Panther volleyball visits Valparaiso, UIC in first MVC road trip of the season

UNI volleyball (7-7 / 2-0 MVC) at Valparaiso (9-5 / 1-1 MVC)

6 p.m. CT | Oct. 4, 2024
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000)
Valparaiso, Ind.
ESPN+
Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play)
LIVE STATS

UNI volleyball (7-7 / 2-0 MVC) at UIC (10-4 / 2-0 MVC)

5 p.m. CT | Oct. 5, 2024
Credit Union 1 Arena (9,500)
Chicago, Ill.
ESPN+
Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play)
LIVE STATS

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI volleyball team will hit the road for the first time in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action this weekend as the reigning conference regular season and tournament champions look to extended their league winning streak at Valparaiso on Friday and UIC on Saturday

First serve for Friday's match against the Beacons is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, while Saturday's contest with the Flames is slated to begin at 5 p.m. CT. Both matches can be watched live on ESPN+ with additional radio coverage on the Panther Sports Radio Network.

Northern Iowa, the winner of 20 consecutive MVC regular season matches dating back to last season's undefeated record, holds commanding leads in the all-time against both teams (18-4 vs. Valparaiso / 14-3 vs. UIC), including a combined eight straight wins against both opponents. UNI has also won 24 straight matches overall against MVC challengers in both regular season and postseason play.

The Panthers, the preseason favorite to repeat as MVC champions once again, opened league play last weekend at home with 3-0 sweeps of Southern Illinois and Missouri State, marking the eighth time in the last 11 seasons UNI has won its first two matches on conference play. During the weekend, senior outside hitter Kira Fallert, the reigning MVC Player of the Week, also made history, becoming the 20th member of the program's 1,000 career dig club, also joining UNI's illustrious Double Grand Club for recording both 1,000 career kills and digs.

Fallert leads the UNI offense with 183 total kills through 14 matches, with Cassidy Hartman close behind with 169 terminations. Erin Powers's 15 service aces leads the way for the Panthers while her 226 total digs this year are eighth-most in the MVC. Setters Sydney Golden and Reese Booth have split time on the court with the veteran Golden averaging 6.1 assists per set, with Booth notching 4.6 assists per frame, while graduate middle blocker Kacie Rewerts is second in the MVC with 1.1 blocks per set. Rewerts, who recorded her 500th career block assist earlier this season against Rice, is the NCAA's active career leader in total blocks (588) across all divisions and is fourth in Division I with 1.33 blocks per set in her career.

SCOUTING VALPARAISO
The Beacons welcome UNI to the Athletics-Recreation Center for their MVC home opener on Friday after splitting their first two conference matches of the year last weekend. Valparaiso lost at Evansville in five sets and won at Indiana State, 3-0.

Valparaiso is coming off an 18-15 season in 2023 that saw it reach the NIVC Tournament, falling to Northern Colorado in the first round. The Beacons tied for sixth in this year's MVC preseason poll.

Led by head coach Carin Avery, who is two wins shy of her 500th victory at the helm of the Valparaiso program, the Beacons rank 13th in Division I with 936 team digs, as well as 15th in team assists (691), 16th in digs per set (17.3) and 20th in team attacks (2,028). Emma Hickey ranks second in the nation for Valparaiso with 295 total digs and fourth in Division I volleyball with 5.5 digs per set.

SCOUTING UIC
UIC returns to Credit Union 1 Arena for its MVC home opener after sweeping Indiana State and beating Evansville in four sets on the road last weekend. The Flames will host Drake on Friday to begin the weekend in a rematch of last season's MVC Tournament semifinal.

The Flames posted a 21-12 record and a third-place finish in the MVC last season. UIC was picked second behind UNI in this year's MVC preseason poll with middle blocker Zahria Woodard being named to the league's preseason all-conference team.

UIC ranks 12th nationally with 749 team kills and 14th in assists (694), UIC also leads the MVC with 127 total blocks. Woodard is the MVC's leader in total blocks (66) and hitting percentage (.454).

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.

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