Waves too strong as UNI’s season ends
The UNI volleyball team won their first Missouri Valley Conference tournament title since 2011 and made their fourth straight appearance in the NCAA tournament on Thursday night in Madison against Pepperdine.
Dec 3, 2018
The incredible season for the UNI volleyball team has come to an end. This season was a historic one for the Panthers as they were able to dominate the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and bring back to Cedar Falls a regular season and postseason tournament conference championship.
UNI’s first round game of the NCAA tournament took place in Madison, Wis. against the Pepperdine University Waves.
This tough California team was able to steal the first set from the Panthers by a score of 25-22. The Waves put UNI into a deeper deficit as they took the second set at 25-21, to take a 2-0 set lead.
In response, the Panthers rallied to take the third set by a score of 25-19, as well as the fourth set 25-20 to force a decisive, winner-take-all fifth set. UNI kept with the Waves for nearly every point, but ultimately dropped the fifth set by a score of 15-13. The Panthers ended their 2018 season with an overall record of 24-10.
“Being able to look back at all the hard work we put in and know we have something to pull from, we weren’t going to let them just roll us over,” said senior Piper Thomas. “We are a team of fighters and I think that’s what we did.”
Despite the loss, the Panthers were able to put up some impressive statistics.
Junior Karlie Taylor was able to attack the Waves with a towering total of 23 kills. Her defensive skills were showcased as well in this game by having four blocks on top of her applauding offensive game.
Thomas was able to end her collegiate volleyball career with strong numbers as well. She was able to have an impressive 13 kills with one block on top of it.
Sophomore Jaydlin Seehase was also able to get 13 kills against Pepperdine, as well as three blocks to add to her defensive game. Rachel Koop also contributed with 58 assists.
Overall, a first-round loss was not what the Panthers envisioned happening, but this season was still one to remember. The Panthers were able to win their first conference tournament title in six seasons and qualified for the NCAA tournament in four straight seasons.
