UNI Breezes Past Drake, Local High School Athletes Lead the Way

The University of Northern Iowa Panthers volleyball squad posted a 3-0 sweep of the Drake Bulldogs at the McLeod Center, winning by set scores of 25-13, 25-20, and 25-18 Saturday night (Oct. 17, 2015).

It was the 37th consecutive victory for UNI against Drake and it marked the 31st-straight home victory over the Bulldogs. UNI has won 19 straight sets against Drake. A streak that includes six consecutive 3-0 victories over the Bulldogs.

UNI moved to 11-10 overall and 5-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Drake dropped to 13-13 overall and 4-5 in the league.

CV/NEI High School Alum Highlights:

The Panthers pounced quickly in the first set for a 25-13 victory. Freshman Piper Thomas (Jesup / Jesup, IA) recorded five first-set kills and hit .571 in the victory.

Heather Hook (Grundy Center / Grundy Center, IA) notched 39 assists and eight digs.

Kendyl Sorge (Janesville / Janesville, IA) added 14 digs and Ashlee Sinnott (Columbus Catholic / Waterloo, IA) added another 13 digs to help lead the back row effort for the Panthers. UNI came into the match ranked No. 2 in the nation in digs/set. UNI was credited with 65 digs (21.67/set) in the match.

The match was played in front a season-high 3,102 fans in the McLeod Center. UNI came into the match ranked No. 14 in the country in average home attendance at 2,257 per match. UNI is now averaging 2,363 per home match this season.

NEXT UP: The Panthers will have a busy week of action coming up with three road matches at Loyola (Tues., 5 p.m.), at Evansville (Fri., 6 p.m.) and at Southern Illinois (Sat., 4 p.m.).

Contributed By: UNI Athletics Communications