Upper Iowa dropped a four-set match on the road in Minot, N.D. The Beavers of Minot State University won the first set 25-17 before edging the Peacocks by two, 25-23, in the second set. UIU won the third set by seven, 25-18, but fell behind early in the fourth set and couldn't recover in a 25-21 loss. The teams entered the match tied for tenth in the NSIC with 6-12 marks in the conference. After the match, MiSU improved to 10-18 overall and 7-12 in the NSIC, while UIU dropped to 11-16 on the year and 6-13 in the conference.
Jennifer Mundt had another big night hitting for the Peacocks as she registered 20 kills and added 12 digs and 4 blocks.
Hailey Brown put together her eighth triple-double of the season with 25 assists, 12 digs and 11 kills, while
Amanda Weiss picked up 20 digs and
Alisha VanderWoude recorded 6 blocks at the net and chipped in 5 kills.
The two teams were tied at 11-11 midway through the first set, but a 9-3 run by the home team fueled by their offense set up the Beavers for a 25-17 win. Minot State jumped out early in the second set leading 12-6. The Beavers maintained their lead later in the frame, 21-15, but the Peacocks found their stride and tied the set, 23-23, thanks to an 8-2 run that featured 6 Peacock kills including four from Mundt's right hand. After the rally tied the match, MiSU was able to score the final two points to take a 2-0 lead.
After the break, the Peacocks broke an 8-8 tie with a quick five points in a row. The Beavers rallied to pull within two points on four occassions, but Upper Iowa never let their hosts get any closer. UIU scored seven of the final nine points of the set to claim the 25-18 win. Brown knocked down three kills in the Peacocks' final run.
Minot State raced out to a 5-1 lead and maintained a lead throughout the set. Upper Iowa closed the gap to a pair of points, 20-18, when
Sarah Frisch combined with VanderWoude for a block, but UIU would not get any closer. The Beavers put the match away with a 25-21 win the fourth set.
Upper Iowa will take the court at the University of Mary on Saturday at 6 p.m. for their final match of the season.
