Seven Panthers placed on Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Scholar-Athlete Teams

Seven Panthers placed on Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Scholar-Athlete Teams

11/28/2022 10:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

2022 MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams

UNI leads league thanks to record-setting group

ST. LOUIS – Seven members of the UNI Panther volleyball team were selected to the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Teams including Kira Fallert, Inga Rotto, and Carly Spies on the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team and Payton Ahrenstorff, Tayler Alden, Emily Holterhaus, and Baylee Petersen designated for MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention.

29 total individuals from 11 league institutions captured recognition this year for their academic and athletic success. UNI's seven awardees topped the entire conference and broke the program record of six picks from 1995 and 1996. It is also the second-best total in MVC history behind Creighton's eight choices in 1997.

Fallert now sits as a first-time honoree for the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team. She owns a perfect 4.00 grade point average while majoring in biology with a biomedical emphasis. Fallert averaged 3.10 kills per set and 2.59 digs per set against league foes and also recently won the Elite 17 Award at the MVC Volleyball Championship for having the best grade point average of anyone in the title match.

Rotto becomes the first Panther to garner MVC Scholar-Athlete nods in four different years and the second person in MVC history to do so by following former Valparaiso libero Rylee Cookerly. Her grade point average is 3.97 with majors in mathematics and economics featuring an emphasis in quantitative techniques. She had 2.68 kills per set via .404 hitting in conference play and recorded her 1,000th career kill in the MVC final versus Drake.

Spies joins the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team for the first time after her previous distinction of MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention in 2021. She boasts a 3.86 grade point average and double majors in communication disorders and gerontology. Her league-only numbers include 1.09 blocks per set and a .352 attack percentage, and Spies was added to the 2022 MVC Volleyball Championship All-Tournament Team.

Ahrenstorff gets her second consecutive listing for MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention coming off her 2021 accolades. A grade point average of 3.94 has been earned by Ahrenstorff with her major in social work. She had 2.03 digs per set and 16 aces within conference contests and posted a career-high-tying four service winners versus Drake en route to this year's MVC tournament crown.

Alden receives her first plaudit courtesy of her placement as MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention. Her grade point average at 3.82 comes while majoring in accounting. She held a unique statistical profile during league action with 10.50 assists per set and 1.60 kills per set on .353 efficiency and was the only woman that ranked sixth or better in both assists (fifth) and hitting (sixth).

Holterhaus is a three-time selection with 2022 MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention, 2021 MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, and 2020 MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention. The 3.85 grade point average and major in kinesiology also highlight her classroom credits. Her conference-only average of 3.21 kills per set featured a 22-kill outing against Southern Illinois to help clinch the program's 20th regular season championship.

Petersen collects her second naming to MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention to go with her similar acknowledgment in the 2020 season. Her grade point average is 3.82 with a major in biology. She wrapped up UNI's league slate with 135 digs on a 1.99 digs per set average and 12 service aces as part of a Panther defense that held opponents to a conference-best .161 opposing attack percentage.