TUES., 9/13 VS. WALDORF AT 7 P.M. || THUR., 9/15 VS. #1 CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
DORMAN GYMNASIUM - PROCHASKA COURT
SAT., 9/17 AT MINNESOTA STATE AT 4 P.M.
TAYLOR CENTER – MANKATO, MINN.
THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK VOLLEYBALL... Upper Iowa will return home to the newly refinished Prochaska Court inside Dorman Gym to kick-start the home half of their schedule. The Peacocks will line up against the Waldorf College Warriors in a non-conference match on Tuesday, before beginning the Northern Sun Conference slate at home with the Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears, who are ranked #1 in the nation, on Thursday and on the road against the Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks on Saturday.
JUST KILLIN' IT... Senior Alisha VanderWoude leads the Peacocks in kills with 91 this season. The Delton, Mich. product is converting her attacks at an impressive .401 clip and has added 16 blocks at the net. VanderWoude has been playing in the middle so far this season, but is expected to move back to the right side when sophomore Lauren Wombles returns to the lineup.
HELPING OUT... Upper Iowa sophomore Malissa LeClaire leads the team in assists with 222 assists (6.73/set), while freshman Carlee Ketchum has added 100 assists (3.57/set).
TWO HANDS ON THE BALL... Ashley Larson is pacing the backline defense with 131 digs. After gaining experience last year as a defensive specialist, Larson has taken over libero duties this season and has been a spark for UIU's transition offense.
FOURTH TIME IS THE CHARM... The Peacocks have played their best volleyball this season in the fourth set. Upper Iowa has outscored their opponents 127-102, posted a 5-0 mark and clinched one match win (WIlliam Jewell) in the fourth set.
QUICK LOOK AT THE WARRIORS… Waldorf is 6-8 on the season with wins over Grace (2), William Penn, Sterling, Mount Mercy and Mount Marty. The Warriors are coming off a 2-2 weekend at the College of Saint Mary Tournament.
QUICK LOOK AT THE #1 GOLDEN BEARS… Concordia-St. Paul has opened the season with a perfect 8-0 record and are coming off a title at the Colorado Premier Challenge. The Golden Bears won the title for the fifth time after knocking off three top-10 opponents and dropping just one set, their first set loss after winning the first 22 sets of the year. CSP outhit their opponents .331 to .150 and had eight different hitters average over 2.50 kills/set while six averaged 2.43 or more digs/set. Setter Kasey Williams earned Tournament MVP honors with 13.62 assists per set and 3.23 digs per set as she picked up a pair of double-doubles, while middle Riley Hanson led the team with 46 kills (3.54 per set) hitting over .500 (she hit .506 on the weekend) for the second weekend in a row to be named to the All-Tournament Team.
QUICK LOOK AT THE MAVERICKS… The Mavericks dropped their first two matches of the season last weekend, but bounced back with wins over Missouri S&T and Missouri Western State for a 6-2 record. The team improved their kills/set and digs/set averages by more than 2 kills and digs between the losses and victories. Setter Autumn Risch posted a career-high 59 assists and Haley Fogarty recorded a season-high 30 digs against Missouri S&T.
