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University of Northern Iowa
Missouri State
Panthers Top Missouri State, 3-1
10/17/2009 8:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 17, 2009
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa volleyball team came out ahead in the battle of the Missouri Valley Conference unbeatens, claiming a 3-1 win over Missouri State Saturday night in the McLeod Center. The Panthers won by scores of 25-22, 25-19, 17-25 and 25-20 to win their 16th straight match.
The win gives UNI sole possession of first place in the MVC standings, and the 9-0 start to league play is the best for the Panthers since they won their first nine league games in 2001.
UNI (18-2, 9-0 MVC) had five players finish with double-digit kills, led by Amy Braun's career-high 16 kills. Shannon Aschoff finished with 13. Michelle Burow finished with 11 kills and five blocks. Ellie Blankenship finished with 16 digs, and Braun collected 14. Krista DeGeest also finished with five blocks for UNI.
Missouri State (15-5, 8-1 MVC) was led by Sara Staubach's 18 kills. Cara Hackmann led the Bears with 23 digs, and Melissa Gmur finished with 26 assists.
UNI outhit the Bears, .309 to .273. The Panthers also held the edge in blocks, 10.0 to 8.0.
The first set featured 13 ties, including 22-22. The Panthers scored the final three points of the set to take the 25-22 victory. Braun notched seven of her kills in the first frame.
In the second set, UNI used a 7-0 run to turn a 12-12 tie into a 19-12 Panther advantage. MSU trimmed the lead to three, 22-19, but the Panthers scored three straight points to take the set, 25-19.
Missouri State used a 6-0 run early in the third set to take a 9-2 lead. UNI was never able to narrow the gap to less than five from that point as MSU would take the set, 25-17.
Leading 11-10 in the fourth set, the Panthers scored six straight points to stretch their lead to 17-10. The Panthers held at least a three-point lead on the way to the 25-20 set win.
UNI returns to action on Friday when it plays at Evansville.
