University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
3-2,0-0MVC
North Dakota
2-3,0-0Summit League
UNI volleyball sweeps North Dakota on the road
9/7/2024 1:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Fallert notched 23rd career double-double in straight sets win. Panthers face West Virginia later tonight.
GRAND FORKS, N.D. --- A trio of Panthers finished with double-digit kills on Saturday as the UNI volleyball team swept the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in its second match of the NDSU/UND Tournament.
Securing the second three-set sweep of the season, the Panthers overcame a challenging start in the second set, but rallied with a balanced attack on offense and a strong net presence on defense, scoring the program's third straight win over UND in as many years.
ÂHOW IT HAPPENED
UNI and North Dakota traded points for much of the early portion of the opening set before the Panthers seized momentum after a 9-9 tie. Hitting .220 with 13 team terminations, including six from Olivia Tjernagel, Northern Iowa seized upon five service errors by the Fighting Hawks and put up a strong blocking effort with three blocks from Kacie Rewerts in the first set. UNI would score seven of the final ten points in the first frame to win 25-19.
The start of the second stanza would be a test for the Panthers, who fell behind early to the Fighting Hawks, 8-3. UNI would gradually chip away during a productive offensive set that features 16 team kills on .278 hitting. After tying the set up at 15-15 on back-to-back kills from Lily Dykstra and Fallert, Northern Iowa roared across the finish line on a 10-5 run that featured a pair of service aces from Grace Mikota and an ace by Erin Powers on set point in a 25-20 win.
UNI fended off another spirited start from North Dakota to begin the third set but would gradually pull away as an error riddled frame slowed the Fighting Hawks early. With the Panthers clicking with 16 team kills on .200 hitting, Cassidy Hartman drove the Northern Iowa offense in the final stanza with four terminations. North Dakota would cut UNI's lead down to one at 16-15, but the Panthers would finish strong on a 9-4 scoring run to close out the set 25-19 and secure their second three-set sweep of the young season.
Fallert finished the match with a 12-kill, ten-dig double-double performance with three blocks, while Tjernagel tied her season-high with 12 terminations, along with four digs and three blocks. Hartman posted ten kills with six digs, as Dykstra tied a season-high with seven kills. Mikota's three service aces tied a career-high to complement a seven-dig match, as Powers tallied 14 digs and Sydney Golden posted a match-high 20 assists.
Â
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 7-1 all-time against North Dakota in volleyball with Saturday's win, its third straight victory over the Fighting Hawks. UND's lone victory over the Panthers came in 1983.
- Kira Fallert's double-double performance was the 23rd of her career, the most of any active Panther.
- Defensive specialist/libero Erin Powers has recorded a service ace in her last seven matches dating back to last season.
Â
UP NEXT
The Panthers will be back in action later tonight as they take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in their final match of the NDSU/UND Tournament. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT with exclusive broadcasting coverage available on the Panther Sports Radio Network.
Â
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.
