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University of Northern Iowa
Creighton
Panthers Improve to 11-1 After Defeating Creighton
9/20/2008 8:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 20, 2008
Cedar Falls, Iowa - Amy Sampson had a season-high 19 kills to power the University of Northern Iowa volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Creighton Saturday night at the McLeod Center. Set scores in favor of the Panthers were 27-25, 25-20, 13-25 and 26-24.
Sampson's kill total was just one shy of her career high, and she hit a team-best .318 (19-5-44) on the evening. She was joined in double-figure kills by Shannon Aschoff with 12, while Ashten Stelken had eight kills, six digs and six blocks. Jessica Houts led Creighton with 17 kills, while Bluejays libero Bianca Rivera had 27 digs.
Creighton broke a 5-5 tie in the first set with three straight points. The Bluejays maintained their three-point lead at 11-8, when Sampson had two kills during a 4-0 run that saw the Panthers pull in front 12-11. Creighton moved ahead 18-16, but UNI went on another 4-0 run - punctuated by a service ace from Ellie Blankenship - to move in front 20-18. After Creighton pulled even at 20, UNI scored three straight to make the score 23-20, but CU responded with three straight of its own to knot the score at 23.
UNI had set point at 24-23, but CU responded with a kill. The Bluejays had their own set point at 25-24, but a Sampson kill pulled the Panthers even. Sampson and Michelle Burow then teamed up on a block to put UNI in front, 26-25, and Sampson's seventh kill of the set gave the Panthers a hard-fought 27-25 win.
Neither team led the second set by more than two points until UNI made a push midway through. With the score tied at 14, Sampson had two kills and Stelken a service ace during a 4-0 run that gave the Panthers an 18-14 lead. That was all the breathing room UNI would need, as Creighton got within 20-18, but UNI answered with another 4-0 run, eventually winning the second set 25-20.
Creighton controlled the third set throughout, opening a 7-1 lead at the start and never looking back. The Panthers didn't get closer than five points the rest of the way, as the Bluejays cruised to a 25-13 win. CU hit .531 (18-1-32) in the third set, while UNI hit .163 (11-4-43).
It was UNI that started quickly in set four. Sampson, Aschoff and Beth Discher each had multiple kills early, as UNI built leads of 5-1, 10-4 and 15-7. With UNI in front 17-11, Creighton came storming back, tallying seven straight points to take an 18-17 lead. After a UNI timeout, the Panthers regrouped and scored four straight of their own, including a kill and block from Stelken, to move in front 21-18. UNI scored four of the next five points to move to match point at 24-19, but Creighton would not go away. The Bluejays fought off five straight match points, pulling even at 24-all, before Sampson gave UNI the lead again with a kill. Aschoff then gave UNI the victory with a cross-court put away, and the Panthers claimed the fourth set win, 26-24, and the match, 3-1.
With the win, UNI improves to 11-1 overall, 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Creighton falls to 4-5 and 1-1 in the Valley. The Panthers play host to South Dakota State on Tuesday night (Sept. 23) at the McLeod Center in a non-conference match, with first serve set for 7 pm.
