Box Score

The Upper Iowa volleyball team made history tonight.  With their 3-1 win over Augustana the team secured the first winning season in program history and tied the high wins mark as well.  The Peacocks have completed their season in ninth place in the Northern Sun just one game behind eighth place (Augustana) and a spot in the NSIC/US Bank Volleyball Tournament. 

The team has posted a 16-13 record this season and has reached the .500 mark in the NSIC for the first time.  The Northern Sun is arguably the best conference in the nation for volleyball with five teams in the latest top 25.

The Peacocks said good-bye to six seniors today; they were Maryn Fulton, Danielle Gernes, Skylar Lesan, Emily Sparks, Kayla Wagner and Melissa Mueller. 

In its first three years in the Northern Sun Conference, Upper Iowa posted a 22-72 overall record and a 5-51 mark in NSIC matches; that all began to change when this group of seniors arrived in 2009. Their impact was felt immediately. The team has claimed 55 wins in the last four years including 30 in the toughest volleyball conference in the nation. The Peacocks have averaged nearly 14 wins per season over the last four years.

The Vikings of Augustana took the first set 26-24, but Upper Iowa rallied in set two.  The Peacocks used a 6-0 run behind the service of Hailey Brown to break a 12-12 tie and take control of the set.  The Peacocks claimed a 25-21 win as the teams headed to the locker rooms tied at one set apiece.

In the third set, UIU got some big blocks that rattled the Viking offense and helped the home team to rally from an early defecit.  The Peacocks took the third set 25-21 and moved ahead 2-1.

In the fourth and deciding set, UIU raced out to a 9-2 lead.  Although they were pushed by Augustana to the very end, the Peacocks got their set and match-winning point when Melanie Behnke hammered down a kill for a 25-22 win.

Behnke led the Peacock offense with 16 kills, while Jennifer Mundt added 11 and Wagner chipped in 9 kills.  Lesan paced the attack with 41 assists and added 4 kills.  On the backline, Sparks led UIU with 18 digs, while three other Peacocks racked up double figures on defense including Lesan (15), Brown (13) and Amanda Weiss (13).  At the net, Upper Iowa recorded 15 team blocks led by Wagner's 6, Fulton's 5 and Behnke's 4.