FAYETTE, Iowa - The Peacock volleyball team finished up a busy spring a few weeks ago, and has now officially announced their schedule for the 2018 season. The schedule is highlighted by a 20-match Northern Sun Conference slate, with 10 home matches on the docket. The home opener takes place Thursday, Sept. 6 against the defending national champion Golden Bears of Concordia University, St. Paul.

UIU will open their 2018 campaign on the road at the Ferris State Invitational in Big Rapids, Mich. The three-day tournament will house four matches from Thursday to Saturday, Aug. 23-25. The team then travels to Indianapolis, Ind. for the UIndy Invitational hosted by the University of Indianapolis. Upper Iowa will play four matches in two days, on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 31-Sept. 1.

After the nine-match non-conference schedule, the Peacocks open the Northern Sun season with the defending champs in Dorman Gymnasium at 6 p.m. UIU then heads out on the road for four straight in a week's time. On Sept. 8, the team takes on Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., and on Tuesday, Sept. 11, the Peacocks take on Winona State in Winona for the travel partner match. The team heads to Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State on Sept. 14 & 15 to wrap up that busy week.

The team returns home for the Wayne State Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m., and on Saturday, Sept. 22 the Vikings of Augustana University come to Dorman for a 2 p.m. start. The home schedule ends quickly, as the team heads on their longest road trip of the year the following weekend.

UIU makes another trip to North Dakota for a weekend with the UMary Marauders and the Minot State Beavers. The team heads to Bismarck and Minot for the second straight season, and the third time in the last four years. After the road trip, Upper Iowa returns home for three in a row, beginning Oct. 5 with the Northern State Wolves at 6 p.m. MSU Moorhead is in town on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 2 p.m., before the home stand ends with round two with the travel partner Winona State Warriors on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m.

The team alternates home and away for the final four weekends, which include a road trip to St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth on Oct. 12-13, and a trip out west to Augustana and Wayne State on Oct. 26-27. Sandwiched in between is a home weekend with Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston on Oct. 19-20, and the final weekend of the season is in Fayette as well. UIU wraps the regular season on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 2-3, against SMSU and USF, with Senior Day taking place against the Cougars.

The NSIC Tournament will be held from Nov. 6-10, with first-round games on Tuesday, and the rest of the tournament over the weekend. The Peacocks will look for their second-consecutive trip to the post-season after their first-ever taste of the best tournament in NCAA Division II volleyball a season ago. Upper Iowa finished with a school-record 21 wins, including a 12-8 mark in league play. The team lost to Southwest Minnesota State in the opening round, but throughout the year picked up four wins against team either ranked or receiving votes in the top 25.

Anna Winter was named All-NSIC Second Team, becoming the first Peacock to do so since 2014 and 2015, when Jenny Mundt claimed back-to-back all-conference nods as a junior and senior. Winter led the Peacock offense with 317 kills, the ninth highest total in the NSIC, and averaged 3.23 kills per set, which ranked eleventh in the conference. The sophomore hit .258 thanks to only 0.55 errors/set. Winter was fourth in the Northern Sun Conference in total attacks with 1,021. She also recorded 20 service aces, 128 digs and 48 blocks including 4 solo denials to round out her stat line.

The team returns all but one from a season ago, including soon-to-be seniors Malissa LeClaire, Lauren Wombles, and Bethany Lovhaug. Winter joins a junior class that features Haley Poula, Gabby Holmes, Carlee Ketchum, and Haley Weepie, as the team looks to build off an exception 2017 season.
 

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