University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
11-7,6-0MVC
Murray State
9-7,4-3MVC
Panther volleyball stuffs Murray State in final three sets to remain perfect in MVC play
10/12/2024 8:01:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
UNI defense shows out in 3-1 win at home over the Racers. Panthers host in-state rival Drake on Monday night in MVC Tournament championship rematch.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI volleyball team overcame a slow start on Saturday night with a lights out performance in the second, third and fourth sets to grab a 3-1 win over the Murray State Racers inside the McLeod Center in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.
Extending their winning streak to a season-high six matches, Northern Iowa led from start to finish in each of the final three frames and dominated the Racers with 62 team kills with a .250 hitting percentage and a season-high 15 blocks.
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
Murray State gave the Panthers all they could handle in a hotly contested first set that saw both teams struggle with attack errors. The Panthers were held to 13 kills but with ten attack errors on .060 hitting, while the Racers hitt .111 with eight terminations. After Northern Iowa briefly took a 17-16 lead, Murray State stormed back thanks to the offensive output of Ella Vogel and Haidi Milliou for a three point set win, 25-22. Kira Fallert led the Panthers with five kills in the first frame, while Lily Dykstra tallied three terminations.
Northern Iowa's offense saw improvement in the second stanza with 17 team kills on .243 hitting, leading the set from start to finish. Aided by five terminations each by Olivia Tjernagel and Fallert, plus three blocks from Kacie Rewerts and a service ace from Sydney Golden, the Panthers held off a resilient effort by the Racers to close the set after MSU staved off consecutive set points before Tjernagel finished the frame on her seventh kill of the night in a 25-22 win to even the match at one set a piece.
The Panthers came out swinging with a dominant third set performance with 20 kills on 36 attempts and a .472 hitting clip with UNI's offense and defense both operating at a high efficiency level. Rewerts posted a big set performance with six kills and a pair of blocks, while Fallert notched five more kills, plus three blocks. Northern Iowa's 25-13 victory from start to finish propelled the Panthers to a 2-1 match lead as the Racers were held to .133 hitting on 30 attacks and eight terminations.
UNI cruised in the fourth set with 12 kills on .303 hitting with the Panther defense holding the Racers to only three terminations and a negative hitting clip. Northern Iowa grabbed a quick 7-1 lead and never looked back, racking up a pair of aces and six total blocks to ice MSU in a 25-10 win.
Fallert finished the night with a match-high 20 kills on 43 attempts and a .372 hitting clip, while Rewerts posted a career night with career-high 12 terminations and ten blocks for her first career double-double. Tjernagel posted ten kills along with a career-best nine blocks, with Calia Clubb and Dykstra both tallying six kills each off the bench, while Kaitlyn Sellner posted four kills along with five blocks. Golden posted a 26-assist match with one of UNI's four aces with Reese Booth accounting for 19 assists. In the backrow, Erin Powers notched a team-high 18 digs along with nine assists and one ace.
Â
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 4-0 all-time against Murray State, with all four victories coming since the Racers joined the MVC in 2022.
- Northern Iowa has now started 6-0 in MVC play in each of the last three seasons, including six of the last eight years.Â
- The Panthers have now won 24 consecutive regular season MVC matches dating back to last season's undefeated conference schedule, the fifth-longest league winning streak in team history. UNI has also won 28th match in a row overall against MVC opponents in the regular season and postseason. Northern Iowa is one MVC win shy of tying its fourth-longest conference winning streak in team history.
- Kira Fallert has now recorded ten or more kills in 14 matches this season, including each of the previous six contests. Her 20 kills against Murray State mark her third match this year with 20+ terminations.
- Kacie Rewerts moved into sole possession of third place on the MVC's all-time block assists list after accounting for eight stops on Saturday night, passing Creighton's Jessica Hout (2005-09) and UNI's Ashten Stelken (2005-08). Rewerts is now just nine block assists shy of tying UNI Hall of Famer Molly O'Brien (2000-03) for second on the all-time list.
Â
UP NEXT
The Panthers will close out their three-match homestand on Monday as they take on in-state rival Drake at 6 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center in a rematch of the previous two MVC Tournament championship matches. Live coverage of the match can be found on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network. Fans are encouraged to wear white as part of the team's annual White Out match, while UNI students will have the chance to win a $1,000 scholarship drawing. Rules and eligibility for the scholarship drawing can be found HERE.
UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2024 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
