Panther volleyball opens four-match homestand hosting Illinois State, Bradley

Friday, October 27

Cedar Falls, Iowa

6 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

Illinois State

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UNI volleyball vs. Dayton | Sept. 15, 2023

Panther volleyball opens four-match homestand hosting Illinois State, Bradley

10/25/2023 9:29:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

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The MVC’s two longest winning streaks to be put to the test on Friday as UNI battles the Redbirds. Tickets now available for purchase.

UNI volleyball (17-6 / 11-0 MVC) vs. Illinois State (11-12 / 9-2 MVC)

6 p.m. CT | Oct. 27, 2023
Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
ESPN+
Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Shulz: Play-by-Play)

UNI volleyball (17-6 / 11-0 MVC) vs. Bradley (9-15 / 2-9 MVC)

5 p.m. CT | Oct. 28, 2023
Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
ESPN+
Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Shulz: Play-by-Play)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Riding the sixth-longest active winning streak in the nation, UNI volleyball will put its unbeaten Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) record on the line as it hosts the surging Illinois State Redbirds and Bradley Braves this weekend inside the McLeod Center.

First serve between the Panthers and Redbirds is slated for 6 p.m. CT on Friday night as the program celebrates First Responder Night during a White Out. First responders can receive free admission at the gate by presenting their employee ID. UNI will take on Bradley at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday and will celebrate Trick Or Treat Night on the concourse during a Black Out match.

The Panthers will look to complete the regular season sweep of the Redbirds and Braves following three road victories at Drake, Belmont and Murray State a week ago. UNI swept both Illinois State and Bradley in its first two conference matches of the season last month.

Winners of 28 of their last 29 MVC matches, the Panthers will look to win their 14th consecutive conference home match starting Friday. UNI has started 11-0 in MVC play ten times in its 49-year history (1995, 1998-00, 2009-11, 2018, 2022). In each of the prior nine instances, the Panthers went on to win the MVC's regular season title, including eight outright championships. UNI's magic number to clinch back-to-back conference championships entering the weekend is six.

Emily Holterhaus, the reigning MVC Player of the Week, posted a dominant week offensively in her last three outings, matching her season-high with 18 kills against both Drake and Belmont, before notching a season-best 20 kills at Murray State. Holterhaus ranks fifth in the league with a 3.78 kills per set average and leads the Panthers with 291 total kills, recently surpassing 1,500 terminations in her career.

Additionally, Kira Fallert has helped the pace of UNI's offense with 3.21 kills per set, while Layanna Green has recorded 2.38 kills per frame in her first full collegiate season of action.

Setter Tayler Alden will have the opportunity to pick up her 100th career service ace this weekend, while continuing to set up UNI's productive offense. The Panthers rank second in Division I with 13.7 assists per set and 18th in total assists (1,070) with Alden ranking third in the MVC with just over ten assists a set. Alden also leads all active Panthers with 38 career double-doubles and six triple-doubles.

At the net, Olivia Tjernagel leads the Panther block with 1.14 blocks per frame, the third-best mark in the conference, while also sitting 13 kills shy of 500 career terminations. Erin Powers continues to anchor UNI's backline defense with 4.95 digs per set. A junior transfer from UAB, Powers sits 24 digs shy of 1,500 in her career.

ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS
The hottest team in the MVC outside of the Panthers, Illinois State visits the McLeod Center on a nine-match winning streak after dropping its first two MVC matchups in September to move into a tie for second-place in the league standings. The Panthers made quick work of the Redbirds in their Sept. 23 meeting in Normal, and will look to win its fifth straight contest against Illinois State on Friday. At home last week, the Redbirds grabbed a five-set victory over rival Bradley before sweeping past both Evansville and Indiana State in straight sets. Averaging 1.56 aces per set as a team, Illinois State's offense is led by Aida Shadewald, who has notched 3.56 kills per frame this season and leads the Redbirds with 288 total terminations. Mari Hinkle leads the Redbird backline with the 11th best digs per set average in the nation at 5.29. She also ranks 26th in Division I in total digs (397).

BRADLEY BRAVES
UNI looks for its fourth straight win against Bradley as the Braves come to town late Saturday afternoon. After beginning the season with a 7-5 record, Bradley has struggled in MVC play, dropping its first nine conference matchups, including a 3-0 loss to the Panthers on the opening night of league play on Sept. 21. The Braves picked up their first MVC victories of the year last week with a three-set sweep at home over Indiana State and a 3-1 win against Evansville. Despite the difficult start to the conference portion of the schedule, Bradley leads the league and is 31st in the nation with 151 total service aces this season. The Braves are also a top-20 team in Division I in total attacks (3,163).Defensively, Kendall Minta leads Bradley at the net with 94 total blocks, third-most in the league and top-50 in the nation.