University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Drake
Panther volleyball to close out regular season with in-state battle against Drake
11/13/2023 2:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
UNI seeks to finish undefeated season in MVC play after clinching conference championship. Tickets now available for purchase.
UNI volleyball (23-6 / 17-0 MVC) vs. Drake (21-8 / 14-3 MVC)
- 6 p.m. CT | Nov. 15, 2023
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
- ESPN+
- Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Shulz: Play-by-Play)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The 2023 regular season will come to a close on Wednesday night as UNI volleyball plays hosts to in-state rival Drake at 6 p.m. CT with the chance to finish an undefeated Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) season on the line.
Northern Iowa clinched its 21st MVC regular season crown on Saturday after a 3-1 road win at Valparaiso, its second consecutive title and 11th under head coach Bobbi Petersen. The Panthers will be the top-seed for next week's MVC Tournament in Springfield, Missouri with a double-bye into the semifinal round. UNI's first opponent in its Nov. 21 semifinal match is to be determined.
Riding the fifth-longest active winning streak in Division I with 18 straight victories, UNI will attempt to close out the MVC's first 18-0 season since doing it themselves last in 2011. The Panthers have won the MVC regular season title nine times with an undefeated record (1987, 1990, 1995, 1998-00, 2009-11).Â
Dating back to last season, UNI has won 34 of its last 35 matches in conference play, the only loss coming in last year's regular season finale at Drake. The Panthers have also won 17 straight MVC matches inside the McLeod Center.
Last weekend on the road, UNI dominated UIC in Chicago at the service line, dishing out seven aces to the Flames' one in a three-set sweep. The following night, the Panthers were stunned at Valparaiso by dropping a first set for the first time in league play all season before rallying for a four-set victory to clinch the MVC title.
Entering the final match of the regular season, the Panthers lead the nation in both kills per set (14.8) and assists per set (13.7). Emily Holterhaus continues to lead the Northern Iowa offense with 358 total kills (3.6 per set) after setting a new program record with her 4,624th career attack attempt. She also moved up to fifth in school history on UNI's all-time kills list (1,579). Kira Fallert sits 57 kills shy of surpassing 1,000 in her career having averaged 3.3 kills per frame this season.Â
Tayler Alden's 1,012 assists on the year rank third-most in the MVC with a 10.3 assists per set average, as Erin Powers has fished out a team-high 42 aces and 4.9 digs per frame, the 24th best average in the nation. At the net, Olivia Tjernagel ranks sixth in the conference with 104 total blocks (1.1 per set) with Layanna Green (69 blocks), Alden (56 blocks) and Holterhaus (52 blocks) all contributing to UNI's net defense, which has averaged 2.2 blocks per set, the third-best mark in the MVC.
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DRAKE BULLDOGS
UNI writes another chapter in the longest running series in program history on Wednesday in the 108th all-time meeting against the Bulldogs. Coming to Cedar Falls to attempt to spoil the Panthers' perfect conference record for a second straight year, Drake visits the McLeod Center after splitting its road trip last weekend with a win at Valparaiso last Friday and a four-set loss at UIC on Saturday. The Bulldogs are locked into the two-seed for the MVC Tournament regardless of Wednesday's outcome and will have a double-bye in the bracket.
Northern Iowa outlasted Drake in a highly-competitive four-set battle in Des Moines back on Oct. 16, recording 12 blocks against a high-powered Bulldog offense. Drake leads the MVC with a .262 team hitting percentage, a .156 team opponent hitting percentage and 2.4 blocks per game. Jada Willis and Kacie Rewerts have been key pieces of the Bulldogs' defensive efforts with Willis ranking third in Division I with 5.8 digs per set and Rewerts posting 158 total blocks, second-most in the country. Drake also presents a challenge offensively with three of the top-12 attackers in the conference in Taylor Oberpriller, Haley Bush and Macy Daufeldt.
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STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP DRAWING
UNI Athletics will conduct its second student scholarship drawing of the school year on Wednesday night during the match for a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship. To be eligible to win, students must be a full-time UNI student AND must be present to win.
Those not eligible include:
- Part-time students
- Students employed by UNI Athletics, Dome Operations, UNItix and in a working capacity for the respective event
- Current UNI student-athletes
- Pep Band/Marching Band members performing at the respective event
- Dance/Cheer team members participating in the respective event
- TC/TK mascot students
- Students not enrolled
- Students who do not have a physical UNI ID
