Panther volleyball notches 3-0 win over Bradley

Friday, October 7

Cedar Falls, Iowa

6 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

Bradley

Panther volleyball notches 3-0 win over Bradley

10/7/2022 8:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Match 18 Stats vs Bradley

UNI remains perfect in Missouri Valley Conference action

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – In its first Missouri Valley Conference home match of the season, the UNI Panther volleyball team swept the Bradley Braves, 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-17), Friday in the McLeod Center and climbed to 12-6 overall and 5-0 in league play. UNI's 15 blocks against Bradley (5-13 overall, 1-5 MVC) represent the best total in a Panther sweep since a 15-rejection effort Nov. 25, 2011 versus Illinois State in the MVC Semifinals.

Friday's 15-to-3 block advantage highlighted the Panther victory. UNI hit .210 as a team and held Bradley to an .036 attack percentage. The Panthers served four aces and allowed none while the Braves led in digs by a 44-to-38 margin.

Carly Spies and Olivia Tjernagel each tallied a match-high seven blocks. Inga Rotto, who tied Kendyl Sorge's career sets record at 512 total frames, topped all attackers with 11 kills on a .348 clip. Sydney Petersen had a contest-leading two aces and shared the team high in digs with Kira Fallert at 14 digs apiece. Tayler Alden recorded a team-best 24 assists.

After trading several early ties with Bradley in the first set, UNI jumped in front, 11-7, on a 7-2 outburst which featured multiple kills by Spies and Emily Holterhaus. The Braves regularly got back within two points but could not complete their comeback. A strong, late stretch from Fallert including four terminations and a solo block helped UNI claim a 25-18 win.

The Panthers and the Braves were locked up in 10 different ties during a competitive second frame. UNI broke from a 17-17 score with the combined offense and defense of Rotto and Tjernagel providing a 20-17 edge. The Panthers led the rest of the way and earned a 2-0 match advantage with a 25-22 triumph.

Bradley held an 8-7 lead in the third stanza before Fallert, Tjernagel, and Spies teamed up for three total blocks in a 4-0 go-ahead run. UNI added two more four-point streaks later on including a 4-0 finishing flurry as a service ace for Spies capped the 25-17 victory and the Panther sweep.

Up next, the Panthers continue their five-match homestand Saturday evening at 7 p.m. when UNI will host the Illinois State Redbirds. Exclusive broadcast coverage will come on Saturday's audio stream from the McLeod Center on UNIpanthers.com.