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University of Northern Iowa
5-6,0-0MVC
Dayton
10-2,0-0Atlantic 10
UNI volleyball: Panthers falls to Dayton in straight sets
9/15/2023 9:35:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers return to face Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon in non-conference finale.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI volleyball tested No. 25 Dayton on its home floor on Friday night, but could not overcome the Flyers' size and power in a 3-0 loss on the second day of the UNI Tournament at the McLeod Center.
ÂHOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers brought their defensive energy from the first serve against a high-powered Flyers squad hitting .233 in the opening set. UNI matched their opponents energy with 17 terminations in the opening stanza, including five from the right arm of Emily Holterhaus. With Olivia Tjernagel and Kaylissa Arndorfer providing key blocks at the net, the Panthers never trailed by more than four points, grabbing their first lead at 21-20 and facing set point at 24-23. Dayton would rally late on a triad of UNI errors however to claim the first frame, 26-24.
UNI jumped out to a small lead to begin the second stanza before Dayton tied the set up at 11-11 and took its first lead. While the Panther offense continued to produce with 15 kills and four blocks, attack errors slowed UNI's momentum and allowed the Flyers to take a 19-16 advantage. The Panthers would tie the set at 21-21 before Dayton scored four of the final five points on terminations by Lexie Almodovar and Alyssa Miller for the 25-22 win.
The Panthers would have to overcome a slow start in the third set after falling behind 6-1 to the Flyers as Dayton's net defense stifled UNI's attack in the early going. On 11 team kills, the Panthers slowly clawed their way back on a half dozen Flyer errors to pull within one point at 19-18 thanks to a kill by Layanna Green. Dayton would close strong however, scoring six of the final seven points to take the third frame, 25-19.
Kira Fallert finished the night with a team-high 12 terminations on 37 attempts and a pair of blocks, while Holterhaus notched nine kills in the loss. Arndorfer posted seven kills, while Tayler Alden tallied six terminations to complement 30 assists and three block assists. Erin Powers tied with Dayton's Karissa Kaminski for the match lead with 20 digs.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
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Dayton takes a 2-1 lead in the all-time series with its win on Friday night. This meeting between the Panthers and Flyers was the first between the two programs since 2010.
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UNI's loss marks the program's first home defeat since Nov. 20, 2021 against Loyola-Chicago, snapping a 13-match winning streak at the McLeod Center, the Panthers' longest at home since 2011.
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Libero Erin Powers recorded her 1,300th career dig on Friday with her 20-dig performance. The UAB transfer leads the Panthers with 222 digs this year after recording 1,090 during the previous three seasons with the Blazers.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will close out the non-conference schedule on Saturday afternoon as UNI hosts Northern Illinois in the final match of the UNI Tournament. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center, with live coverage available on ESPN+ and on the Panther Sports Radio Network.
