The University of Northern Iowa claimed its 13^th State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship title, and their second-straight, Saturday evening at the Hammons Student Center on the campus of Missouri State University with a 3-1 win over No. 5 seed Illinois State. 

Game scores in favor of UNI were 27-30, 30-17, 30-27, 30-25.

The tournament crown gives the Panthers consecutive MVC Championships for the seventh time in school history, including a run of six-consecutive from 1998-2003, and gives them a conference-best 32 tournament wins (32-14). 

UNI (22-10, 14-4 MVC) had four players post more than 11 kills, led by Amy Sampson’s 19.  Setter Kristin Belzung recorded 60 assists and helped the Panthers to a tournament-best .312 team hitting percentage (74-15-189). 

All-Tournament selection Danielle Brazda hit at a .417 (12-2-24) clip and tournament MVP Shannon Aschoff added 11 kills at .346 (11-2-26). 

Brazda also made Valley history with her four block assists pushing her past three-time MVC Player of the Year Molly O’Brien on the all time list with 657.

Illinois State (21-11, 11-7 MVC) was led by Peggy Riessen’s 16 kills and 19 digs, while all-tournament selection Mallory Leggett added 16-kill, 10 dig effort.

All-Tournament Team

Jamie Adams, Missouri State

Kristie Berwanger, Southern Illinois

Kelly Broussard, Wichita State

Bianca Rivera, Creighton

Erin Lindsey, Illinois State

Mallory Leggett, Illinois State

Laura Rowen, UNI

Danielle Brazda, UNI

Shannon Aschoff, UNI – MVP

Volleyball Championship Match Notes:

In Case You Missed It...

The title match will be replayed on Fox Sports Midwest and Fox Sports Indiana at 9:30 p.m. CST and will be shown on Comcast SportsNet at 8 p.m. CST.

Dancing Card

Following one of the strongest regular-seasons in league history, the Missouri Valley Conference is looking to send multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in conference history and in back-to-back seasons for the first time.  Last season, MVC tournament champion UNI and runner-up Missouri State earned berths into the NCAA field and posting first round wins.  UNI topped Winthrop in four games and Missouri State dropped Arkansas on their home floor, also in four games.

Selection Show

The NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship selection show is scheduled to air Sunday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. CST on ESPNU.  Brackets will be released at http://www.ncaasports.com/volleyball/womens after the television announcement.

UNI/ILS Championship History

The 2007 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship finale was the sixth championship match meeting between Illinois State and UNI.  UNI leads the all-time championship match series 4-2, winning in each of the last four meetings.

Championship match results in the series:

1989     Illinois State 3, UNI 1

1997     Illinois State 3, UNI 0

1998     UNI 3, Illinois State 0

1999     UNI 3, Illinois State 1

2000     UNI 3, Illinois State 0

2007     UNI 3, Illinois State 1

Number Five

UNI is the 5^th No. 2 seed to win the MVC Volleyball Championship, joining Illinois State (1982), Missouri State (1990, 2005), UNI (2003). 

This is also the UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen’s fifth MVC Tournament title (2001, 02, 03, 06, 07). 

Tidbits:

UNI is now 8-2 in the conference tournament against Illinois State.

UNI has won eight-straight MVC Tournament finals and have won eight of the league’s past 10 championship finals.

UNI is 11-12 all-time in the NCAA tournament.