Panther volleyball hosts Drake for Tuesday tilt

UNI volleyball vs. Drake | White Out

6 p.m. CT | Oct. 11
Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
1540 KXEL – Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play)
ESPN+
Live Stats

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – In-state rivals clash Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. as the first-place UNI Panther volleyball team hosts the second-place Drake Bulldogs in the McLeod Center. The winner is guaranteed at least a share of the top spot within Missouri Valley Conference competition. Tuesday's meeting also represents the middle match of a five-contest Panther homestand.

UNI protected its unblemished MVC record with wins earlier in this homestand against Bradley and Illinois State. The Panthers registered 15 total blocks over three sets during a Friday sweep of the Braves. The Redbirds led Saturday's tilt by scores of one set to none and 18-10 during the second frame, but the Panthers rallied for a 3-1 win. Kira Fallert had a season-high 20 kills in the come-from-behind triumph, and Inga Rotto became UNI's all-time leader in sets played.

DRAKE BULLDOGS
• Drake trails UNI, 86-15-2, in the all-time series. The Bulldogs are the only opponent that UNI has faced at least once in all 48 years of program history.
• Last October's meeting in Des Moines saw the Bulldogs get one point away from a sweep before the Panthers rallied for a 3-2 comeback victory.
• Drake was ninth in the MVC preseason poll but is currently 5-1 in conference action with a lone loss at Valparaiso in September.
• Haley Bush, 2020 MVC Player of the Year and NCAA Honorable Mention All-America honoree, was a 2022 Preseason All-MVC pick and averages 3.90 kills per set. Thea Rotto, younger sister of UNI's Inga Rotto, is also on the Bulldog roster.
• This past season, Drake finished in ninth place with a 6-12 MVC record and sat one match behind UNI in the standings.

PANTHER NOTES
• This is the 14th time in the last 25 seasons that UNI won its first six Missouri Valley Conference matches. The Panthers earned a top-two finish in 12 of the previous 13 years in this group with nine regular season titles.
• Inga Rotto has not missed a single match during her UNI career. She has played in 141 consecutive contests since 2018 and now owns the Panther career records for matches played (141) and sets played (516). Meanwhile, Emily Holterhaus has a playing streak of 107 tilts in a row since becoming a Panther in 2019.
• Tayler Alden is tied with Shannon Perry and Mary Bernhardt for third in career triple-doubles. Alden's next triple-double will move her into a second-place tie with Kara Galer (six).
• Olivia Tjernagel owns an active-team-high 20-match blocking streak. This stretch, which is the longest of her career, started Nov. 12, 2021 at Indiana State.
• Kira Fallert tallied her second 20-kill outing as a Panther with her team-season-high-tying 20 terminations against Illinois State. Fallert's career high is 25 kills Nov. 13, 2021 at Evansville.
• Payton Ahrenstorff matched her personal best in serving by posting three aces Saturday. It was the fourth three-ace effort of her career and her first on 1.000 serving (16 serves).
• Grace Mikota made her McLeod Center debut against Illinois State. In a spot role off the bench, Mikota served during UNI's critical 5-0 tiebreaking run early in the third set and had a team-high eight digs for the frame.
• Competing in her final collegiate season, Baylee Petersen is 42 digs shy of earning 1,000 total digs in her career.
• Head coach Bobbi Petersen is 5-for-12 in video challenges this season. In comparison, 2022 Panther opponents are a combined 5-of-18 in replay reviews versus UNI.

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