Nov. 25, 2005

Box Score

Cedar Falls, Iowa - Sophomore outside hitter Laura Rowen had a match-high 14 kills to lead the University of Northern Iowa volleyball team to a 3-0 win over Creighton in the first round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship Friday afternoon at the West Gym.

Rowen added 10 kills, posting her 15th double-double of the season, and hit .379 (14-3-29) for the match. Stephanie Germann and Amy Sampson each had eight kills for UNI. Creighton was led by Jessica Houts who had 11 kills.

UNI took a 1-0 lead with a 30-24 win in the first game. Creighton jumped out to a 10-7 lead, before the Panthers went on a 6-0 run to take a 13-10 advantage. Creighton battled back to tie the score, but UNI took the lead for good at 18-17. A 5-1 run gave the Panthers a 23-18 advantage, en route to the win. UNI hit .367 (15-4-30) in the first game, while Creighton hit .294 (16-6-34).

The Panthers controlled the second game, jumping to leads of 7-1, 15-7 and 19-11, before eventually claiming a 30-19 victory. UNI held Creighton to -.049 (12-14-41) hitting in the game.

In the third game, after Creighton pulled to within 21-18, the Panthers called timeout and responded with a 6-0 run to effectively seal the match. Rowen, Germann and Ashten Stelken each had kills during the decisive run.

UNI hit .290 (44-13-107) for the match, while Creighton hit .103 (40-28-116). The Panthers also recorded 10 team blocks to five for the Bluejays.

With the win, UNI (20-11) advances to tonight's semifinals, where it will face top-seeded Wichita State (27-2) at 7:30 p.m. Creighton's season ends with a record of 16-14. .