Holterhaus notches 1,500th kill as Panther volleyball wins at Murray State

Saturday, October 21

Murray, Ky.

5 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

17-6,11-0MVC

Murray State

12-8,6-5MVC

UNI

Murray St.

UNI volleyball vs. Dayton | Sept. 15, 2023

Holterhaus notches 1,500th kill as Panther volleyball wins at Murray State

10/21/2023 8:27:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score FINAL RESULTS

UNI overcomes resilient Racer team in four-set victory in Kentucky. Panthers host Illinois State, Bradley next weekend.

MURRAY, Ky. --- UNI volleyball faced a stiff challenge from an opportunistic Murray State team on Saturday night, but escaped western Kentucky with a 3-1 win over the Racers to remain undefeated in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play.

The Panthers extend their win streak to 12 matches with their victory over Murray State, and grab their 28th win in their last 29 conference, as well as their 15th MVC road win in the last 16 outings.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI faced a persistent challenge from the Racers in the opening set as the Panthers struggled from the service line with three serving errors. The Panthers would face a deficit of just three points however and stayed within striking distance as Kira Fallert and Emily Holterhaus both notched four terminations in the first frame. Tied at 23-23, UNI would capitalize on a Murray State service error and close the door on the Racers with a Fallert kill to take the set, 25-23, hitting .267 with 19 total terminations.

The Panthers would kick off of the second stanza with a 6-0 run, but would be unable to slow Murray State's momentum. The Racers would score 11 of the next 17 points to tie the set up at 13-13 and take the lead thanks to kills by Ella Vogel and Darci Metzger and never relinquished control of the lead. UNI would pull within three points with kills by Fallert and Holterhaus, but the Racers would close out a 25-21 second set victory with a termination by Metzger to even the match at one set a piece.

After dropping just their third set in conference play this season, the Panthers had to overcome another strong start by the Racers, giving up the first four points of the third set. UNI's offense would get back on track and Erin Powers dished out a pair of service aces, while Green and Fallert both notched back-to-back kills after the Panthers tied the set up at 14-14. The Panthers would finish on an 11-6 run for a 25-20 win, recording 15 kills on a .256 hitting percentage.

UNI crusied in the fourth set against the Racers after opening on a 5-0 run featuring a pair of back-to-back aces by Fallert. With 19 terminations on a .485 hitting percentage, the Panthers controlled the pace of the fourth frame as Holterhaus, Fallert and Green offensively as Alden dished out three consecutive aces with the Racer offense struggling to slow the purple and gold. UNI scored 12 of the final 18 points of the set finishing the night on a Fallert kill for the 25-14 win.

Holterhaus, who recorded her 1,500th career kill in Saturday's win, led the night with a season-high 20 kills on 52 attempts. Fallert notched 17 terminations while tying a season-best with three blocks, while Green posted a 13-kill match. Alden matched her season-high with 49 assists in the four-set victory, and also tied a season-best with two aces. Defensively, Powers notched season-highs in both digs (26), as well as assists (10).

ADDITIONAL NOTES

The Panthers improve to 3-0 all-time against the Racers. Saturday marked the first road win at Murray State for UNI in the short series history.
UNI's victory marks the tenth time the Panthers have started the conference schedule 11-0 (1996, 1998-00, 2009-11, 2018, 2022). In each of the prior nine instances, UNI went on to win the MVC's regular season title, including eight outright championships.
The Panthers have won the first set in all 11 of their MVC victories this year, including all 17 wins this season.
Emily Holterhaus became the sixth member of UNI's 1,500 career kill club on Saturday, joining Molly O'Brien (1,779), Kate Galer (1,720), Karlie Taylor (1,709), Bobbi Becker (1,611) and Piper Thomas (1,572).

UP NEXT
UNI returns home next weekend to host the Illinois State Redbirds on Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. CT and Bradley on Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. CT. The Panthers fans are encouraged to wear white as the team celebrates First Responder's Night against the Redbirds, while fans are encouraged to wear black against Bradley on Trick Or Treat Night. Live coverage of both matches will be available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.