Despite dropping both ends of a doubleheader with Illinois State on Sunday, the Northern Iowa softball team wrapped up a share of its first Missouri Valley Conference regular season title. U-N-I will be the top seed in the Valley tournament which opens Friday in Peoria. Panther coach Meredith Bakely says it has been a balanced conference race as just three wins separated first place and eighth place.U-N-I plays Bradley in the opening round of the conference tournament and Bakely says something will have to give as the top seed and the host teams generally struggle in the first game.
