relinquish the lead. In front 11-9, the Panthers scored six of the next eight points, including three on kills from Stelken, to extend their advantage to 17-11. Drake rallied, and got as close as 21-20, but Sampson had a pair of kills down the stretch as UNI posted the 25-21 victory.
The second set was even at 15-all, but UNI took the lead for good with kills from Burow, Payton and Sampson. That keyed a 10-3 run to end the set, as the Panthers late push gave them the 25-18 victory.
Drake got on the board in the third set with a 25-20 victory. Leading 14-12, Drake scored five straight, getting three kills from Angela Bys, to move in front 19-12. UNI made a late run to get within four, but Drake was able to hold on and earn the third-set victory.
Drake came out and built a 10-7 lead to start set number four, but UNI scored four of the next five to pull even at 11. After Drake re-took the lead, 12-11, the Panthers got a kill from Stelken, and were helped by four straight Bulldog attack errors, to go in front 16-12. Drake rallied with four straight to tie the set at 16, before the Panthers got kills from Payton and Burow and a service ace from Stelken to move ahead, 19-16. Drake was able to get back within one as late as 23-22, but Stelken finished the match off with back-to-back kills to give UNI the 25-22 set win and 3-1 match victory.
The win improves UNI to 23-6 overall, 13-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Drake falls to 11-20, 4-13 in The Valley. The Panthers travel to face Creighton (16-8, 14-3 MVC) in Omaha, Neb., tomorrow night in their regular-season finale. The winner of that match will earn the #2 seed in next week's State Farm MVC Tournament, and the first-round bye that goes with it. The loser will be the third seed and play a first-round match against the tournament's #6 seed.
