CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Missouri State volleyball team played UNI to four sets for the second time this season Saturday evening at the McLeod Center, though the night ended with the Panthers taking the 25-17, 25-20, 24-26, 25-18 victory to claim the outright Missouri Valley Conference regular season title.

Down 2-0 after UNI (24-6, 17-0) won the first two sets by posting plus-10 kill margins in each, the Bears (9-20, 6-11) served five aces in the third set and closed on a 6-1 run to temporarily delay the Panthers' celebration.

MSU got off to a 6-3 start and the set went back-and-forth after that, with an ace from Kate Owen putting the Bears up 17-16 and another from Morgan Sprague tying the score at 20-all. Each ace was met with a 3-0 UNI run, and Missouri State retaliated to earn set point at 24-23 thanks to a Katie Wemhoener ace. UNI got a kill for the 24-24 tie, then missed on serve to set up Azyah Green and Maddy Bushnell's match-extending block.

The UNI offense returned to form in fourth with 17 more kills in a comfortable win and the Panthers finished with 72 kills in the contest, tying for the fourth-most in a four-setter in the NCAA this season. The home team hit .262 compared to .123 for Missouri State.

Deja Bickers led the Bears with 12 kills and Lucca Dunser had nine to go with 15 digs. Owen had 18 digs and Green finished with five blocks to move into a tie for eighth in MSU history with 459 in her career.
 
The Bears remained eighth in the standings based on other league results Saturday and look to hold on to the final qualifying spot for the MVC Tournament when they host Southern Illinois at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the regular season finale at Hammons Student Center.