The goal for the Peacock volleyball team was simple tonight… win and snap the current five-game skid. Upper Iowa welcomed the Saints of Ashford, a NAIA member from Clinton, Iowa, to Dorman Gym. The Peacocks dominated the first two sets by scores of 25-19 and 25-17, but faltered in set three dropping the set 25-19. Upper Iowa rebounded in the fourth set to post a 25-15 win and claim the match, 3-1. With the victory, UIU improves to 6-15 on the year, while Ashford drops to 25-13 for the season.
The Peacocks enjoyed good hitting percentages in the first and second sets posting averages of .321 and .214 after combining for 28 kills and just 10 errors. The UIU defense stood strong as well allowing the Saints to hit only .087 and .161 thanks to just 18 kills. While the Ashford offense only improved to .175 in the third set, the home team dropped drastically to hit .088 with only 9 kills in set three. UIU claimed the final set by reestablishing their offense and hitting a .312 percentage. The Peacocks drove home 14 kills, while holding the Saints to .118 and just 8 kills.
Upper Iowa got a balanced scoring attack as eight Peacocks registered a kill. Nicky Brown tallied a team-high 12 kills, while Sara Vance registered 10 kills. Maryn Fulton added 8 kills and three assisted blocks. Skylar Lesan and Tatiana Jackson paced the attack with 30 and 10 assists, respectively.
This weekend the Peacocks will face a tough road challenge with matches at #14 Minnesota State on Friday night and #6 Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday afternoon.
