UNI volleyball tops UIC, 3-1, Friday

Friday, October 14

Cedar Falls, Iowa

6 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

15-6,8-0MVC

UIC

13-7,5-3MVC

UIC

UNI

UNI volleyball tops UIC, 3-1, Friday

10/14/2022 9:01:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Match 21 Stats vs. UIC Photo Gallery

Veteran Panthers carry come-from-behind effort

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Following a first-set loss to the UIC Flames, the UNI Panther volleyball team bounced back and notched a 3-1 victory (15-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-19) Friday in a Missouri Valley Conference matchup played before 2,058 fans at the McLeod Center. Emily Holterhaus, Inga Rotto, and Carly Spies were the featured performers that helped lift UNI's records to 15-6 overall and 8-0 versus MVC foes.

The Panthers hit .264 as a team and held the Flames (13-7 overall, 5-3 MVC) to a .226 hitting percentage. UNI posted an eight-to-six block advantage, and UIC finished ahead in aces (six to three) and digs (60 to 59).

Holterhaus was the most productive Panther attacker with 14 kills. Rotto recorded her fifth consecutive double-figure outing by tallying 12 terminations and hitting .500 for the evening. Spies was a match leader in both blocks (five) and aces (two) while collecting eight kills on .368 efficiency. Tayler Alden's double-double included 36 assists and a season-best 15 digs to share the team high in that category with Sydney Petersen.

A 3-3 tie in the first frame gave way when UIC strung together four points in a row. UNI sliced its deficit to 13-11 and 14-12 featuring a 4-of-4 offensive start from Spies. However, the Flames would not relinquish their lead and posted a 25-15 triumph for the quick 1-0 match advantage.

During the second set, back-to-back Kaylissa Arndorfer kills sparked an early comeback which turned a 3-0 difference into a 4-3 UNI edge. The Panthers later built a 14-9 lead, but the Flames were able to climb back. UNI grabbed the lead for good on a 3-0 tiebreaking run out of 16-all that featured two combined blocks from Rotto and Kira Fallert. A termination by Holterhaus officially ended the 25-20 win that evened the tilt, 1-1. The Panthers have won all eight of their second stanzas against MVC competition in 2022.

UIC trailed quickly within the third frame but just as swiftly surged in front to an 11-7 margin. UNI stayed in striking distance and finally leveled the set at 20-20 on Payton Ahrenstorff's service ace. The score moved to 21-all before terminations for Fallert and Holterhaus pushed the Panthers ahead. Holterhaus provided another set-point kill and gave UNI its 25-23 victory and a 2-1 advantage over UIC.

The Flames were up, 11-8, during the fourth when Spies launched a personal 4-0 outburst with one kill and three tandem blocks. Both sides went back-and-forth from there with UIC eventually gaining a 19-18 lead. Back-to-back Holterhaus terminations opened a seven-point, match-ending swing with consecutive kills by Alden capping the streak and the four-set triumph on a 25-19 win. UNI improved to 10-3 in fourth sets with those 10 victories coming in succession.

In the finale of this five-match homestand, UNI will square off against Valparaiso at 7 p.m. Saturday in the McLeod Center. Fans that are unable to attend Saturday's contest between the Panthers and the Beacons can stream the action on UNIpanthers.com.