The University of Northern Iowa wrapped up another great season in Lincoln, Neb. this past weekend. In the NCAA tournament the Panthers advanced to the second round by beating Washington State in three sets. The second round wasn’t as simple for UNI as they ran into a tough Nebraska team. The Huskers ran the table in front of their home fans to end the Panthers’ amazing run that included a Missouri Valley Conference title and a 29-match winning streak.
Though the Panthers are a perennial power, this year had something special about it that teams of past had not accomplished. The 2009 Panthers set numerous individual and team records. UNI finished with a 31-3 record with all three losses coming against ranked teams in the Big 12, Iowa State, Texas A&M and Nebraska. The Panthers finished the MVC regular season undefeated and claimed two victories in the conference tournament to claim the tournament championship as well.
Bobbi Petersen put together one of the best coaching jobs of her tenure at UNI and earned her second MVC Coach of the Year award. Petersen also earned the honor in 2006. Petersen ranks as one of the top 10 winningest active coaches in the nation with an impressive overall record of 259-73. This was the fourth time the Panthers have won the MVC regular season title under Petersen and sixth time UNI has won the MVC conference tournament title.
Along with the senior leadership the Panthers were led by a young group of core players that showed their worth by stepping up after losing two first team selections from last year’s team. Bre Payton stepped up in just her sophomore season and first full year running the offense. Payton was honored with the MVC Players of the Year after being a part of the all-freshman team a year ago. Payton piled up some impressive stats throughout the year including seven triple doubles, while no one else in the MVC recorded one.
Shannon Aschoff was the only senior on this team, but the team captain played a vital role in the UNI offense. Aschoff was a first team Missouri Valley selection after making second team to end her junior season. Aschoff led the Panthers with 3.52 kills per set in league play 3.52 kills per set and is the 20th player in Panther history to record 1,000 kills. Aschoff moved into the 10th place on the school’s all time list with 1,219 career kills. “Probably the hardest part for me right now, to have somebody like Shannon, has just been amazing to watch her grow over the past four years,” said Petersen.
Michelle Burow and Ellie Blankenship also earned first team MVC honors for the first time. Burow led the Panthers in hitting percentage, which was third best mark in the conference. Burow also was second on the team in blocks to add yet another dimension to her game. Blankenship led the league and ranked third in the nation with 5.90 digs per set. Blankenship already owns the school record for digs in a season digs in a career and digs per set. Blankenship again broke her own record for digs in a season with 698. Blankenship was also fourth in the Valley in aces with 21. Somehow these impressive numbers couldn’t secure the honor of Defensive Player of the Year.
Freshman Amy Braun was honored as MVC Freshman of the year. Braun was the only freshman in the MVC to rank in the top 15 in kills, digs, aces and points per set in MVC matches. Braun recorded double digit kills in 14 matches this season while posting 10 double-doubles on the season. Krista DeGeest joined Braun on the All-Freshman team. DeGeest led UNI in blocks per set, 1.09, which ranked fifth in the Valley. DeGeest was the only Panther to record more than 100 kills and 100 blocks this season.
UNI will look to build upon their season in which they broke so many records and go further into the NCAA tournament than they did this year while also defending their MVC titles. The Panthers return the MVC Coach of the Year, Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, while also returning two other first team all-conference selections. UNI will lose only one player due to graduation, so there should be very little drop off with 14 returning players.
Season Highlights: This was the 13th overall MVC regular season championship. The Panthers’ 29-match winning streak fell just short of the 30-match win streak in 1999. UNI was ranked as high as #20 in the polls this season, which was the first time they were ranked since 2003. The Panthers won the MVC conference tournament for the 14th time in team history. Beth Discher and Burow were each named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team. Discher, who holds a 3.89 GPA in accounting, was a first-team selection. Burow, who holds a 3.34 GPA in finance, was an honorable mention.
Be the first to comment on this article!