The Peacock volleyball team opened the 2018 season at the Ferris State Invitational against the host Bulldogs, ranked No. 21 in the AVCA NCAA DII Preseason Top 25. Upper Iowa's hitters struggled to put the ball away to match FSU's production at the net falling in four sets, 3-1.

Upper Iowa only hit .059 for the match with 41 kills and 31 attack errors, while Ferris State hit .225 in the four sets with 58 kills and 20 attack errors. The Bulldogs were led by Allyson Cappel (18 kills) and Mekayla Carey (17 kills) on offense.

In the first set, the teams were tied at 14-all, but an 8-2 run by Ferris State fueled the home team's 25-19 win. FSU controlled the second set from the get-go jumping out to an early 7-2 lead on the way to a 25-17 win.

The Peacocks turned things around in the third set dominating the early points to get ahead 10-4. UIU's lead grew to as many as ten points, 21-11, before finally settling at 25-19. In the fourth set, Upper Iowa trailed 20-19 after a block from Anna Winter and Bethany Lovhaug, but Ferris State closed out the set and match with a 5-2 run.

Malissa LeClaire had a solid overall match in the middle for UIU with 34 assists, 21 digs, 5 kills and 3 blocks, while Haley Weepie led the team with 10 kills and added 15 digs. Both Lauren Wombles and Winter recorded 9 kills, while Madi Meier tallied 17 digs and Gabby Holmes added 10. Lovhaug got her hands on 5 blocks at the net.

Upper Iowa returns to the floor at Ferris State University on Friday for a match with the Lakers of Lake Superior State University at 2 p.m.