Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Box Score vs. MSU Mankato (HTML) || Box Score vs. Black Hills State (HTML)

Upper Iowa made it through day one of the Maverick Invitational hosted by Minnesota State University, Mankato with a split thanks to a victory this evening over the Yellowjackets of Black Hills State University.  The day began with a match against the host Mavericks at 9 a.m.  UIU and their opponent locked up in a close battle, but Minnesota State was able to get the better of their guests in the final points of three of the four sets played.  In the 5 p.m. match against BHSU, the Peacocks picked up a sweep, their first of the season, to improve their record to 5-2 on the season.

Minnesota State 3 - Upper Iowa 1 (28-26, 25-22, 18-25, 25-20)

The first set between the Peacocks and Mavericks foreshadowed what type of match it would be.  Both teams went back and forth throughout the opening frame and were tied at 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26.  Upper Iowa got their first set point at 26-25 on a service ace from Hailey Brown, but Minnesota State scored the final three points to earn the 28-26 win.

In set two, the Mavericks pushed out to a 23-16 lead, but UIU closed the gap to 24-22 thanks to a 6-1 run behind the service of Jenna Hermsen.  MSU got the win for a 2-0 lead thanks to a kill that ended the set.

Upper Iowa dominated the second half of the third set holding Minnesota State to a .082 hitting percentage.  The Peacocks won the third set 25-18 after breaking away from a 13-13 tie midway through the set.

The Peacocks jumped out to an early 6-1 lead capped off by a pair of Hermsen aces.  The home team rallied to tie the match at 9-9 and the teams began to exchange points back and forth. Still tied at 18-18, the Mavericks scored four straight points and UIU was unable to recover dropping the final set 25-20.

UIU hit .148 for the match with 40 kills in their four sets led by #Jennifer Mundt"'s 10 kills.  Brown handed out 23 assists, while Amanda Weiss held down the back line with 24 digs.

MSU's 24 service aces limited UIU's offensive opportunities, but did give the road team a ton of free points throughout the match.

"This morning's match was a well-played match by both teams" said Head Coach Aaron Nelson.  "We've got to give a lot of credit to MSU for playing extremely well defensively.  We put a lot of pressure on them with a solid offensive attack, but they kept digging balls and making us take extra swings.  A few points here or there and we could have been the team celebrating at the end.  It really was a great effort by both sides to start the tournament."

Upper Iowa 3 - Black Hills State 0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-19)

In their second match of the day, the Peacocks got their first sweep of the season over the Yellowjackets.  UIU hit .209 in the match while holding their opponent to .121 and racking up 18 more kills than BHSU.

In the first set, Upper Iowa jumped out to a 9-3 lead and carried their advantage to the midpoint of the first set.  The Yellowjackets used a 4-0 run to pull within one point, 17-16, but the Peacocks were able to reset their lead thanks to a 6-2 run as they moved back to a 23-18 lead.

After winning set one, 25-20, UIU moved out to an 18-12 lead midway through the second fueled by a 9-3 run for the Peacocks.  Upper Iowa finished off the set to post the 25-18 win.

The teams exchanged points throughout the first half of set three, but with Hermsen serving, UIU was able to score five straight points and take a 16-11 lead.  The Yellowjackets pulled back within two, 19-17, but the Peacocks closed the match out securing a 25-19 victory for the sweep.

Mundt led the Peacock offense with 16 kills, while Brown added 10 kills and Tyann Caspers added 7.  Brown dished up 26 assists, while Hermsen added 14.  On defense, four UIU players reached double figures paced by Weiss' 19 digs.  Haylie Franklin posted 4 blocks at the net.

"We really played a good all-around match tonight" said Nelson.  "Our defense and blocking did a great job staying disciplined and taking away the things that Black Hills wanted to do.  We adjusted well all night and took care of the little things on our side of the net.  It was a nice step forward for the team to start fast and then close a team out once we were up 2-0."

Next Up

The Peacocks have one match left at the Maverick Invitational.  Upper Iowa will face the #19 Wildcats of Wayne State College tomorrow at 11 a.m.