THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK VOLLEYBALL… Upper Iowa is back on the road this weekend for a pair of matches at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb. and Augustana University.in Sioux Falls, S.D. The powerhouse bouts will feature teams that have been mainstays in the AVCA Top 25 Poll this season with Wayne State holding onto the 20th spot in the poll and Augustana ranked 15th and the Peacocks remaining just on the outside looking in with the second-highest point total of those "also receiving votes." Peacock fans can follow the action via live stats and a live webcast through the links above or at UIUPeacocks.com/Live. Fans can also watch the matches through the Stretch Internet app on Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple or Android TV.
 
LOGJAM IN THE NSIC STANDINGS… The Wildcats enter the weekend with a 15-8 overall record, while the Vikings come into the matches with a 17-6 mark this season. UIU is 17-5 on the year and all three teams currently sit in a five-way tie for fifth place in the Northern Sun with an 8-5 record. The University of Sioux Falls and Winona State University are also tied for fifth in the NSIC.
 
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS... Upper Iowa's 17 wins in 2017 set a new high mark for wins for the program since the Iowa Conference began sponsoring the sport 36 years ago; the team had reached 16 wins twice. The first time was in 2009 under the direction of Head Coach Shari Robertson when the Peacocks posted a 16-18 mark. More recently, Head Coach Aaron Nelson guided the Peacocks to a 16-13 record in 2012, which followed a 15-15 season in 2011. The Iowa Conference began sponsoring volleyball as a women's sport beginning with the 1982 season and Upper Iowa posted a 2-32 record in their first year. Prior to the 2005 season, when UIU competed as an NCAA DII Independent, the program only registered a double-digit win total four times over a 23-season span.
 
AVCA TOP 25 POLL... Upper Iowa's volleyball team once again gained votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 this week and is now up to 62 points in this week's edition listed as the second team receiving votes. Upper Iowa is one of nine Northern Sun Conference teams mentioned in the poll including seven in the top 20 and one more receiving votes. The Peacocks have received votes in the poll for the last seven weeks straight, but have not cracked into the AVCA Top 25 yet.
 
1,000 DIG CLUB... Ashley Larson joined Upper Iowa's 1,000-Dig Club last weekend against #2 Southwest Minnesota State University. The Sumner, Iowa product gained entry to the elite club in the fourth set of UIU's match against the Mustangs and now has 1,005 career digs. She joins seven other Peacocks in the club including Stephanie Horstman, who holds the record for career digs with 1,988 (2009-12). Larson joined the Peacocks as a sophomore after transferring to Upper Iowa. UIU's senior libero leads the Peacock defense this season with 376 digs (6th NSIC) and 4.9 digs/set (6th NSIC). As a team, the Peacocks are fifteenth in the country and first in the conference in digs/set with 19.2, which allows the offense more opportunities to the tune of 39.6 attacks/set (14th NCAA/1st NSIC).
 
RETURN TO SENDER... Junior Bethany Lovhaug and sophomore Haley Poula have been teaming up to present a huge block to opposing hitters. Lovhaug leads the team and Northern Sun Conference at 1.3 (10th NCAA/1st NSIC), while Poula is close behind with .8 (18th NSIC). Junior Lauren Wombles and sophomore Anna Winter are adding .6 and .51 blocks/set as well to give the Peacocks a 2.0 average/set.
 
BALANCED ATTACK… Upper Iowa's attack runs through junior setter Malissa LeClaire, who is averaging 9.2 assists per set. The Peacocks are averaging 12.7 kills/set led by a trio of sophomores. Winter (3.1), Haley Weepie (2.9) and Poula (2.3) lead the team in kills, while a pair of junior middles are adding nearly 4 kills/set. Lovhaug averages 1.9, while Wombles is posting a 1.8 average per set. As a team, the Peacocks are hitting .211 and are only committing an average of 4.4 attack errors per set.
 
SCOUTING THE #20 WILDCATS… The Wildcats have won eight of their last 10 matches. Wayne State is 6-1 at home, 5-5 in road matches and 4-2 on a neutral court this season. WSC is 7-4 in 3-set contests, 5-2 in 4-set matches and 3-2 in 5-set games. As a team, Wayne State ranks second in the NSIC and 17th in NCAA Division II with an average of 2.37 blocks per set. The 'Cats are seventh in the league in opponent hitting percentage (.181), ninth in service aces per set (1.35), 10th in hitting percentage (.206) and 11th in digs per set (15.55) and kills per set (11.53). Senior rightside hitter Erin Gross paces the Wildcats in hitting with an average of 3.13 kills per set. She is second on the team in blocks with 71 (0.83 per set). Redshirt freshman Jaci Brahmer accounts for 2.41 kills and a team-high 1.07 blocks per set while also leading the 'Cats in hitting percentage (.322). Junior setter Megan Gebhardt ranks seventh in the NSIC with an average of 9.49 assists per set while sophomore libero Haley Kauth sits 11th in digs per set at 3.91.
 
SCOUTING THE #15 VIKINGS… Augustana (17-6, 8-5 NSIC) has won eight of-their-last nine conference matches and leads the NSIC with 1,192 kills. The Vikings are second in the conference in service aces, digs and assists. So far in 2017, Augustana is hitting at a 0.237 clip and allowing opponents to hit just 0.175. Both marks rank sixth in the NSIC. Junior outside hitter Courtney Place, who knocked down a career-high 24 kills last Saturday versus the Golden Bears, is ranked third in the conference with 320 kills. Alex Banker, a senior setter from Omaha, Neb., is fifth nationally and second in the NSIC with 969 assists.The Vikings all-time digs leader, Tahlyr Banks, has added 425 digs this season, a number that ranks second in the conference.