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University of Northern Iowa
5-5,0-0MVC
Texas A&M
8-0,0-0SEC
UNI volleyball drops home opener to Texas A&M
9/19/2024 9:56:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers steal second set from Aggies, but struggle to close in final two sets. UNI hosts No. 22 SMU on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI volleyball team gave the McLeod Center faithful a rousing first home match of the 2024 season on Thursday night, grabbing a set from the undefeated Texas A&M Aggies before falling in four sets.
Matched up against a dominant Aggie offense that entered the match with the nation's third-highest hitting percentage, the Panthers struggled at the service line with multiple errors and were challenged on the attack themselves with Texas A&M racking up 16 total team blocks.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Facing off against the Southeastern Conference's (SEC) only undefeated team, UNI fell behind early, facing the full force of Texas A&M's high-powered offense. The Panthers would battle back after an early 4-0 deficit and fought the Aggies point-for-point in a back-and-forth first frame, briefly taking the lead at 17-16, and again at 19-18. Despite 13 team kills, including four each from Kira Fallert and Olivia Tjernagel, the Aggies forced nine Panther attack errors and closed on a 7-3 run to win the first set by a score of 25-22.
Northern Iowa stormed back in the second stanza with a strong start on offense, with Cassidy Hartman providing a spark for the Panthers with a 6-2 run to begin the set. UNI hit an impressive .367 with 14 kills and just three attack errors, putting the Aggies on the defensive thanks to an improved defense at the net. With momentum shifting the Panthers' way with an 18-16 lead and Texas A&M struggling to slow down UNI, Northern Iowa battled through three consecutive set points before winning the second frame 25-21 to tie the match at a set a piece.
The Panthers carried their energy from set two into set three with an 11-4 run. Texas A&M would storm back and cut UNI's lead to single digits, taking advantage of six Panther service errors in the set. Northern Iowa would hold firm and get two set point opportunities late, but could not slow the Aggies, who forced bonus ball thanks to a .250 hitting clip. With four set points between both teams, Texas A&M would catch the Panthers on consecutive terminations by Logan Lednicky to win the frame 30-28 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Aggies dominated the fourth frame with seven team blocks, firing on all cylinders with a .464 hitting percentage and building a double-digit lead late in the set. UNI would be held to just six kills and committed eight attack errors as it struggled to close the gap in its defense late that produced 17 Aggie terminations. Despite a Sydney Golden service ace to boost the Panther offense, Northern Iowa struggled to get into rhythm, dropping the fourth set 25-13.
Fallert finished the night with 21 kills to tie her season-high, as Hartman notched 18 terminations in the loss. Tjernagel tallied seven kills and a pair of blocks in the loss, while Kacie Rewerts and Lily Dykstra each recorded four kills each. Golden led the Panthers with 22 assists as Reese Booth tallied 18. On defense Erin Powers led UNI with 13 digs, plus eight assists and one the Panthers' three service aces.
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ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI falls to 0-3 all-time against Texas A&M with Thursday's loss. The Panthers also fall to 15-10 in regular season home openers under head coach Bobbi Petersen.
- Thursday night's loss was just the second for the Panthers at home since the start of last season. UNI has gone 23-2 (.920) in its previous 25 home matches.
- Defensive specialist/libero Erin Powers played in her 400th consecutive set of her career on Thursday in her 111th career match. She has not missed a match or set in her time at UNI or at her previous school at UAB.
- Northern Iowa was successful on both of its on-court challenges against the Aggies, with Texas A&M being unsuccessful on its two challenges. UNI is now 8-for-12 (.750) when challenging calls, while Panther opponents are 6-for-14 (.428).
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UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Saturday, Sept. 21 as they host No. 22 SMU in the first of back-to-back weekend matches against the Mustangs. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network. Fans are also encouraged to bring and donate as part of the team's School Supply Drive.
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.
