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University of Northern Iowa
Illinois State
UNI volleyball seeks third straight MVC Tournament crown starting Monday
11/23/2024 11:51:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
UNI looking to punch ticket to third consecutive NCAA Tournament riding the nation’s fifth-longest active win streak. Tickets available for purchase.
UNI volleyball (23-7 / 18-0 MVC) vs. TBD (MVC Tournament Semifinal)
- 3 p.m. CT | Nov. 25, 2024
- McLeod Center (6,650)
- Cedar Falls, Iowa
- ESPN+ (Greg Halbleib: Play-by-Play / Beth West: Analyst)
- Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play / Jay Grassley: Analyst)
- LIVE STATS
- TICKETS
UNI volleyball (23-7 / 18-0 MVC) vs. TBD (MVC Tournament Championship)
- 4 p.m. CT | Nov. 26, 2024
- McLeod Center (6,650)
- Cedar Falls, Iowa
- ESPN+ (Greg Halbleib: Play-by-Play / Beth West: Analyst)
- Panther Sports Radio Network (Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play / Jay Grassley: Analyst)
- LIVE STATS
- TICKETS
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Postseason play for the UNI volleyball team is set to begin on Monday afternoon as the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular season champions seek a three-peat in the MVC Tournament and another berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Northern Iowa, the top-seed in the eight-team field, will begin tournament play on Monday, Nov. 25 in the first semifinal game scheduled for 3 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center. Should the Panthers advance, the MVC Tournament title match will be played on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 4 p.m. CT.
Live coverage of all tournament matches can be found on ESPN+, with exclusive radio coverage of UNI matches available on the Panther Sports Radio Network with Chris Kleinhans-Schulz and Jay Grassley on the call.
Individual day tickets or all session passes for the tournament can be purchased through the UNI Ticket Office, or by calling 319-273-4849 or through email at tickets@uni.edu.
The Panthers lead all MVC teams with 18 tournament titles since joining the league in 1991 and will look for its first tournament three-peat since winning three in a row from 2009 to 2011. UNI holds a league record 54 wins all-time in MVC Tournament play.
Northern Iowa completed a perfect 18-0 conference season for a second straight year for a combined 36-0 record in league play, the fourth-longest regular season conference win streak in program history. UNI has also won 40 in a row against MVC challengers in both regular season and postseason play, a streak dating back to the start of the 2022 MVC Tournament at Evansville.
UNI was recognized for its stellar season, which saw them only drop five sets throughout the entirety of conference play, on Saturday morning with the release of the MVC's annual awards. Outside hitter Kira Fallert was named Co-MVC Player of the Year, while Erin Powers earned Co-MVC Libero of the Year honors and head coach Bobbi Petersen picking up her record ninth MVC Coach of the Year award, including her third straight. Fallert and Powers joined Kacie Rewerts and Olivia Tjernagel as UNI's four First Team All-MVC selections, while Cassidy Hartman and Lily Dykstra were named Second Team All-MVC.
Fallert leads the UNI offense with 388 total kills through 30 matches, with Hartman close behind with 341 terminations. UNI's offense also ranks second in the nation with 14.6 kills per set.
Powers's 43 service aces leads the way for the Panthers while her 504 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 4.9 assists per frame, while Kacie Rewerts is first in the MVC with 1.4 blocks per set. Rewerts, who is third in MVC history with 596 career block assists, is the NCAA's active career leader in total blocks (677) across all divisions, and is also fifth in Division I with 1.37 blocks per set in her career.
Notably, UNI is also the only team in Division I volleyball to run the same starting lineup for every match this season of Hartman, Olivia Tjernagel, Fallert, Rewerts, Golden, Kaitlyn Sellner and Powers.
2024 MVC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
First Round (Nov. 23)
- Match 1 - #8 Missouri State vs. #5 Bradley - 3 p.m. CT
- Match 2 - #7 Murray State vs. #6 Valparaiso - 6 p.m. CT
Quarterfinals (Nov. 24)
- Match 3 - Match 1 Winner vs. #4 Illinois State - 3 p.m CT
- Match 4 - Match 2 Winner vs. #3 UIC - 6 p.m. CT
Semifinals (Nov. 25)
- Match 5 - Match 3 Winner vs. #1 UNI - 3 p.m. CT
- Match 6 - Match 4 Winner vs. #2 Drake - 6 p.m. CT
Championship (Nov. 26)
- Match 7 - Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner - 4 p.m. CT
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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.
