Over the weekend, the UNI volleyball team went on a quick two-game road trip in Illinois. They first went to Illinois State on Friday, Oct. 18, and then faced off with Bradley on Saturday, Oct. 19. The Panthers have been dominating in conference play so far this season, having won seven in a row going into the road trip. They kept the winning way going, winning both games, and moving to 9-0 in conference play.
The first set against Illinois State on Friday was back and forth the entire way. Extra points were needed in the match, and it was the Redbirds who took the first set over the Panthers 26-24. The Panthers started out well in the second set, taking an early 6-1 lead. They continued to build on it, and were up 20-10 late in the set. The Redbirds worked hard to come back, but the Panthers lead proved to be too much, 25-17. The third set was back and forth early, as the game was tied 11-11. With the game tied, the Panthers scored 10 consecutive points, and took a convincing lead. The lead helped the Panthers eventually take the third set, 25-17. The Panthers went into the fourth set up 2-1, and were looking to finish off the Redbirds. In another close set, the Panthers were able to come out victorious, 25-21.
Against Illinois State, Kira Fallert led the way with 21 kills, and Cassidy Hartman had 12. Sydney Golden led the way in assists with 32, while Reese Booth had 20. Erin Powers had 12 digs.
Following the game against Illinois State, the Panthers traveled to Peoria, Illinois to play Bradley. The first set went similarly to the first set in the Illinois State game. It went back and forth most of the way, and extra scoring was needed to decide the set. The Panthers took the narrow victory, 27-25. The second set was close at first, but the Panthers slowly started to pull away. They went on a few different runs throughout the set, and finished off Bradley 25-17.
In the Bradley match, Fallert had 16 kills, and Hartman had 14. Golden led the way with 18 assists, while Booth had 16. Erin Powers had 24 digs.
Following the two road wins, the Panthers have moved to 14-7 overall, and 9-0 in conference play. They will be back on the court next weekend for Homecoming. On Friday, Oct. 25 they will host Evansville, and on Saturday, Oct. 26 they will host Indiana State. They will look to continue their dominance in conference play.
