The Peacock volleyball team dropped a five-set match to the Minnesota State Mavericks on Saturday afternoon. UIU was tied with MSU 14-14 in the fourth set, up 2-1 in the match, before falling 25-19 in the set and then 15-4 in the deciding set to lose the match. Upper Iowa moved to 6-5 on the year and 0-2 in NSIC play with the loss, while Minnesota State improved to 8-2 and 2-0 in conference.

UIU took set one on the heels of an 8-0 run, swinging momentum in the Peacocks favor by turning an 10-13 deficit to an 18-13 lead. The Peacocks took the set 25-18 with Jennifer Mundt and Chelsea Berry picking up four kills each, hitting .310 as a team in the set.

After dropping the second set, Upper Iowa controlled the third set by taking the first seven points and at one point held a 15 point lead, 23-8, before winning the set 25-11. UIU hit a match-high .324 for the set while Minnesota State had just eight kills compared to eight errors in the set.

A back-and-forth fourth set saw each team match one another point for point, reaching 14-14 before MSU took a 16-14 lead. The two-point deficit would be as close as the Peacocks would get as the Mavericks won the fourth set 25-19. That momentum carried over to the fifth set for Minnesota State, who scored nine of the first 10 points and beat the Peacocks 15-4 in the deciding set.

Mundt led UIU with 18 kills, while Miranda LeJeune and Berry had eight and Alisha Vanderwoude had seven. Mundt is now 72 kills away from the most UIU history, trailing Shea Meyerman who had 1,305 in her career. Jenna Hermsen and Malissa LeClaire shared setting duties, splitting assists 26 and 19, respectively. Taylor Williams dug out 22 balls, with Hermsen (13), LeClaire (11) and Mundt (11) all picking up double-digit digs.

The Peacocks are back in Dorman Gym on Tuesday, Sept. 22, for a match against Winona State before heading west next weekend for matches at Augustana and Wayne State.