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University of Northern Iowa
Villanova
UNI volleyball dives into the Western Michigan Tournament to open 2023 season
8/23/2023 9:15:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers enter 49th season of play as preseason favorites in the Missouri Valley Conference heading to Kalamazoo. All matches available for livestream on WMUBroncos.com.
UNI volleyball (0-0) vs. Villanova (0-0)
- 2 p.m. CT | Aug. 25, 2023
- Kalamazoo, Mich. | University Arena
- Bronco All-Access
- Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Shulz: Play-by-Play)
UNI volleyball (0-0) vs. Milwaukee (0-0)
- 9 a.m. CT | Aug. 26, 2023
- Kalamazoo, Mich. | University Arena
- Bronco All-Access
- Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Shulz: Play-by-Play)
UNI volleyball (0-0) at Western Michigan (0-0)
- 5 p.m. CT | Aug. 26, 2023
- Kalamazoo, Mich. | University Arena
- Bronco All-Access
- Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Shulz: Play-by-Play)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The 2023 season officially kicks off for the defending Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular season and tournament champions on Friday afternoon as the Panthers head to Kalamazoo, Michigan for the Western Michigan Tournament.
Featuring a field of Villanova, Milwaukee and Western Michigan, the tournament will be the first of four multi-team events on UNI's 12-match non-conference slate. The Panthers will also compete in Creighton and Texas A&M's tournaments before hosting their own tournament in mid-September.Â
UNI enters the weekend coming off a 27-8 campaign in 2022 which featured the program's 24th NCAA Tournament appearance last December, highlighted by a first-round win over Florida State in Minneapolis. The Panthers recorded the largest single-season turnaround in MVC history in 2022, going from just seven conference wins in 2021 to 17 and a league title in just a year. UNI was picked first in this year's MVC preseason poll with 135 total points and seven first-place votes, just ahead of second-place Drake with 133 points and three first-place votes.
UNI returns 13 players from last year's MVC regular season and tournament championship team, including the reigning conference setter of the year in Tayler Alden and MVC Tournament MVP Olivia Tjernagel. Also leading the charge offensively is senior middle hitter Emily Holterhaus, who led the Panthers with 416 kills in 2022. Outside hitter Kira Fallert, the 2022 MVC Elite 17 Award winner also returns, as does opposite/middle blocker Kaylissa Arndorfer and outside hitter Megan Witte.
The Panthers added seven new faces to the 2023 offseason roster with four high school signees and three transfers. Among this year's freshmen class are Northville, Minnesota product Taryn Rice, Iowa City Liberty High School standout Cassidy Hartman, Urbandale outside hitter Lily Dykstra and Eagan, Minnesota middle blocker Kaitlyn Sellner.
UNI's three transfers include the reigning America East Conference Freshman of the Year in Kara Oxenknecht from New Hampshire, former UAB defensive specialist Erin Powers and Illinois State transfer Calia Clubb.
ÂVILLANOVA WILDCATS
The Panthers matchup with Villanova for the first time since 2002 to open the season. UNI is 31-17 all-time in the first match of the season, including 16-7 under head coach Bobbi Petersen. Coming off a 10-20 season with a 6-12 mark in league play, the Wildcats were picked sixth in this year's Big East preseason poll, with outside hitter Riley Homer being named to the conference's preseason team. Villanova also returns a key middle blocker in Kiera Booth for her fourth season in Philadelphia, after finishing third in the Big East with a .336 hitting percentage.
MILWAUKEE PANTHERS
It will be a Battle of the Panthers as UNI opens the second day of the Western Michigan Tournament with Milwaukee on Saturday morning. Holding a 7-2 mark against Milwaukee all-time, UNI seeks to extend its win streak against their Wisconsin counterparts to eight matches, facing off with Milwaukee for the first time since 2005. UNI has not lost to Milwaukee since 1984. With a 10-20 record in 2022 and 9-9 mark in the Horizon League, Milwaukee looks to bounce back on the heels of middle blocker Ari Miller, who led the conference with a .333 hitting percentage last season.
WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS
The Panthers conclude their stay in Kalamazoo facing off with a familiar opponent from last season. UNI defeated the Broncos in four sets in last year's UNI Tournament, and look to improve to 7-0 all-time against WMU. Led by 19th year head coach Colleen Munson, the Broncos went 17-13 in 2022, with a 9-9 mark in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play with an offensive heavy attack which ranked sixth in Division I in team attacks per set (37.9) and kills per set (13.9). Saturday's afternoon matchup will also see two of the nation's top setters face off as UNI's Alden goes toe-to-toe with the reigning MAC Setter of the Year in Logan Case, who notched 11.6 assists per set last fall, the fourth-best average in the country.
