MVP Piper Thomas Leads Northern Iowa to MVC Tournament Title
UNI claimed the school’s 17th tourney title and first since 2011 with a 3-1 win over second seed Illinois State Saturday in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
UNI’s Thomas, Illinois State’s Pence & Jankiewicz, Bradley’s Thompson Honored by MVC
Co-champion UNI middle blocker Piper Thomas took home the MVC’s Player of the Year honors, while Bradley’s Hannah Thompson earned the conference’s Freshman of the Year award. Illinois State’s Courtney Pence earned the league’s Libero of the Year honor, while her Redbird teammate Stef Jankiewicz was tabbed Setter of the Year.
Bracket Set for Missouri Valley Tourney Behind Co-Champs UNI, Illinois State
UNI (16-2 MVC) and Illinois State (16-2 MVC) shared the MVC regular-season championship, as the Panthers claimed the No. 1 seed for next week’s championship via a tiebreaker.
Illinois State Earns Share of MVC Title, UNI Can Join Them on Saturday
Illinois State claimed at least a share of the Missouri Valley title on Friday, but Northern Iowa can join them atop the league with a win on Saturday at Indiana State. Meanwhile, Drake and Loyola are still vying for the final spot in the conference tournament.
Haslag, Pence, Flynn Garner MVC Week 12 Awards
This week’s Missouri Valley Conference Players of the Week are Bradley’s Erica Haslag, Illinois State’s Courtney Pence and Missouri State’s Amelia Flynn.
Pence Becomes MVC Digs Leader, 3 Teams Vying for Final 2 Tourney Spots
Illinois State senior Courtney Pence became the all-time MVC career digs leader with her fourth dig in Illinois State’s 3-0 sweep of Loyola Friday.
This Week in the Missouri Valley
Illinois State (14-1 MVC), UNI (13-1 MVC) and Bradley (10-5 MVC) have already punched their tickets to the MVC Volleyball Championship, while Valparaiso (9-5 MVC), Missouri State (8-6 MVC) and Loyola (7-7 MVC) currently occupy the final three spots.
This Week in the Missouri Valley Conference
A big match-up is coming up this weekend between Illinois State and UNI at Redbird Arena. Both teams will face Drake and Bradley, respectively, on Friday night before a 7 p.m. showdown on Saturday.
UNI, Illinois State Begin Second Half of MVC as 1-2 in the Standings
UNI maintained its lead at the top of MVC standings with a win over rival Drake in league play Friday. Illinois State (10-1 MVC) sits just a half game behind UNI in the race for a MVC crown with just one month remaining in the regular season.
MVC Set for Five Friday Matches, Including 9-0 UNI vs. Drake
UNI remains unbeaten in MVC action after another perfect week of league play, sitting at 9-0 for the first time since 2011. Illinois State sits 8-1 in MVC play and is off to the program’s best Valley start since going 18-0 during the 2014 season.
