University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
LSU
Panther volleyball faces keys tests at Bluejay Invitational this weekend
8/30/2023 12:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
UNI battles against a trio of NCAA Tournament qualifiers in Omaha beginning Friday afternoon. All matches available on FloVolleyball.
UNI volleyball (1-2) vs. LSU (1-1)
- 3:30 p.m. CT | Sept. 1, 2023
- Omaha, Neb. | D.J. Sokol Arena
- FloVolleyball
- Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Shulz: Play-by-Play)
UNI volleyball (1-2) vs. Ball State (2-1)
- 2:30 p.m. CT | Sept. 2, 2023
- Omaha, Neb. | D.J. Sokol Arena
- FloVolleyball
- Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Shulz: Play-by-Play)
UNI volleyball (1-2) at No. 20 Creighton (2-1)
- 2:30 p.m. CT | Sept. 3, 2023
- Omaha, Neb. | D.J. Sokol Arena
- FloVolleyball
- Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Shulz: Play-by-Play)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI volleyball opens the month of September against a challenging trio of opponents beginning Friday afternoon at the Crieghton's Bluejay Invitational in Omaha.
All four teams in this year's field qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2022, with UNI and LSU both reaching the second round last December. Creighton and Ball State both dropped their first round matchups.
The Panthers head to eastern Nebraska after opening the 2023 season at the Western Michigan Tournament in Kalamazoo last weekend. In its first match of the year, the Panthers fought off five consecutive match points against Villanova, but ultimately came up short against the Wildcats in a five-set loss, before bouncing back the following morning with a three-set sweep over Milwaukee. The Panthers closed their time in Michigan with a barn-burner against the host Broncos, avoiding a sweep with a third set victory before dropping a hotly contested fourth frame to Western Michigan in a 3-1 loss.
Olivia Tjernagel earned Western Michigan All-Tournament honors after averaging 3.5 kills per set and leading the tournament with 18 total blocks. Kira Fallert led the Panthers with 39 kills in their first three matches of the year, while Tayler Alden dished out 98 assists. Alden, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Setter of the Year, is just 33 assists from reaching 3,000 in her career, a milestone only seven other Panthers have reached.
Senior Emily Holterhaus also shot up the UNI record books last weekend, moving from ninth to fourth in career attack attempts (3,794), surpassing several Panther standouts including Molly O'Brien, Laura Rowen, Alexandra Auker, Bri Weber and her own head coach Bobbi (Becker) Petersen. Holterhaus also sits 12th on UNI's all-time kills list with 1,248, only 13 terminations away from moving into 11th place ahead Michelle Burrow and 25 from passing current UNI assistant coach Kim (McCaffrey) Davis for tenth.
Three Panthers made their collegiate debuts in Kalamazoo, including Lily Dykstra, who notched 17 kills on the weekend, nine coming in her first collegiate match against Milwaukee. Cassidy Hartman also appeared on the floor for the first time, as did redshirt freshman Alivia Bronner. Erin Powers also made her UNI debut at libero, leading the Panthers with 57 digs, joining teammate Calia Clubb, who played a set against Villanova in her first appearance with UNI.
LSU TIGERS
UNI and LSU meet for just the second time and first since 1991 with the Panthers looking to even the series at a win a piece. The Tigers, who received votes in the latest AVCA top-25 poll, split their first two matches of the year, both five-set duals against UCLA at home last Friday and Saturday. Jurnee Robinson led LSU with 45 kills in its first two matches with setter Maddie Waak dishing out 93 assists. Erin Carmichael and Jade Demps anchored the Tiger backline with 27 digs each, while Antia Anwusi blocked 11 attacks at the net. Last season, LSU ranked as one of the nations top attacking teams, leading the SEC with 4,196 attack attempts, largely led by Anwusi's 1,297 attempts. The Tigers finished last season 16-14 and 9-9 in the SEC, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament after a first round win over Hawaii.
BALL STATE CARDINALS
The Cardinals make the trip west to Omaha after taking two of three matches in their home tournament last weekend, sweeping Gonzaga and Purdue Fort Wayne, while dropping a 3-1 bout to Oklahoma. UNI leads the all-time series against Ball State, 4-3 and will meet for the first time since the second match of the 2021 campaign when the Cardinals defeated the Panthers 3-1 at the Green Bay Invite. Marie Plitt leads the way for Ball State witg 29 kills on the young season, with Megan Wielonski posting 106 assists. Havyn Gates has notched 37 digs for the Cardinals, while Lauren Gilliland has blocked ten attacks up front. Ball State ranked fifth in Division I a year ago in team digs (2,206) and tenth in team attacks (4,681) to finish first in the Mid-American Conference's (MAC) west division with a 22-10 record overall.
CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS
Former MVC opponents renew their rivalry on Sunday as UNI battles Creighton in the final match of the Bluejay Invitational. The Panthers lead the all-time series, 42-14, but have only beaten the Bluejays twice since Creighton joined the Big East Conference in 2013. Creighton returns home after taking two of three matches at Purdue's Special Premier Tournament in West Lafayette last weekend, featuring wins over Loyola-Chicago and No. 16 Purdue. Ava Martin leads the Bluejay offense with 49 kills on the season, while Kendra Wait has dished out 115 assists. Defensively, Ellie Bolton has recorded 53 digs with Kiana Schmitt notching 11 blocks. Creighton is the reigning Big East Tournament champion from 2022 after posting a 27-5 record and 17-1 conference mark last season.
