This Weekend in Peacock Volleyball... No. 25 Upper Iowa will look to snap their first two-match skid of the season this weekend with a pair of Northern Sun Conference home matches. UIU is coming off a pair of five-set losses to #15 Augustana University and #15 Winona State University after posting a five set win over #20 Wayne State College in their last three matches. UIU is 18-7 overall and 9-7 in the NSIC. This Friday and Saturday, the Peacocks welcome the Marauders of the University of Mary and the Beavers of Minot State University. UIU will recognize their two seniors Ashley Larson and Madi Meier prior to the match on Saturday.
 
Cracking into the AVCA Top 25... The American Volleyball Coaches Association, or AVCA, released their weekly NCAA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll Monday afternoon and Upper Iowa cracked into the rankings for the first time in program history as the No. 25 team in the nation. The Peacocks are one of eight teams from the Northern Sun Conference in the top 25, while the University of Sioux Falls, who the Peacocks swept in Fayette, is still receiving votes. Concordia University, St. Paul sits atop the rankings, while Southwest Minnesota State University is ranked second. Northern State University is seventh, the University of Minnesota Duluth is ninth, Winona State University is fifteenth, Augustana is sixteenth and Wayne State is now twenty-second in the poll. Upper Iowa's six losses this season have all come at the hands of the teams ranked No. 1, 2, 7, 9, 15 and 16. The team is 3-7 against teams listed in the AVCA Top 25 or receiving votes and 15-0 against the remainder of their schedule.
 
Witness to History... Upper Iowa's 18 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.
 
Last Time with the Marauders... The Peacocks hit .321 against the Marauders including highs of .406 (3rd set), .381 (4th set) and .303 (1st set), but it wasn't until Upper Iowa put the focus on their defense that the team was able to get away from their hosts. After a pair of close sets that the teams split 25-21 in favor of UIU and 25-23 in UMary's direction, the Peacocks came out of intermission with a different intensity. Upper Iowa's defense limited the Marauders to just 9 kills in the set, while the offense converted 13 kills and no attack errors for a dominating 25-11 win and a 2-1 lead in the match. The score was tied early in the fourth set, but Upper Iowa broke free thanks to a big run for a 25-21 win. Anna Winter posted a team-high 14 kills, while Haley Poula and Haley Weepie each added 9. But junior middle Bethany Lovhaug stepped up to put down 11 kills and block 12 Marauder attacks  Malissa LeClaire handed out 49 assists, while Weepie dug up 19 UMary attacks and Ashley Larson added 16 and Gabby Holmes chipped in 12. Morgan Schnabel tallied 16 kills, while Lauren Randall added 13 and Anna Nietfeld chipped in 10 to lead the UMary offense. Katelyn Olson paced the Marauder attack with 48 assists, while Geovana Almeida picked up 20 digs on defense.
 
Last Time with the Beavers… The Peacocks jumped out to an early 11-3 lead in the first set and maintained their advantage through the remainder of the set. Bethany Lovhaug made a huge impact during the opening run with a pair of assisted blocks and two kills. In the second set, the Peacocks and Beavers were tied at 5-5 when UIU separated from their hosts with a 12-5 run to fuel a 2-0 lead. The run was highlighted by three kills from Haley Weepie, Haley Poula and Malissa LeClaire. In the third set, the two teams once again began going back and forth, but a late 9-2 allowed the visitors to wrap up the set 25-17 and close out the match 3-0. Lovhaug was at it again to put the clamps on Minot State with two assisted blocks and an assist in the final run of points. Anna Winter and Haley Weepie posted 11 and 10 kills, respectively, to lead the Peacock offense. LeClaire handed out 30 assists on the night, while Ashley Larson picked up 20 digs from her libero position. Weepie added 14 digs, while Lauren Wombles chipped in 8 kills and Lovhaug had 4 kills, but 6 assisted blocks. Shelby Spuller scored 9 kills, while Brileigh Boyce and Jeanne Brenner added 8 and 7 kills for the Beavers. Kelsey Dewulf dished out 29 assists, while Karli Koza held up the back line defense with 25 digs.
 
Looking Ahead... The Peacocks will be on the road for the last two matches of the regular season next weekend. Upper Iowa will face Northern State University on Friday, Nov. 10 and Minnesota State University Moorhead on Saturday, Nov. 11. UIU is in control of their own destiny and entrance into the first-ever NSIC Tournament. Three wins in their final four matches should push Upper Iowa into the tournament.