The Upper Iowa Peacock Volleyball team opens the 2010 season by travelling to St. Leo, Florida to compete in the 2010 St. Leo Lion Classic hosted by St. Leo University.
The Peacocks will play four matches during the two-day event and open the Classic by battling the #19-ranked Gorillas of Pittsburg State on Friday at 12 p.m.
This marks the first action of the 2010 campaign for the Peacocks and for all four opponents.
Scouting the #19 Gorillas
The preseason #19-ranked Gorillas return four starters from a 2009 squad that posted a 25-11 record and qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the sixth time in seven seasons.
Pittsburg State concluded last season with a 25-11 mark overall which included a 14-6 record in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association and have been picked to finish fourth in the MIAA this season.
After graduating five starters last season, The Gorillas will have 10 new faces on the court for 2010 and all are freshmen except for junior transfer Danielle Borsari, a right side hitter from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Scouting the Wolves
The Wolves of West Georgia return all seven starters from the 2009 squad which finished with a record of 10-20 overall and 1-9 in Gulf South Conference action.
The Wolves have been picked to finish fifth in the Gulf South Conference East Division for the upcoming season and welcome a "2010 Top Newcomer" to the team this season in outside hitter Emily Reul.
Scouting the Chargers
Dominican College has been selected second in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference North Division and garnered one first-place vote after going 15-4 in conference play and 22-10 overall in 2009.
The team returns 11 players, including 2009 CACC co-Rookie of the Year, Michelle Fiorvanti. Fiorvanti led the team and conference in kills (346), while ranking second in the CACC in kills per game (3.15). For her efforts she was named to the All-CACC Second Team.
Fellow rookie Whitney Ranger also had a stellar 2009 season, finishing third in the CACC with 917 assists and fourth in service aces (52) and service aces per game (0.49). The Lady Chargers will be led by the 2009 CACC Coach of the Year, Stefanie Carrington.
Scouting the #11 Lions
The preseason #11-ranked Lions of St. Leo finished their 2009 campaign with a share of the Sunshine State Conference title and a 30-4 record, which included a 15-1 mark in league play. The 30 victories smashed the previous school record of 29 set during the 2008 season.
SLU returns much of their squad from 2009 and has been selected to finish second in the SSC for 2010.
Series History
The Peacocks have never played any of the four teams in volleyball since moving to NCAA Division II
The Last Meeting
None
Live Stats
Live stats will be available at the 2010 St. Leo Lion Classic via the following link:
St. Leo Live Stats
Live stats are provided by the St. Leo University Sports Information Department.
