VIDEO WEBSTREAM
LIVE STATS
Tonight’s Match... Upper Iowa closes out a three-match home stand tonight in Dorman Gym as they host the Warriors of Winona State University. The Peacocks are currently tied for 8th place in the Northern Sun Conference, while the Warriors are tied for 2nd in the NSIC.
Last Time They Met... Winona State scored the final five points of the first meeting’s fifth set to claim a 3-2 victory at home on Sept. 18. The loss came despite the Peacocks’ impressive hitting performance through the first four sets and superior defense at the net. For the match, UIU hit .283 with 66 kills, while WSU hit .255 with 81 kills. The Peacocks held a 14-5 advantage in team blocks.
Peacocks Ranked in the NSIC... A pair of Peacocks, junior Melanie Behnke and senior Kayla Wagner, are ranked in the top ten of two categories in the Northern Sun. Behnke, UIU’s top hitter, is third in kills/set with 3.81 and sixth in points/set with 4.08. Wagner is second in blocks/set with 1.3 and tenth in hitting percentage at .317. Sophomore Amanda Weiss ranks ninth in digs with 4.11 per set, while senior Skylar Lesan is ninth in the NSIC in assists per set with 9.64.
Leading the Peacocks... On offense, the Peacocks are led by the trio of Behnke, Jennifer Mundt and Wagner. Behnke leads the team in kills with 301, while Mundt, a freshman, is second on the team with 226. Wagner has recorded 169 kills from her middle position. Lesan paces the Peacock offense with 540 assists, while Weiss leads the back row defense with 325 digs. Wagner, Hailey Brown and Maryn Fulton have combined for 198 blocks this year.
Looking at the Warriors... The Warrior attack runs through three players; Bekah Saugen (235 kills), Katie Froehle (207) and Kate Horihan (193). The three-pack of hitters are set up by setters Elena Kruesel (305 assists), Kaley Jacobson (255) and Kayla Uhlenhake (247). The WSU defense is led by Maggie Finkel (295 digs), Froehle (235) and Saugen (225), while the Warriors are getting 2.15 blocks/set from a group of defenders.
Coming Up this Weekend... The Peacocks will travel north to face the #6 Bulldogs of the University of Minnesota Duluth on Friday night at 7 p.m. before heading back to central Minnesota for a 4 p.m. match with the Huskies of St. Cloud State University.
