Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Records
Upper Iowa (2-0) || Michigan Tech (0-1) || St. Joseph (0-2)
Recap
UIU 3 – MTU 2 (25-22, 25-27, 21-25, 25-16, 15-9)
The Peacocks won the first set of the match thanks in large part to their defense holding Michigan Tech to a .000 hitting percentage while converting on 12 kills to only 5 hitting errors. Both offenses hit well in the second set as MTU was able to edge out UIU and claim the 27-25 win tying the match at 1-1. In the third set, both defenses took control as the hitters struggled to put any attacks away. UIU dropped the third set, but rebounded with a dominating fourth set that saw 11 kills to just 3 attack errors en route to a 25-16 victory. In the final set, the teams were tied at 8-8, but the Peacocks used a 7-1 run to post a 15-9 win and take the first match of the season by a 3-2 count. Freshman
Chelsea Berry dropped four kills for the Peacocks during the final run. While the kills for each team was even (56), UIU held a 10 to 1 advantage in team blocks.
UIU 3 – SJC 1 (23-25, 25-14, 25-22, 25-21)
The Pumas jumped out to an early 1-0 set lead after edging out the Peacocks 25-23, but Upper Iowa rallied to tie the match thanks to an impressive second set. UIU hit .389 in the second set with 17 kills and only 3 attack errors while holding SJC to a .139 hitting percentage. The Peacocks were able to claim close decisions in both the third and fourth sets to record the four-set victory and improved to 2-0 on the early season. In the end, Upper Iowa held a 61-45 advantage in kills for the match and a slight advantage in team blocks.
Standouts
Vs. Michigan Tech
Jennifer Mundt - 26 kills, 13 digs ||
Chelsea Berry - 12 kills, 17 digs ||
Hailey Brown - 5 kills, 45 assists, 6 digs ||
Amanda Weiss - 22 digs ||
Alisha VanderWoude - 6 kills, 3 blocks
Vs. St. Joseph
Jennifer Mundt - 20 kills, 10 digs ||
Chelsea Berry - 14 kills, 17 digs ||
Hailey Brown - 6 kills, 47 assists, 4 digs ||
Haylie Franklin - 8 kills, 4 digs, 2 blocks ||
Amanda Weiss - 22 digs ||
Tyann Caspers - 7 kills ||
Alisha VanderWoude - 6 kills, 4 blocks, 3 digs
Sounding Off
Thoughts from Head Coach
Aaron Nelson after the matches.
On playing without a full lineup including senior Melanie Behnke…
"We had to call on a few extra players today as we were dealing with a few holes in the lineup today. The team really stepped up to the challenge and Jenny (Mundt) really set the tone early for us."
On the freshman…
"We had three freshman playing major roles for us today with Alisha (VanderWoude) in the middle, Chelsea (Berry) on the outside and Kelsey (Hinrichs) in the back row. They all played very well for their first collegiate test."
Overall reaction for the day…
"The wins today were a result of great team effort. We were solid passing, setting, attacking, blocking and defending today."
On the back row defense…
"Amanda (Weiss) was awesome on defense in our second match tonight. She gave us opportunities by keeping balls alive and creating great scoring chances for Hailey (Brown) and the hitters."
Tomorrow's matches…
"Tomorrow's opponents are tough. MSU Moorhead and Northwest Missouri State are both solid squads. We'll see how we transition from a good day today right back into competition tomorrow."
Next Up
The Peacocks will return to the courts at Winona State University on Saturday for the two matches against MSU Moorhead (non-conference) and Northwest Missouri State. The matches will be played at 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively.
