UNI volleyball eyes regular season title as it visits Missouri State, Southern Illinois

UNI volleyball (20-7 / 15-0 MVC) at Missouri State Bears (11-16 / 5-10 MVC)

6 p.m. CT | Nov. 15, 2024
Hammon Student Center (8,846)
Springfield, Mo.
ESPN+
Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play)
LIVE STATS

UNI volleyball (20-7 / 15-0 MVC) at Southern Illinois Salukis (10-16 / 3-12 MVC)

5 p.m. CT | Nov. 16, 2024
Davies Gym (1,250)
Carbondale, Ill.
ESPN+
Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play)
LIVE STATS

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI volleyball begins the final three-match stretch of the regular season as it travels to take on the Missouri State Bears in Springfield on Friday night and the Southern Illinois Salukis on Saturday in Carbondale in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.

First serve between the Panthers and Bears at the Hammons Student Center on Friday is set for 6 p.m. CT, while Northern Iowa will battle the Salukis at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday. Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN+, as well as the Panther Sports Radio Network with Chris Kleinhans-Schulz.

UNI will look to clinch at least a share of the MVC's regular season championship with a pair of wins this weekend. The Panthers could also clinch a share of the title with one win and one Drake loss, or could clinch outright with two wins and two Drake losses. UNI has already secured a top-two seed and a double-bye for the MVC Tournament.

Northern Iowa was victorious in its previous matchups with Missouri State and Southern Illinois inside the McLeod Center this year, its first two opponents in league play this season that both ended in three-set wins for the purple and gold. The Bears are tied for eighth in the league standings and still in the hunt for an MVC Tournament berth, while the Salukis sit in 11th place, eliminated from postseason contention.

The Panthers return to the road following a pair of 3-0 home wins during senior weekend over UIC and Valparaiso. Against the Flames, UNI contained the MVC's top blocking defense and posted a .347 hitting percentage and held UIC to just .097 hitting, with Lily Dykstra leading the way with 11 terminations. Facing off against the Beacons, Olivia Tjernagel and Cassidy Hartman both posted 11 kills as the UNI offense continued to roll with 55 team terminations on .371 hitting, six aces and six blocks.

UNI continues to ride a historic streak of victories in MVC play having won its last 33 regular season conference matches dating back to last season, the fourth-longest streak in program history. The Panthers have also won 37 straight matches overall against MVC challengers in both regular season and postseason play. UNI's current winning streak of 15 matches is currently tied for the sixth-longest active streak in Division I.

Kira Fallert continues to lead the UNI offense with 356 total kills through 27 matches, with Hartman close behind with 314 terminations. Erin Powers' 40 service aces leads the way for the Panthers while her 452 total digs this year are fifth-most in the MVC this year. Notably, Powers is also the first Panther since Jill Arganbright and Michelle Burvee in 2001 and 2002 respectively to record 40+ aces in consecutive seasons, and first individual to do so since Kate Marovich's 55 and 41 ace seasons in 1995 and 1996.

Setters Sydney Golden and Reese Booth have split time on the court with the veteran Golden averaging 6.5 assists per set, with Booth notching 4.8 assists per frame, while Kacie Rewerts is second in the MVC with 1.3 blocks per set. Rewerts, who is third in MVC history with 585 career block assists, is the NCAA's active career leader in total blocks (662) across all divisions, and is also fifth in Division I with 1.36 blocks per set in her career.

SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE
The Bears return to the Hammons Student Center for their final home matches of the season after splitting a pair of four-set matches on the road last weekend, including a 3-1 loss at Bradley and 3-1 win at Illinois State. Missouri State is 5-7 since it last played the Panthers on Sept. 28.

Missouri State ranks in the top-ten as a team in two statistical categories, including fifth in total digs (1,877) and ninth in total attacks (4,056). Rilynn Finley leads the Bears' offense with 3.4 kills per set, while Morgan Sprague is third in the MVC with 9.2 assists per frame. Meanwhile, Kate Owen tanks in the top-ten in the conference with 415 total digs.

Northern Iowa is 59-28 all-time against the Bears and 6-1 against Missouri State under Bobbi Petersen, having won the last five meetings.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
The 2024 season has been a challenge for the Salukis, who just last year finished in a tie for third in the MVC standings and reached the MVC Tournament semifinals. Southern Illinois has gone just 2-11 since last matching up with UNI in Cedar Falls on Sept. 27 in its MVC's opener with its only wins coming at Valparaiso and at Indiana State.

The Salukis rank in the top-30 nationally with 3,807 total attacks on the season, with Annabelle Sulish leading the way for SIU with three kills per set. Cecilia Buhlman ranks in the top-ten in the league with 3.9 digs per frame, while Larissa Seger is also top-ten in the conference with 89 total blocks.

Northern Iowa has dominated the all-time series with a 68-13 record against SIU, including a 45-6 record under Bobbi Petersen. UNI has won the previous 16 meetings dating back to the 2016 season.

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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