University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Illinois State
No. 11 Panthers Top Illinois State, 3-1
10/21/2011 1:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Amy Braun tallied a career-high 18 kills to help the No. 11 University of Northern Iowa volleyball team top Illinois State 3-1 Friday night in the McLeod Center in Missouri Valley Conference action. UNI (21-1, 10-0 MVC) won the match by scores of 25-20, 25-19, 22-25 and 25-21.
Krista DeGeest and Megan Lehman also notched double-digit kills, finishing with 13 and 11, respectively. Candice Burke led the Panthers with 21 digs, and Braun collected 15. Bre Payton finished with 50 assists, 10 digs and eight kills.
Illinois State (14-9, 6-5 MVC) was led by 14 kills from Shannon McGlaughlin and 12 from LeighAnn Hranka.
DeGeest hit .625 for six kills in the first set, and Braun added five to help the Panthers claim a 25-20 win. UNI hit .444 as a team in the frame.
Braun racked up seven kills in the second set, and the Panthers hit .417 to take a 25-19 win.
The Panthers led 14-10 in the third set, but ISU used a 6-2 run to tie the set at 16-16. The teams were tied at 17, and then UNI scored back-to-back points to build a 19-17 advantage. ISU rallied for four straight points, taking a 21-19 lead. A kill from DeGeest and an ISU attack error tied the set for the sixth time, 21-21. ISU scored the next three points, bringing up set point at 24-21. A kill from Braun kept the set alive, but McGlaughlin came up with a kill to give the set to Illinois State, 25-22.
The Redbirds matched their largest lead of the fourth set when they took a 15-10 lead on a kill by Kristin Stauter. UNI put together a 10-2 run to turn its five-point deficit into a 20-17 lead. ISU trimmed the Panther lead to a pair, 21-19, but kills from Payton and Braun gave UNI a four-point edge, 23-19. The teams traded points to bring up match point, 24-20. McGlaughlin got a kill to extend the match, but Braun put down her 18th kill to end the set, 25-21, and the match, 3-1. Megan Lehman tallied five kills in the set for the Panthers.
The Panthers hit .297 in the match, compared to a .208 attack percentage for ISU. Both teams finished with 6.0 blocks.
UNI returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Indiana State at 7 p.m. Fans can gain free admission with a ticket to UNI's Saturday afternoon football game.
