- Despite Ashley Grubb's 7 kills in eight attempts and a .351 to .279 hitting advantage in game one, Illinois State fell to No. 7 Northern Iowa in three games, with the Panthers winning 30-27, 30-24, 30-25 in a Missouri Valley Conference match.
UNI lead 16-11 in game one before Grubb's two quick kills fueled an 8-3 run which got ISU even at 19-19. The Panthers led 24-23 when ISU was called for an over-the-net violation followed by a double-hit on a set as UNI had the edge it needed. The Panthers seemed to get the plays they needed to swing the momentum at key times in each game.
Kim Kester had a game high 16 kills on the night to go with along with 11 by Molly O'Brien. UNI coach Bobbi Petersen thought her team's offensive edge made a difference throughout the match.
"Kills were a huge factor," said Peterson whose Panthers won their 10th straight decision to go 10-1 overall, 2-0 in the Valley. "ISU out-blocked us and out-dug us. Kester is the sparkplug for the team and she saw some frustration tonight; but she always stays in the game and comes back."
Game two started off slowly for the Redbirds but they put on a 9-1 surge headed by Staci Boyce's four kills and two of Lindley McDavid's six blocks for the match as ISU took an 21-18 lead. Northern Iowa called time out and finished game two with a 12-3 run led by Kester's five kills.
Grubb, replacing senior captain Erin Jones who remained sidelined due to illness, had a career high 13 kills on the night to go along with her six digs. McDavid added another key performance with six blocks as she made her first collegiate start.
Illinois State coach Sharon Dingman was happy to have her young players perform well.
"Grubb has proven that she needs to be out there on the court," said Dingman. "We'll have to look into a way to move things around and keep her on the court (when Jones returns)."
Dingman thought UNI's serving, which merited 10 aces, gave the Panthers an edge.
"The biggest fault we had tonight was our serve receive and that's why we couldn't hold on to the close games," said Dingman.
Redbird junior Staci Boyce isn't discouraged by the Redbirds' sixth straight loss (four vs. Top 20 ranked teams), a school record.
"We're not going to lay down and die to anyone," said Boyce. "Point by point we tried to get out of the deficit and were just trying to get back into our game."
Illinois State (2-6 overall 0-2 in the Valley) makes its first Missouri Valley road trip of the season next week, visiting Evansville Friday and Southern Illinois on Saturday. UNI returns home to face in-state rival Iowa on Wednesday.
