University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Purdue
Panthers Top Purdue, 3-2
8/28/2010 8:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 28, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The University of Northern Iowa women's volleyball team finished the weekend with a perfect 3-0 record, topping host Purdue in five sets in the final game of the Mortar Board Premier Tournament. Set scores were 18-25, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 19-17.
UNI's Bre Payton was named tournament Most Valuable Player while Ellie Blankenship and Michelle Burow were also named to the all-tournament team.
Payton registered her first triple-double of the season, knocking down 14 kills, dishing out 41 assists and snagging 12 digs. Amy Braun and Krista DeGeest led the Panther offensive attack with 15 and 12 kills, respectively. Defensively, four Panthers registered double-digit digs with Blankenship leading the way with 21 followed by Chelsea Saunders with 15, Braun with 14 and Payton with 12.
Purdue jumped to an early lead in the first set and the Panthers were unable to recover as the Boilermakers won set one 25-18. Payton led the Panther offense in the first set, knocking down four kills and dishing out five assists.
The offense started clicking for the Panthers in set two, as the Purple and Gold knocked down 17 kills to just four attack errors. Burow led the offensive attack, notching four kills. The Panthers jumped out to an early 5-1 lead before Purdue came back to tie the set at 5-5. Neither team managed to build more than a one point lead until DeGeest started a Panther run with a kill followed by a block from DeGeest and Megan Lehman. The Panthers sealed the set with a 25-21 win with kills from Braun and Burow.
The Panthers found themselves down early in set three, trailing 6-2 before Braun and Payton both knocked down kills to pull the Panthers within 6-4. The Panthers then tied the set at 9-9 after a block from DeGeest and a Boilermaker attack error. Neither team managed to gain a significant lead until Purdue managed to get four consecutive kills and eventually take the set, 25-22.
The Panthers jumped out to an early lead in set four, going up 5-2 after a kill from DeGeest and Shelby Kintzel as well as a service ace from Blankenship. The Panthers led by as many as four before Purdue came back to take the lead 10-9. Purdue held a 21-18 lead before the Panthers came charging back to tie it at 23 all. A kill from Burow followed by a block by Braun gave the Panthers the 25-23 set win and push the series into the fifth game.
UNI jumped to an early lead again in the fifth set, off three consecutive Boilermaker attack errors. The Panthers extended their lead to as many as five before Purdue knotted the score at 13 all. After trading service errors and knotting the score at 17 Burow and Payton both knocked down kills to give the Panthers a 19-17 win.
The Panthers finished the tournament with a perfect 3-0 record. UNI returns to action next weekend, heading to the Diet Coke Classic hosted by Minnesota. The Panthers will take on Dayton, Minnesota and Baylor at the tournament.
