Panther volleyball comeback comes up short

Saturday, October 23

Peoria, IL

5 pm

University of Northern Iowa

8-15, 3-7MVC

Bradley University

11-11, 7-4MVC

UNI

Bradley

Panther volleyball comeback comes up short

10/23/2021 8:40:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

PEORIA, Ill. – Despite having four attackers post double-digit kills including a breakout performance from Olivia Tjernagel, the UNI Panther volleyball team lost, 3-2, Saturday to the Bradley Braves at Renaissance Coliseum. Official set scores were 25-18, 25-16, 9-25, 19-25, and 15-13 favoring Bradley.

UNI finished ahead of Bradley with eight service aces produced compared to six service aces allowed along with a nine-to-seven blocking advantage. Plus, the Panthers had 67 total digs and 60 kills on a .185 clip.

Emily Holterhaus led all hitters with a season-best 20 kills. Olivia Tjernagel earned her first-ever outing in double figures with 12 terminations. Carly Spies added 10 kills with a career-high-tying seven digs and a match-high six blocks. Kira Fallert also collected 10 kills. Tayler Alden registered a match-high 38 assists and three aces. Payton Ahrenstorff tied for the match lead with a personal-best 22 digs.

Set 1: UNI jumped out to a pair of five-point leads with Kaylissa Arndorfer's kill securing a 10-5 lead and Kira Fallert's termination providing an 11-6 edge. Bradley made the first big comeback of the night by surging in front and going off on a 9-2 closing run to pick up a 25-18 victory.

Set 2: The Panthers broke a 3-3 tie with a 3-0 spurt that ended with a score from Emily Holterhaus. However, the Braves answered with 11 consecutive points to grab the advantage. UNI's rally was cut off by Bradley which grabbed a 25-16 win.

Set 3: Facing an early 7-5 deficit, UNI went on an 8-1 run featuring a go-ahead ace from Kira Fallert. The Panthers later held a 13-9 lead before running the table on the Braves to finish what was officially a 25-9 triumph although a scorekeeping error extended the frame for what was in reality a 13-0 outburst.

Set 4: A combined block by Tayler Alden and Inga Rotto helped the Panthers get a 4-3 lead that UNI would build on for the rest of the frame. A seven-kill performance during the stanza for Emily Holterhaus ended with a set-point termination for a 25-19 victory that squared the match at 2-2.

Set 5: UNI led for much of a back-and-forth start to the decisive set. An Emily Holterhaus kill pushed the advantage to 10-8 prior to five Bradley points in a row. The Braves had three match points in hand before UNI fought back but ultimately just missed a chance to extend the match in Bradley's 15-13 win.

UP NEXT:
The Panthers will make the short trip to Des Moines, Iowa next week for a matchup with the Drake Bulldogs in the Knapp Center. This contest is expected to start at 7 pm Friday.