UNI volleyball falls to USC and Kentucky in Omaha

Friday, September 2

Omaha, Neb.

10:30 a.m.

University of Northern Iowa

1-3,0-0MVC

Southern California

4-0,0-0Pac-12

UNI

Southern California

UNI volleyball falls to USC and Kentucky in Omaha

9/2/2022 1:48:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Match 4 Stats vs. USC Match 5 Stats vs. Kentucky Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

Panthers drop consecutive matches to top-25 ranked opponents to open Bluejay Invitational

OMAHA, Neb. --- UNI volleyball opened up play at the Bluejay Invitational on the Creighton University campus on Friday, dropping its first two matches of the tournament to a pair of top-25 ranked opponents in No. 25 USC in four sets (18-25, 25-22, 21-25, 21-25), and No. 16 Kentucky in straight sets (16-25, 22-25, 14-25).

No. 25 USC | L, 1-3 (18-25, 25-22, 21-25, 21-25)
Emily Holterhaus posted a season-high 20 kills for the Panthers against the Trojans, just one kill shy of her career-high on offense. Kira Fallert tallied 12 kills for UNI as Carly Spies notched a season-best 7 blocks and tied a career-high with 3 service aces. Tayler Alden recorded 37 assists, while Sydney Petersen led the way for the purple and gold with 18 digs.

Set 1 (USC, 25-18): USC jumped out to an early lead, but the Panthers quickly closed the gap down to single digits. The purple and gold pulled within two points of the Trojans at 19-17, but USC limited errors on offense helped the Trojans close out the frame by 7 points. UNI notched 10 kills on a .065 attack percentage, but committed 8 attack errors in the opening stanza. Holterhaus tallied 5 first set kills for UNI, while Sydney Petersen recorded 4 digs.

Set 2 (UNI, 25-22): The Panther defense held firm in the second stanza as it faced a strong attack from USC. In a back-and-forth set, Kaylissa Arndorfer gave UNI a three-point lead at 18-15 late in the frame, but the Trojans would pull within one down the stretch. The Panthers closed the set with an impressive defensive effort with consecutive block assists by Holterhaus, Spies and Arndorfer, handing USC its first set loss of the season. UNI notched 15 second set kills, with just 2 attack errors, while forcing 5 Trojan errors.

Set 3 (USC, 25-21): The Trojans jumped out to a fast lead and didn't let up with 17 team kills in the third frame. UNI rallied late to pull within three points at 22-19 and held off three consecutive set points before falling by four. Kira Fallert tallied 4 kills for the Panthers, who posted a .290 attack percentage in the frame. Defensively, Spies and Arndorfer recorded a pair of block assists each.

Set 4 (USC, 25-21): UNI fell behind by 4 points early, but stormed back to take a 12-11 lead. Despite a .300 attack percentage and 12 team kills from the Panthers, the Trojans rallied to tie the match at 18 points a piece before scoring 7 of the final 10 points. Holterhaus tacked on an additional 6 kills in the final frame, while Spies notched two service aces and two blocks.

No. 16 Kentucky | L, 0-3 (16-25, 22-25, 14-25)
Kira Fallert led the Panthers with 9 kills against the Wildcats, along with a pair of service aces and 7 digs in the loss. Emily Holterhaus and Inga Rotto each notched 6 kills for UNI, as Sydney Petersen tallied 12 digs. Tayler Alden dished out 21 assists for the purple and gold, while Carly Spies posted a 6 kill, 4 block performance.

Set 1 (UK, 25-16): The Panthers and Wildcats wrestled back-and-forth to open the match, alternating 13 of the first 21 points. Kentucky's offense would take control with a 5-0 run and 3 service aces, catching the UNI defense off guard. Rotto, Spies and Fallert each recorded 3 kills apiece as UNI posted a .281 attack percentage on 16 team kills.

Set 2 (UK, 25-22): Kentucky jumped out to an early 5-1 lead before the Panthers scored 5 straight points en route to tying the set at 8-8. UNI struggled on the attack against Kentucky's stellar defense at the net, notching a .195 attack percentage on 12 team kills. The Panthers pulled with two points at 18-16, but were unable to stop a Wildcat offense that excelled in ball placement. Holterhaus led UNI in the set with 4 kills, with Fallert and Rotto tacking 3 kills each onto their totals. Spies notched one solo and one assisted block, as Sydney Petersen tallied 5 digs.

Set 3 (UK, 25-14): The Wildcats opened the third set on another hot streak, thanks in part to their excellent service game. UNI pulled within three points at 9-6 on a pair of consecutive service aces by Fallert, but Kentucky's offense, which notched a .370 hitting percentage overall for the match, was too much for the Panthers. The Panthers totaled 7 kills in the third stanza, but also committed 7 attack errors as the Wildcats posted 13 kills on a .370 attack percentage.

PANTHER NOTES

UNI drops to 1-9 all-time against USC after today's loss. The Panthers' lone victory against the Trojans came on Sept. 1, 2017 in four-sets in Omaha.
The Panthers posted a season-high 86% mark on sideouts in the second set win over the Trojans.
Friday's opening match between UNI and USC saw 19 ties through the morning, including 12 in the second set alone.
Sydney Petersen's 18 digs against USC tie her season-high.
The Panthers are now 2-7 against Kentucky all-time. UNI's last victory against the Wildcats came on Aug. 25, 2018.
Sydney Golden made her collegiate debut against Kentucky, entering in the third set of the match.
Sydney Petersen is now 13 service aces from 100 in her career. The fifth-year libero/defensive specialist notched 82 digs at Texas from 2018-21.
Inga Rotto and Emily Holterhaus both extended their consecutive match streaks on Friday. Rotto has now appeared in 125 straight matches for UNI since 2018, while Holterhaus hasn't missed a match in 92 straight matches.
Head coach Bobbi Petersen is 4-for-6 in video replay challenges this season.

UP NEXT
UNI wraps up play in eastern Nebraska tomorrow night as the Panthers take on No. 17 Creighton. First serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT from D.J. Sokol Arena with the match being streamed live on FloVolleyball, and on the Panther Sports Radio Network on KXEL 1540.