University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
5-7,0-0MVC
SMU
8-3,0-0ACC
Panther volleyball drops Sunday matinee to SMU in four sets
9/22/2024 4:25:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
UNI concludes non-conference play at 5-7 with loss to No. 22 Mustangs. Panthers open MVC play on Friday at home vs. Southern Illinois.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI volleyball wrestled away a third-set victory from the No. 22 SMU Mustangs on Sunday afternoon, but would not be able to slow down its opponent in the final two frames as the Panthers wrapped up non-conference play with a 3-1 loss.
After matching up with the Mustangs a day prior at home and showing signs of improvement against one the nation's hottest teams, Northern Iowa struggled to stop a breakout service attack from SMU, which put up 11 aces. UNI finished the match with a .169 hitting percentage, and also struggled to penetrate the Mustang blocking defense.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI and SMU opened the match with a spirited back-and-forth first set that featured 11 ties and a Panther offense keen on improving on its performance in its second match against the Mustangs in as many days. Northern Iowa tallied 13 kills on .111 hitting, with a balanced attack that included four kills from Cassidy Hartman and three from Olivia Tjernagel, but struggled with eight attack errors that proved to be costly late in the set. After SMU took a 15-14 lead, the Mustangs finished the first frame strong with 14 total terminations with a .324 hitting clip, closing on an 8-4 run, including three straight points to win the opening set by a 25-19 score.
Northern Iowa stormed back into the match with an impressive showing in the second stanza, notching 19 team kills on .390 hitting. Lily Dykstra helped turn up the heat on the Mustangs with five terminations in the set, helping UNI break a 15-15 tie in a set that featured longer rallies on both sides of the net. While the Mustangs still notched a .390 hitting clip with 12 kills, the Panthers with the help of back-to-back service aces from Kaitlin Sellner, evened the match at one set a piece with a 25-21 set win.
UNI struggled to stop SMU's serving attack in the third set, giving up five aces to the Mustangs, who notched 15 kills on .370 hitting. SMU would build a quick lead and never looked back as UNI tallied ten kills on .261 hitting, including four terminations from Hartman in a 25-17 set win for the Mustangs.
Northern Iowa and SMU battled it out in a tight start to the fourth set, with no team gaining more than a two-point advantage for the first 18 points. The Mustangs would pull away and build a 19-11 lead before UNI used a 6-0 run to cut the scoring deficit to just two points at 19-17. With SMU's strong service game continuing to show signs of strength and with ten team kills to UNI's six, the Mustangs would hold off a late Panther run to win the fourth frame by a score of 25-18.
Hartman finished the match with a team-high 17 kills along with four digs, while Tjernagel tallied nine terminations and one block. Both Kira Fallert and Dykstra totaled seven kills each with Fallert adding nine digs on defense. Sellner posted a career-high three aces at the service line, while Sydney Golden recorded 21 assists to Reese Booth's 20. Erin Powers meanwhile finished with a match-high 17 digs.
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ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI falls to 0-2 all-time against the Mustangs, with both matches taking place this weekend in Cedar Falls.
- Sunday's loss marks Northern Iowa's first three-match losing streak since falling to No. 25 USC, No. 16 Kentucky and No. 17 Creighton at the 2022 Bluejay Invitational in Omaha.
- UNI drops to 25-90 all-time against American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) top-25 ranked teams. The Panthers' last win over a ranked opponent came in August of 2018 in a five-set victory over No. 5 Kentucky in Los Angeles.
- SMU's 11 service aces against the Panthers were the most allowed in a match by UNI this season.
- Fallert is now just seven digs shy of 1,000 in her career and becoming the 13th member of UNI's double grand club, which recognizes athletes for reaching quadruple-digit career stat figures in two statistical categories.
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UP NEXT
UNI returns to action on Friday, Sept. 27 as it hosts the Southern Illinois Salukis to open Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center with live coverage also available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
Fans are encouraged to wear gold to the match as part of the Panthers' annual Gold Out Match.
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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.
