The University of Northern Iowa volleyball team will be just one part of a busy weekend in Cedar Falls. The Panthers open up their sixth straight trip to the NCAA tournament when they face Niagara tonight at the McLeod Center.
U.N.I. coach Bobbi Petersen says her team has worked hard for its success. The Panthers are 32-1 on the year and carry the sixth overall seed into this weekend’s first-round match. This is the third straight year the Panthers have earned the Missouri Valley’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, and it’s their third straight perfect season in conference play.
The U.N.I. campus will also play host to a men’s basketball game, a playoff football game and a wrestling tournament tomorrow, in addition to the NCAA volleyball tournament. Petersen says there’s plenty of stress to go around, and plenty of excitement.
The winner of tonight’s match will face either Missouri or Florida on Saturday night in Cedar Falls.
By Austin Draude, KLMJ, Hampton