UNI volleyball denies Drake in 3-1 victory

Tuesday, October 11

Cedar Falls, Iowa

6 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

14-6,7-0MVC

Drake

14-6,5-2MVC

Drake

UNI

UNI volleyball denies Drake in 3-1 victory

10/11/2022 8:48:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Match 20 Stats vs. Drake Photo Gallery

Panthers extend win streak, increase first-place lead

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Missouri Valley Conference-leading UNI Panther volleyball team secured a season-best seven-match win streak and continued an unblemished start to its conference slate Tuesday evening with a 3-1 triumph (25-18, 29-27, 18-25, 25-18) against the Drake Bulldogs in the McLeod Center.

By defeating its in-state and in-conference rival, the Panthers (14-6 overall, 7-0 MVC) now hold a two-contest advantage over the Bulldogs (14-6 overall, 5-2 MVC) and the rest of the field atop the league standings. UNI bested Drake in hitting (.331 to .235), blocks (nine to four), and aces (seven to five). The Bulldogs led in digs by a slim 55-to-54 margin.

Emily Holterhaus notched a match-high-tying 16 kills on a season-best .441 attack percentage. Kira Fallert added 15 kills and 11 digs in a double-double. Inga Rotto led all blockers with four rejections and hit .643 with 10 terminations. Tayler Alden had 48 assists while going 8-of-13 offensively and collecting six digs. Sydney Petersen led UNI with 16 digs. Baylee Petersen and Carly Spies each recorded two service aces.

UNI turned a 1-0 first-set deficit into a 4-1 lead featuring one kill and one ace from Spies. Drake climbed within 8-7 before the Panthers scored nine points in a row to pull away. A double-digit UNI edge was trimmed late when the Bulldogs fought off four consecutive set points, but a Holterhaus kill finally closed a 25-18 win.

The Panthers and the Bulldogs battled through seven early ties in the second frame. From an 8-8 score, Drake surged ahead via a 5-1 spurt and pushed the lead as high as 22-17. UNI bounced back with a 7-0 outburst but again was repelled on the first several tries to end the set. After a Baylee Petersen free ball turned into a go-ahead kill, Kaylissa Arndorfer combined with Rotto for a block on the sixth Panther set-point opportunity to claim a 29-27 victory.

A 6-0 starting stretch lifted Drake to a quick third-set advantage. UNI cut its deficit to three points on multiple occasions and could not complete its comeback attempt as the Bulldogs earned a 25-18 wire-to-wire triumph.

In the fourth, UNI broke a back-and-forth start with two kills and another big block assist from Rotto keying a 5-1 run to build an 11-9 Panther lead. Drake was unable to slow down UNI's offense which posted 18 kills and an errorless .581 attack percentage in the stanza. Alden opened a 3-0 closing swing with a kill and ended the match by serving up an ace that capped a 25-18 win and a four-set decision.

Coming up, UNI hosts the UIC Flames at 6 p.m. Friday at the McLeod Center for the penultimate tilt of this five-match homestand with coverage available on ESPN3 and News/Talk 1540 KXEL. Saturday's homestand finale between the Panthers and the Valparaiso Beacons is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., and the lone play-by-play broadcast will air on UNIpanthers.com.