UNI volleyball handles Bradley in straight sets

Saturday, November 5

Peoria, Ill.

5 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

22-6, 15-0MVC

Bradley

9-18, 5-10MVC

Northern Iowa

Bradley

UNI volleyball handles Bradley in straight sets

11/5/2022 7:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Match 28 Stats at Bradley

Tayler Alden leads Panthers which near completion of championship chase

PEORIA, Ill. – Another sweep put the UNI Panther volleyball team another step closer to its goal of winning the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference regular season title as UNI prevailed over the Bradley Braves, 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-18), Saturday at Renaissance Coliseum. The Panthers (22-6 overall, 15-0 MVC) are one more win away from getting at least a share of the championship, and their magic number for an outright crown is down to two.

UNI, which has won 12 consecutive sets and picked up three sweeps in a row, hit .364 for the match and held Bradley (9-18 overall, 5-10 MVC) to a .211 attack percentage. The Panthers also had a 55-to-40 digs advantage and a seven-to-three blocking margin. Both teams collected two service aces.

Tayler Alden earned her first 1,000-assist season and moved into UNI's Top 10 for career assists after finishing with a match-high 36 assists. She also collected seven kills, five digs, and two blocks. Kira Fallert paced the Panthers offensively by posting 14 kills on .355 hitting, and she surpassed 500 career digs within the tilt. Sydney Petersen topped all performers with 16 digs and also notched her first kill since August 2018. Carly Spies produced a contest-best four blocks.

The Panthers and the Braves tied at every chance possible from 1-1 through 12-12 in an opening set that had 17 total deadlocks and eight lead changes. A final tie at 22-22 was broken via kills by Alden and Emily Holterhaus. After Bradley denied UNI's first set-point try, Alden transitioned from a dig into an attack with Petersen assisting on a set-ending termination that completed a 25-23 Panther triumph.

Following a close start in the second stanza, UNI surged to a 12-6 edge on a five-point run including three total blocks between efforts from Spies, Fallert, and Olivia Tjernagel. Bradley climbed within three points multiple times but could not finish its comeback, and a tandem rejection courtesy of Alden and Spies finalized the 25-20 victory.

Eight ties highlighted the first half of the third frame as the score moved to 13-13. The Panthers broke through on a 4-0 spurt with kills by Fallert and Inga Rotto, an ace for Spies, and a termination from Tjernagel. The streak opened a 7-1 swing which pushed UNI ahead for the remainder of the evening. Holterhaus provided the kill that ended the 25-18 win during the latest Panther sweep.

This coming week, the Panthers have a chance to clinch an outright regular season championship at home in the McLeod Center. UNI hosts Southern Illinois at 6 p.m. CST Friday, and all military and veterans can show their ID at the ticket office for a free ticket to the contest (valid in person only). There will also be live broadcasts at UNIpanthers.com and ESPN3. The Panthers play their home finale at 5 p.m. CST Saturday against Missouri State featuring UNI's annual Senior Night festivities. Fans that are unable to attend can tune in to the tilt on News/Talk 1540 KXEL and ESPN3.