The Panthers started out the weekend against SIUEdwardsville in their match- up. UNI started out strong going on a 5-0 lead and collecting 16 kills throughout, they quickly went on to take the lead 17-8 thanks to Olivia Tjernagel and Kacie Rewerts. The Cougras would find themselves close in the match getting it within five, but the Panthers would roll on to win the set 25-18.
SIUE would go back-and-forth with UNI before the Panthers took a 9-3 lead thanks to kills from Kira Fallert, Rewerts, and Tjernagel. The Panthers would go on to cap 11 kills and make their way to the end with a 25-15 win and a 2-0 match lead.
The Cougars continued to fight back, opening the third set with a 5-1 lead before the Panthers responded with a 4-0 run of their own. UNI continued to struggle throughout the set with just 12 kills and eight errors. The Panthers would have the lead at 15-12 but SIUE would go on a 9-1 run to help them close out the set and beat the Panthers 25-20.
The fourth set started out much like the others, close and shares of the lead. The Panthers then found their rhythm and kills from Fallert and Kaitlyn Sellner aided UNI to a 13-9 lead midway through the set. The Panthers scored the last 11 of 13 points of the game along with a pair of aces from Erin Powers and Sydney Golden, UNI closed out the set 25-13 to win the match 3-1.
The next matchup for the Panthers would be against the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Much of the first set started out back-and-forth before UNI found their rhythm. The Panthers had 13 kills, six of which came from Tjernagel, along with five service errors from UND set them up for success in the first set. Rewerts also added three blocks towards the end and the Panthers scored the last ten points to boost them to a 25-19 set one win.
UNI fell early in the second set, down 8-3 before they were able to start chipping away at the Fighting Hawks. During the set, the Panthers constructed 16 kills. Fallert and Lily Dykstra were able to tie the set up 15-15 thanks to back-to-back kills from the pair. UNI ended on a 10-5 run and a pair of aces from Powers and Grace Mikota capped off the set for the Panthers and they won 25-20.
UNI would fight off the Fighting Hawks early in the third set, as the set continued to be back-and-forth. The Panthers recorded 16 kills in the set and Cassidy Hartman helped boost UNI with four kills. UND would get within one, but the Panthers would go on a 9-4 run to close out the set and sweep the Fighting Hawks in a 25-19 third set victory.
The Panthers capped off the weekend against the West Virginia Mountaineers. In the first set of the matchup, UNI would bounce back after being down by four early in the set. With a team 18 kills, Fallert would contribute to eight of those and Hartman would add five as well. Reese Booth tied up the set on a first career service ace, but the Mountaineers were too much for the Panthers as they both battled but WVU came out on top, 29-27.
The Panthers fired back in the second set taking an early 9-4 lead as Hartman kept the fire going recording eight kills in the second set to keep the Mountaineers away. WVU kept in close in the second set taking it to extra points again lie the first, but it wasn’t enough, as the Panthers held on to take a 26-24 set win against them.
UNI then took off in the third set leading from start to finish and rounding up 15 kills in the set. Booth assisted with some more aces and Fallert and Hartman also contributed considerably on the offensive side to help the Panthers stay ahead. Calia Clubb, Rewerts and Fallert posted big blocks to assist UNI in making their mark on the set with a commanding 25-15 lead and 2-1 match lead.
The Panthers continued to keep the ball rolling in the fourth set clocking in 13 kills in the set. UNI took the lead after being in a tie to the Mountaineers thanks to Clubb and they didn’t look back as they went on to win the set in dominant fashion with a score of 25-12 and take the match 3-1.
