CEDAR FALLS - It was the type of fifth-set battle Ashten Stelken and her University of Northern Iowa teammates never anticipated.

On an evening when 1,672 University of Northern Iowa volleyball fans flooded the McLeod Center with pink for breast cancer awareness, a fiesty Illinois State team sent a message to its Missouri Valley Conference opponent that it has plenty of heart.

Down two sets to none, the Redbirds picked up their defense, and the attack of Mallory Leggett and Peggy Riessen led quite the ambush.

Stelken, UNI's senior middle hitter wasn't in a giving mood, however, as she re-entered the match following a sideout that tied the decisive set at 11. Stelken then came through with a valuable block and three closing kills to salvage a 25-21, 25-19, 25-27, 20-25, 15-13 Panther victory.

"Being one of those players that is in-and-out a lot, it's kind of nervewracking at times," Stelken said. "I have confidence in our team, and I was ready and waiting to get in.

"I think that I have a lot of experience and confidence from my teammates to do big things when I get out there. Being a captain, I do have a little bit of weight on my shoulders, but I love it. I love being in a position where my teammates have confidence in me to make changes."

UNI coach Bobbi Petersen gambled with her rotation in that decisive set and it paid off once Stelken entered the court.

"We did some risky things," Petersen admitted. "We made an adjustment there that we were a little nervous about because we were worried about siding out, but you know it's usually a relief when Ashten gets in there. She's just playing hard, and we love to have that example out there - we need that. She knew the importance and urgency of that match."

The Panthers found themselves desperately searching for any semblence of momentum in set five. Illinois State opened with a 6-3 lead before Stelken responded with a strong kill that was followed by a Redbird hitting error. Illinois State regrouped behind kills from Reisen and Erin Lindsey to go up 8-5 before the teams switched ends.

UNI's Michelle Burrow and Beth Discher teamed up for a block to tie the set, 8-8. ISU regained an 11-9 before a Redbirds hitting error forced sideout and Stelken re-entered the match.

Amy Sampson led UNI's attack with 16 kills, followed by 14 from Stelken and 12 by Shannon Aschoff. The Panthers hit above .300 efficiency as they stormed through the opening two sets.

After the intermission, the Redbirds held UNI to .179 or lower over the final three sets. Five different Illinois State players had more than 20 digs on the evening as the Redbirds finished with a mind-boggling total of 131.

"This was a very dangerous team," Petersen said of ISU. "They're a good team that was upset last week when they probably shouldn't have been. That makes a team that's hungry to do some good things and one of those would be to knock off a good road team.

"I thought Illinois State never lost their fight even when they were down 0-2. It's always a battle, and it definitly was again tonight."

The Redbirds attempted their coup following intermission when they opened set three on a 9-3 run and held off a late Panther charge that tied the game at 20. UNI fought off two sets points before a Reisen kill and Panther hitting error extended the match.

The momentum carried over into set four. Illinois State built a 15-8 lead and held off another late Panther comeback. After Amy Sampson's ace cut UNI's deficit to 19-18, ISU benefitted from two UNI hitting errors, and Leggett closed out the frame with a pair of kills.

The stakes were high entering set five, as a loss would have been an early black eye on Northern Iowa's resume for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. Instead, the dramatic victory provided the Panthers with a positive character-building experience.

"This was a big learning experience," Stelken said. "The fact that we were up two (sets) and got down was something we really need to focus on and make sure that doesn't happen. But then again, to have this fifth-game win under our belt is a good thing to look back on."

Contact Nick Petaros at (319) 291-1428 or nick.petaros@wcfcourier.com