Nov. 25, 2005

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Cedar Falls, Iowa - Darci Vohs had 17 kills and four other players reached double digits, as the Wichita State volleyball team defeated the University of Northern Iowa, 3-1, Friday night at the West Gym in the semifinals of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship. Game scores were 30-26, 20-30, 30-27 and 30-25.

Angela Jakubov and Elizabeth Myers each had 14 kills and Sara Lungren had 13 for the top-seeded Shockers. Fourth-seeded UNI was led by Stephanie Germann, Laura Rowen and Amy Sampson, who each posted 17 kills for the Panthers. Germann and Rowen each had double-doubles, posting 16 digs each.

With the score tied at 18-all in game one, Wichita State went on a 5-0 run to take a 23-18 lead. That proved to be the difference, as UNI could get no closer than three points the rest of the way. Angela Jakubov blasted a kill off UNI's block at game point to give WSU a 30-26 victory.

UNI controlled the second game, jumping to leads of 7-3, 13-6 and 19-11, eventually winning by a 30-20 score. The Panthers hit a whopping .415 (20-3-41) in the second game, as Germann had eight kills in that game alone, while Rowen added six. The 30-20 loss was the first game the Shockers had dropped since Oct. 29 against Creighton, a streak of 21 straight games.

Wichita State took a hard-fought win in game three, which featured 14 ties and four lead changes. After the mid-point of the game, neither team led by more than one point until the Shockers took a 27-25 advantage. Leading 28-27, WSU got back-to-back kills from Vohs and Myers to win, 30-27. The Shockers were on fire offensively in the third game, hitting an impressive .488 (22-2-43).

The Shockers never trailed in the fourth game, jumping to an early 7-3 lead. The Panthers kept the pressure on, staying within striking distance, but could never close the gap closer to less than four. Wichita State once again had its offense clicking, hitting a robust .349 (19-4-43) in the fourth game.

Wichita State hit .311 (71-19-167) for the match, while UNI hit .246 (69-24-183). The Shockers also won the statistical battle in digs (72-69) and blocks (12.0-7.0).

WSU (28-2), winners of 26 matches in a row, advances to tomorrow's championship match at 3:30 p.m., where it will face second-seeded Missouri State (23-8). UNI ends its season with a record of 20-12.