UNI sends Jacks to another loss

Tuesday, September 23

Cedar Falls, Iowa

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Northern Iowa

9/23/2008 1:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

By: SDSU Sports Info

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa ? South Dakota State took its 1-9 record to Cedar Falls, Iowa on Tuesday, hoping to end their nine-match skid against Northern Iowa, but the Jackrabbits quickly saw why the Panthers started the night atop the Missouri Valley Conference with an 11-1 record.

The Panthers won the match 3-1 by the set scores of 25-13, 25-11, 23-25, 25-15 to improve to 12-1 and send the Jacks to 1-10 after their final non-conference match.

The difference in the match came in hitting and in blocking. UNI hit .361 and finished with 14 total blocks, while SDSU hit .047 and a total of five blocks.

Amy Sampson led all players with 20 kills on 31 attempts with a pair of errors for an incredible .581 hitting percentage. Shannon Aschoff pitched in with 17 kills and an even .300 hitting percentage.

Ashten Stelken led the Panthers block parth with seven block assists and added a solo block to her seven kills.

Mackenzie Angner again led the Jacks with 17 kills, Ellyce Youngren added seven in the loss. Kelli Fiegen did not play in the match due to injury.

SDSU freshman Mary Sanderfoot made her Jackrabbit debut in the match, recording one set assist, one block assist and an attack in two sets.

UNI opened the scoring in the match and quickly ran away with the first set 25-13.

The second set went much like the first, with Northern Iowa scoring points in bunches on its way to a 25-11 win.

The Jackrabbits took their first lead in the match when they opened the third set on a 4-0 run, a run that quickly turned into a 6-1 Jacks advantage.

SDSU would lead by as many as six-points at 10-4, but the Panthers fought their way back to within two at 13-11.

The Jacks responded with another 4-0 run to stretch their lead back to five points at 17-12, only to see UNI battle back to within one-point at 24-23, but an Angner kill ended the comeback and gave the Jacks a 25-23 third set win.

The Jacks scored the first point of the fourth set, but UNI scored the next two points, and never trailed again, winning the deciding set 24-15.

With all of their non-conference opponents behind them, the 1-10 Jackrabbits get a fresh start at 0-1 in Summit League action, heading into Saturday's showdown with the rival North Dakota State Bison in Fargo.

First serve from Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse is scheduled for 7 p.m.