The Peacocks completed a weekend sweep after defeating Minot State University in three sets this afternoon in Dorman Gymn.  Upper Iowa got off to a fast start in set one, rallied from behind in set two and controlled play in the third set to improve to 7-4 on the season and 2-1 in the Northern Sun Conference.

Upper Iowa scored the first six points in set one and then held on for a 25-21 victory.  Defense led the way in the first set as both teams hitting struggled to get consistent points.  The home team earned 14 kills in the set, while MSU tallied 12.

In the second set, the Beavers jumped to leads of 6-1 and 9-6, but both times the Peacocks had answers.  Seven straight points from Upper Iowa turned the tide in the second frame and gave the home team a 13-9 lead.  Minot State rallied and tied the set at 21 and 22, but UIU scored three of the final four points including a stunning quick-strike from   Alisha VanderWoude for the win.

In the final set, the Peacocks pushed an early lead out to six, 17-11, midway through the set.  Trailing 20-14, Minot State tried to comeback into the set cutting the gap to three, 22-19, but Upper Iowa put a stop to the rally and finished the match with a pair of Tyann Casper kills around a Jennifer Mundt kill.

"It was great to come out tonight and play very well defensively against a high-powered offense," said Head Coach Aaron Nelson.  "Our blockers set the tone early by executing the game plan and taking away MSU's hitters' strengths forcing them toward our defenders.  Our back line picked up everything tonight.  Our offense was sparked by the defense and Ty Caspers was our go-to player, but we got solid contributions from everyone.  We're very proud of how we played this weekend."

Upper Iowa claimed a 45-38 advantage in kills and a 66-59 advantage in digs.  The big difference in the match came at the net where the Peacocks tallied 9 team blocks compared to the Beavers' 3 blocks.

Jen Dixon and Mallory Sall led the Beaver offense with 15 and 12 kills, respectively, while Cindy Pelo dug 20 Peacock attacks.

Mundt paced the UIU offense with 13 kills, while Caspers added 9, Hailey Brown chipped in 8 and Kelsey Hinrichs knocked down 7.   Brown dished up 24 assists, while the defense was led by Hinrichs' 16 digs and Haylie Franklin's 5 blocks (3 solo).

Upper Iowa will welcome the seven-time, reigning NCAA Division II Champion Golden Bears of Concordia University, St. Paul to Fayette on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m.  Tuesday night will be a WHITE OUT night in Fayette; wear white and support your Peacocks against the nation's best.