Upper Iowa's historic 2017 campaign came to an end tonight during the Northern Sun Conference Volleyball Tournament in Marshall, Minn. The Peacocks lost a four-set match to the No. 4 Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State University in the quarterfinals of their first NSIC Tourney. With the loss, the Peacocks finish their season with a 21-9 record overall, while SMSU improves to 26-3 overall and moves on to the NSIC Tournament semifinals.
 
"I couldn't be more proud of this group," said Head Coach Aaron Nelson. "They are genuine, fun loving and understand what it means to be part of a team. We showed resiliency and toughness, and we never backed down or quit at any point during the season including tonight. The girls handled the big moments with poise and we gave an extremely good team a tough out tonight. Hats off to a historic season that we will look to build upon going forward."
 
The second-seeded Mustangs got ahead early in the first set, 8-2, but the Peacocks battled back to cut the gap to one, 12-11. The set remained tight and the Mustangs led by three, 21-18 as the frame neared its end. SMSU scored four of the final five points to claim the opening set 25-19.
 
The home team jumped out in front early and often leading 12-5 and 15-8 during the second frame. The Peacocks were able to rally and close the gap to three, 20-17, but the Mustangs marked the scoreboard last in the second set with five of the final seven points.
 
After the break, the Mustangs came out quickly and took an early 5-0 lead in the third set. The Peacocks used a 9-4 run to tie the set at 9-9 fueled by a pair of kills from Anna Winter and Haley Weepie. The two teams stayed close through the middle of the set, when a Peacock miscue at the service line gave the Mustangs a 20-17. Trailing 24-23, the Peacocks held off a match point for the Mustangs, and then scored three of the final four points to win the set 26-24.
 
In the fourth set, the Mustangs took control of the frame and did not let loose until they had reached 25 points. SMSU forced the Peacocks into an uncharacteristic 7 errors in the final set.
 
Anna Winter scored 10 kills, while Haley Weepie and Haley Poula both came out of the match with 8 kills. The Peacocks hit .181 as a team with 41 kills set up by Malissa LeClaire's 36 assists. Weepie led the defense with 26 digs, while Ashley Larson chipped in 14 digs in her final volleyball match with the Peacocks.