Jacks fall to Panthers in 4 sets

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – South Dakota State took a set from perennial Missouri Valley power Northern Iowa on Tuesday, but eventually came up on the short end of a 3-1 match against the Panthers in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

The Jackrabbits third straight loss drops them to 12-8 on the season, while the Panthers, who won by the set scores of 25-13, 25-19, 22-25 and 25-15, improve to 15-6 and remain perfect at home this season with a 4-0 record.

“We came out in that first set and were a little overwhelmed by their speed, but once we settled down and handled the pace of the match, we became competitive,” head coach Phil McDaniel said. “We need to continue being sharp as we play through the second half of The Summit League season.

Kelli Fiegen led the Jackrabbits with 12 kills, adding a match-high six total blocks. Kaitlin Klingemann finished with 11 kills and a pair of blocks for the Jacks, who finished with 10 total team blocks.

Shay Birath led the defense with 28 digs, with Kelly Herrmann adding 15 digs, which leaves her 12 digs shy of reaching the 1,000 dig milestone.

Macy Ubben led four Panthers in double figures with 15kills. Amy Braun added 14, Krista Degeest 13 and Shelby Kintzel 10 kills and five block assists in the win. Braun added 15 digs to complete the matches only double-double.

Candice Burke led the UNI defense with 31 digs.

The Jackrabbits return home to start the second half of The Summit League season on Friday, when they host Omaha in the annual Dig Pinkgame at 7 p.m.