University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Saint Louis
UNI Tops SLU 3-0, Falls To No. 6 Minnesota 3-2
9/10/2011 1:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The No. 15University of Northern Iowa volleyball team swept Saint Louis, 3-0, but fell 3-2 to No. 6 Minnesota Saturday in the McLeod Center to finish second in the Clarion Inn-vitational. UNI, Kansas and Minnesota each finished 2-1 in the round-robin tournament, and the third tie-breaker of point differential had to be used to declare Minnesota the champion.
Bre Payton and Megan Lehman each earned places on the all-tournament team.
In the first match of the day, UNI (9-1) topped Saint Louis 25-21, 25-11 and 25-19. Lehman led UNI with a career-high 14 kills in the match. Payton finished with seven kills, 32 assists and 12 digs.
UNI built an early 6-1 lead in the first set, and a 4-0 run stretched an 8-4 lead into an 11-4 advantage. The Panther lead alternated between six and seven points until a 6-0 SLU (3-4) run cut the UNI lead to 17-16. The Billikens tied the set at 18-18, but the Panthers outscored them 7-3 the rest of the way to take the 25-21 win.
UNI led 5-4 in the second set before a 3-0 run gave the Panthers an 8-4 edge. Andrea Beaty notched a kill to cut the Billiken deficit to 8-5, but UNI scored the next 10 points, nine of them coming on kills, to take an 18-5 lead. The Panthers maintained at least a 12-point lead on the way to the 25-11 victory. UNI held a .515 attack percentage in the set, while holding SLU to a .069 attack percentage.
UNI scored the first seven points of the third set and never looked back, leading by at least three the rest of the way to the 25-19 win.
The Panthers lost for the first time this season by falling to Minnesota (5-2) in five sets, 25-22, 12-25, 14-25, 25-16 and 15-10.
Lehman led UNI with 10 kills, and Shelby Kintzel added eight. Payton finished with 30 assists, and Candice Burke recorded 20 digs.
UNI used a 6-1 run in the first set to turn a 6-6 tie into a 12-7 Panther lead. Minnesota scored three straight to pull within two, 12-10, and the Panther lead stayed between two and three points until a 3-0 Minnesota run tied the set at 19-19.
The teams were knotted again at 20 and 21, and then Kintzel put down a kill to give UNI a 22-21 edge. The Panthers took advantage of a Minnesota error to build a two-point cushion, and another kill from Kintzel brought up set point, 24-21.
Minnesota held off the Panthers for a point, but a kill from Kintzel off a set from Payton ended the set with UNI in front, 25-21.
Minnesota built a 13-3 lead early in the second set, and the Gophers never let UNI closer than seven points on the way to the 25-12 victory.
The third set was much like the second, with Minnesota taking advantage of a -.063 attack percentage by the Panthers to build a 17-7 lead. The Gophers led by at least eight the rest of the way, finishing the set with a 25-14 win.
The Panthers rebounded in the fourth set, jumping out to an early 9-2 lead. UNI led by at least five until Minnesota scored four straight points to pull within a pair, 13-11. Kills from Amy Braun and Kintzel and a pair of Gopher errors helped UNI extend its lead to 17-12.
Minnesota pulled within three, 18-15, but the Panthers rattled off six straight points to bring up set point, 24-15. Minnesota held off UNI for a point, but a Gopher attack error sealed the set win for the Panthers, 25-16, forcing a fifth set.
UNI fell behind 2-0 in the fifth set, but the Panthers stayed within two points of the Gophers in the early goings. UNI scored back-to-back points to tie the set at 7-7. Minnesota responded with five straight points to take a 12-7 lead.
A block from Kintzel and Michelle Burow pulled UNI within three, 13-10, but Minnesota tallied the set's final two points to record the 15-10 win and claim the match 3-2.
The Panthers return to action when they host in-state foe No. 17 Iowa State on Tuesday.
