Volleyball stakes 3-1 victory over UNI

Box Score (PDF)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The No. 25 Marquette University women's volleyball team claimed a 3-1 victory over Northern Iowa (25-22, 25-27, 26-24, 25-18) on Saturday evening at the McLeod Center.

The Golden Eagles (2-1) hit .296 as a team and received 12 kills and 11 digs from senior Hope Werch, while Kaitlyn Lines hit .500 with 10 kills and a block. Graduate student Savannah Rennie posted seven kills, five blocks and a pair of service aces, including the match's final point.

Senior Taylor Wolf started and ended the opening set with kills as the Golden Eagles claimed a 25-22 victory while hitting .406 (15-2-32). The Waconia, Minnesota native posted four kills and an ace in the stanza while Werch added three kills and Rennie had two and a pair of blocks. Wolf tallied the final three points of the set as Marquette broke free from a 22-22 tie.

The Panthers led by as many as five points midway through the second set but had to hold off a late MU rally for a 27-25 win. Marquette tied the frame at 23, 24 and 25 and had to stave off a pair of UNI set points.

Marquette pulled out a 26-24 third set win despite trailing by as many as six-points mid-stanza. UNI went up 17-11 on a Werch attack error, following an MU timeout, before the Golden Eagles ripped off six straight points to tie. Emily Holterhaus put UNI at set-point, 24-23, but kills by Ellie Koontz and Claire Nuessmeier gave MU the edge before they closed it out.

MU was able to finish the match with a 25-18 fourth set win. Marquette trailed 4-1 to open the frame but jumped to a 16-11 edge it would not relinquish.

The Panthers fall to 0-5 overall after Friday's loss to Drake and to MU on Saturday. Holterhaus posted 16 kills to lead UNI, while Sarah Konovodoff, sister of former MU All-BIG EAST libero, Martha, recorded three digs and a pair of aces.

The Golden Eagles return to action at the McLeod Center on Sunday afternoon against Drake. Opening serve is set for 5 p.m. Central time and the match will air live on ESPN+.

Keep up with the Marquette University women's volleyball program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteVB) and Instagram (@MarquetteVB) and 'liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteVolleyball).