CEDAR FALLS – In a battle of the Missouri Valley Conference’s (MVC) two longest active winning streaks, UNI volleyball emerged victorious with their 13th straight victory on Friday night, sweeping the Illinois State Redbirds in straight sets inside the McLeod Center to stay undefeated in league play.
Currently tied for the nation’s sixth-longest active winning streak, the Panthers have now won 29 of their last 30 conference matches, and 13 consecutive MVC contests at home. The win, UNI’s fourth straight over Illinois State, snapped the Redbirds’ nine-match win streak.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Bursting out of the starting gate, UNI opened the night on a 5-0 run, with Erin Powers notching her team-leading 32nd service ace of the night. The Redbirds would gradually climb back into the opening set by forcing the Panthers into long rallies, but UNI’s net defense and ability to reset offensively would wear Illinois State down on the backline helped the purple and gold pull away. With Kira Fallert and Layanna Green leading with five kills each, UNI racked up 17 team terminations on a .382 hitting percentage to take the opening frame, 25-15.
Illinois State would turn the tables early and grab a 5-0 lead to begin the second stanza, but the Panthers would not stay down for long. UNI would score five straight points to level the set and take the lead after an 11-11 tie. With both squads bringing their best at the net with ten combined blocks, the Panthers and Redbirds exchanged attacks with UNI ultimately pulling away late with 16 kills of 46 attempts, grabbing a 25-22 win despite just a .109 hitting percentage.
The Panthers grabbed an early lead thanks to Alden’s second ace of the night as Fallert and Emily Holterhaus paced UNI along in the third set. Illinois State would bring the full force of its offense with a 15-kill frame on .214 hitting, testing UNI down the stretch. The Redbirds would pull within a point at 17-16, but UNI’s blocking defense once again stepped up to the plate with four rejections. Alden would notch her third ace of the night to set up set-point for the Panthers as Green put the finishing touches on the match with a kill to give the Panthers a 25-20 set win to complete the three-set sweep.
Fallert finished the night with a match-high 13 terminations and eight digs, while Holterhaus recorded 12 kills and four digs. Green posted a ten-kill performance with three block assists, as Tjernagel tallied six kills with three block assists. In addition to setting a new season-high with three aces, Alden dished out 34 assists and five digs, while Powers notched a 20-dig match. Grace Mikota also recorded a seven-dig, two service ace night.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Winners of its last four matchups with Illinois State, UNI leads the all-time series against the Redbirds, 59-30.
Friday’s win marks the first time the Panthers have swept the regular season series from Illinois State since 2013.
UNI has recorded nine three-set sweeps in league play this year. At 12-0 in MVC play, the Panthers other three conference wins this season have come in four sets (UIC, Drake, Murray State).
The Panthers are 12-0 in MVC play for the tenth time in program history (1995, 1998-00, 2009-11, 2018, 2022). In each of the prior nine instances, UNI went on to win the MVC’s regular season title, including eight outright championships.
UNI remains undefeated in the first set against MVC opponents this year after a 25-15 opening frame win on Friday. The Panthers have also clinched the first set in all 18 of their wins this year.
Setter Tayler Alden picked up her 100th career service ace in the win, joining Erin Powers as the only two active Panthers with 100+ aces in their career.
Emily Holterhaus has recorded 10+ kills in nine straight matches, and has also done so in all but one conference match this season.
Libero Erin Powers sits just four digs shy of reaching 1,500 in her career, while middle blocker Olivia Tjernagel is seven kills away from 500 in her career.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action late Saturday afternoon as they take on the Bradley Braves inside the McLeod Center at 5 p.m. CT. Fans are encouraged to wear black and are invited to partake in Trick Or Treat activities on the concourse. Live coverage will be available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
