University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI volleyball tops 2023 MVC preseason poll
8/16/2023 10:05:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Setter Tayler Alden named to Preseason All-Conference Team. Panthers open season on Aug. 25 against Villanova.
ST. LOUIS --- Fresh of Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular season and tournament titles in 2022, the UNI volleyball team has been picked as the favorites to hoist the league's championship again in 2023, as announced in the conference's preseason poll release on Wednesday.
The Panthers received 135 total points and seven first-place votes in the poll, which is voted on by the league's head coaches. Drake was selected in a close second with 133 points and three first-place votes, while UIC received 122 points and one first-place vote.
Tayler Alden, the reigning MVC Setter of the Year, was named to the league's preseason all-conference team. The Oconomowoc, Wisconsin native earned First Team All-MVC and AVCA All-Midwest Region honors last season after posting 1,325 assists, 278 digs, 192 kills, 53 blocks and 26 service aces for the purple and gold. The selection is the first preseason conference honor of her career.
The Panthers return four starters from last year's roster that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite the departure of five key middle blockers and defenders, UNI returns four starters in Alden, Kira Fallert, Emily Holterhaus and Olivia Tjernagel, as well as nine other key returners. The Panthers also signed seven new faces during the offseason, including three Division I transfers.
UNI's offense clicked in 2022, ranking second in the MVC and third in the nation with 1,834 total kills. In addition to collecting MVC Setter and Libero of the Year honors, head coach Bobbi Petersen added to her resume with her record-tying seventh MVC Coach of the Year honor after the Panthers recorded the largest single-season turnaround in league history from 2021 to 2022.Â
The Panthers will open the 2023 season on the road at the Western Michigan Tournament in Kalamazoo, Michigan, opening the weekend on Aug. 25 with a matchup against Villanova at 2 p.m. CT. UNI will also take on Milwaukee on Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. CT, followed by Western Michigan that afternoon at 5 p.m.
2023 MVC VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL (Points) [First-Place Votes)
- UNI (135) [7]
- Drake (133) [3]
- UIC (122) [1]
- Southern Illinois (103)
- Evansville (99)
- Valparaiso (73)
- Illinois State (71) [1]
- Bradley (56)
- Missouri State (52)
- Murray State (47)
- Belmont (31)
- Indiana State (14)
2023 MVC PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
- Tayler Alden, UNI (Setter)
- Haley Bush, Drake (Outside Hitter)
- Giulia Cardona, Evansville (Right Side)
- Martina Delucchi, UIC (Outside Hitter)
- Nataly Garcia, Southern Illinois (Outside Hitter)
- Sohila Wafeek, UIC (Setter)
