The Panther women’s volleyball team got off to a quick start this fall in their first tournament in Fort Collins, CO. UNI competed in the Rams Volleyball Classic this weekend, taking on UC Davis, Baylor and Colorado State on Friday, Aug. 28 and Saturday, Aug. 29. The Panthers didn’t leave empty handed, taking down UC Davis with a confident 3-1 lead.

Starting off the season strong, UNI beat their opponent UC Davis by set scores of 25-18, 25-27, 29-27 and 25-21. Three Panthers, freshman Bri Weber, freshman Piper Thomas and sophomore Heather Hook, made their first career appearances on the court. Junior Amie Held secured 22 digs against UC Davis, which pushed her just over the 1,000 mark in career digs. In addition to her digs, Held posted four service aces against her opponents.

UNI’s second match of the weekend resulted in a five-set bout with scores of 21-25, 25-23, 25-28, 22-25 and 15-8. Five Panthers posted double-figure kill totals against Baylor. Kayla Haneline with an impressive 14, Bri Weber with 13, Jaidyn Blanchfield with 11 and Piper Thomas and Lindsey Schultz with 10 kills each. Adding to the double-figure feat, sophomore Heather Hook secured 17 digs while Ashlee Sinnott notched 16 digs of her own.

Facing the No. 12 ranked team in the NCAA, UNI put up a fight against the Colorado State women. With set scores of 25-19, 25-26 and 25-18, the Panthers made CO State work for their victories. Proficient yet again in digs, Heather Hook took seven, Bri Weber recorded 14 and Ami Held notched the team-high 20-dig total.

Looking ahead, the UNI volleyball squad will host their first home meet of the season next weekend in the McLeod Center. On Friday, Sept. 4, the Panthers will take on Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 5, UNI will face Creighton at 12:00 p.m. and Southern California at 7:30 p.m.