Box Score

Upper Iowa defeated St. Cloud State tonight in Dorman Gym to the enjoyment of a loud sea of pink.  The Peacock volleyball team hosted DIG PINK Night and played the match in honor of those in the Peacock family that are fighting Breast Cancer.  Fans supported their efforts by wearing pink and turning out in huge numbers. 

After dropping the first set to the Huskies, the Peacocks fired back winning sets two, three and four to claim the victory and improve to 10-7 overall and 4-4 in NSIC play.  In set one, the Huskies hit .452 to grab a 25-19 win, but UIU rallied with a 25-20 victory in set two.  The home team ran away with the third set, 25-13, outhitting their guests .323 to .118. 

In the fourth set, the Huskies dug down and pushed out to leads of 10-6 and 14-10.  Upper Iowa continued to rally back and stay within striking distance, but SCSU got to set point first, 24-22.  In total, the Peacocks staved off four set points before finally getting ahead, 27-26, and earning their first set and match point.  Skylar Lesan ended a long rally with a kill on the team's second hit that surprised the Huskies and fell to the ground for the final point.

The three senior attackers all took turns as the focus of the offense.  Nicky Brown posted 15 kills, while Kristy Hinrichs added 14 and Sara Vance knocked down 12.  Kayla Wagner hit 9 kills to the floor in the middle.  Lesan dished out 44 assists and added 3 kills on the night.  On the service line, UIU recorded 6 aces including 3 from Vance.

On the defensive side, Vance and Brown each registered 12 digs, while Danielle Gernes got to 11 digs.  At the net, Maryn Fulton had a solo block and 3 assisted blocks, while Wagner chipped in a solo block and 2 assisted blocks.

Upper Iowa will now travel to #1 Concordia-St. Paul on Friday night for match with the nation's best team.  On Saturday, UIU will head west to St. Cloud State for a rematch of tonight's contest.  Friday's action will begin at 7, while Saturday's first serve will go up at 4 p.m.