UNI volleyball earns 3-1 victory Saturday at UIC

Saturday, September 24

Chicago, Ill.

5 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

9-6,2-0MVC

UIC

8-6,0-2MVC

UNI

UIC

UNI volleyball earns 3-1 victory Saturday at UIC

9/24/2022 8:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Match 15 Stats at UIC Photo Gallery

Olivia Tjernagel’s career night highlights road win

CHICAGO – The UNI Panther volleyball team defeated the UIC Flames by a final score of 3-1 (25-22, 25-18, 22-25, 25-16) Saturday at the Flames Athletic Center. UNI improved to 9-6 overall and 2-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play while UIC dropped to 8-6 on the season and 0-2 for league action.

Olivia Tjernagel had a career-best 15 kills with Kira Fallert supplying 15 terminations of her own to share the match high. Tjernagel hit .565 for the tilt and started off on an 11-of-16 stretch within her fourth collegiate double-figure outing and her third such effort this season. Tayler Alden produced 41 assists, nine digs, and six kills while Carly Spies recorded six blocks featuring three solo stuffs. Every Panther that played had at least one dig including a team-best 12 digs by Sydney Petersen. UNI led UIC in attack percentage (.290 to .176), blocks (10 to 9) and digs (50 to 48).

UIC opened the match on a 4-1 run prior to a 4-0 spurt from UNI that featured a Payton Ahrenstorff service ace and a block from Alden and Inga Rotto. After the Flames pulled even at 5-5, Fallert's go-ahead kill broke the tie, and the Panthers would lead for the rest of the first set to collect a 25-22 win.

The teams were level, 3-3, early in the second stanza when the Panthers exploded for a 10-2 outburst. Emily Holterhaus had five kills during this stretch featuring three in a row at one point. UNI stayed in front to the frame's finish and entered the intermission with a 2-0 lead following a 25-18 triumph.

A close third set featured 16 total ties between UNI and UIC. The Flames were ahead, 21-19, when the Panthers jumped in front, 22-21, after kills by Tjernagel and Fallert and a combined rejection from Tjernagel and Spies. However, UIC won the next four rallies to take the set by a 25-22 margin.

In the fourth, Alden helped the Panthers snap a 2-2 tie as she tallied three kills within a 5-1 run. UIC pulled within 7-6 and 10-9 before back-to-back terminations by Tjernagel sparked a string of four consecutive points. UNI kept the Flames in check for the remainder of the set with a 25-16 victory closing the contest.

Next week, UNI will resume its four-match MVC road swing Friday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. by taking on the Missouri State Bears in Springfield, Missouri with coverage via ESPN3 and News/Talk 1540 KXEL. The Panthers are scheduled to close this road stretch Saturday, Oct. 1 in Carbondale, Illinois with a 5 p.m. contest against the Southern Illinois Salukis including broadcasts on ESPN3 and UNIpanthers.com.