Box Score

The Peacock volleyball team lost a hard fought match at home tonight versus the #16 Wildcats of Wayne State College.  Upper Iowa gave Wayne State all they could handle in sets two and three, but the Wildcats showed why they are one of the nation's best outlasting their hosts for a 3-1 victory.  After the loss, UIU sits at 15-13 overall and 9-10 in the NSIC.

After the Wildcats took a 25-18 win in the opening set, the Peacocks fired back to tie the match at one set apiece thanks to a 25-23 decision.  UIU trailed by five points, 20-15, late in the second set, but the home team rattled off a 10-3 run fueled by four kills by four different hitters.

In the third set, Upper Iowa continued their hot play and jumped out to an early 10-6 lead.  UIU built on the margin through the midway point and claimed a 17-12 lead.  The Wildcats rallied with an 11-3 run to take a three-point advantage.  The Peacocks didn't give in and earned set points at 26-25 and 28-27, but the Wildcats pulled out the 31-29 victory to move ahead 2-1.

Wayne State used a 13-6 run in the middle of the fourth set to take control.  The Wildcats posted a 25-19 win to post the match win and improve to 21-8 overall and 13-6 in the NSIC.

Melanie Behnke registered 17 kills on the night and was joined by Jennifer Mundt (13) and Hailey Brown (10) in double figure kills.  Kayla Wagner added 8 kills, 7 digs and 7 blocks on the night.  Skylar Lesan handed out 44 assists and picked up 14 digs.  Amanda Weiss led the back line with 18 digs.

The Peacock loss keeps the team in ninth place, but with only one match left and two wins separating UIU from the team ahead of them, Upper Iowa will be playing their final game of the season on Sunday.

Upper Iowa will host the Vikings of Augustana at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.  The Peacock seniors will be recognized prior to the match.