TODAY IN PEACOCK VOLLEYBALL… The No. 19 Upper Iowa volleyball team welcomes the Minnesota State University-Mankato Mavericks, who received votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, to Dorman Gymnasium for a 6 p.m. Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference battle. The match concludes Upper Iowa's three-game homestand and is the first of three total games the Peacocks have scheduled for this week.

LIVE OPTIONS… Live stats and webcast will be available through the links at UIUPeacocks.com/Live or the game can be streamed live on the Stretch Internet App for fans with Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple or Android televisions. In addition, Tuesday's match can be broadcast live on KCRG-TV 9.2.

TEAM REED DAY... The Peacock volleyball team will be hosting Team Reed Day on Tuesday night in honor of Reed Havlik of Jesup, Iowa who was diagnosed with a very rare terminal genetic brain disease called Vanishing White Matter (VWM) as a toddler. Reed will be in attendance and recognized as an honorary captain during lineups, and everyone is encouraged to wear blue to the match, as navy blue is the ribbon color for VWM and one of Reed's favorite colors. A fundraiser will be facilitated during the match for those who would like to donate to Team Reed and finding a cure for this rare disease; a table will be located in the main lobby of Dorman for fans to enter into a paper airplane contest occurring in between sets 2 and 3 with prizes available to win. Donations can also be made through the Team Reed GoFundMe page linked above. For more information about Reed's Journey and VWM, please visit the Team Reed Crosby website through the links above.

RANKED AMONG THE BEST… The Peacocks grabbed the No. 19 spot in this week's AVCA Division II Top-25 poll thanks to a program-best 342 votes. Upper Iowa has been nationally ranked for five consecutive polls now and joins seven other NSIC teams in the top-25, including six in the top-12.

EVERY MATCH COUNTS… With eight NSIC teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25 Poll and two more receiving votes outside the poll, the Peacocks are regularly challenging the best teams in NCAA Division II week in and week out. As only the top eight teams in conference standings qualify for the NSIC Tournament during the postseason, every match counts and is seemingly a must-win for the Peacocks. Upper Iowa currently sits in a three-way tie for 8^th place with Minnesota State and Augustana.    

NSIC TOP PERFORMERS… Seniors Anna Winter and Haley Weepie were named NSIC Top Performers on Monday following their weekend performances. Winter averaged an NSIC-best 5.12 kills per set with 18 kills against Augustana University and 23 against No. 15 Wayne State College. She hit .284 over the weekend including .486 against the Vikings, and tallied nine digs, three blocks and an ace as well. Weepie spearheaded the Peacock defense with 5.25 digs per set, and played a big role against WSC by contributing a career-high seven assists and digging up 24 balls to earn her fifth game of the season with 20+ digs.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA STATE… The Mavericks are coming off a huge weekend of NSIC action, sweeping both No. 24 University of Sioux Falls and No. 9 Southwest Minnesota State University on their home court to improve to 11-5 overall and 4-4 in the conference. The offense is being led by senior outside hitter Morgan Olson who ranks 2^nd in the NSIC with 4.37 kills per set, while the defense is led by Mara Quam's 4.21 digs per set average. Dana Schindler coordinates the attack with 9.35 assists per set and Anissa Janzig leads the Mavericks at the net with .96 blocks/set.  

UP NEXT… The Peacocks hit the road to face Minnesota State University Moorhead and No. 6 Northern State University on Oct. 18-19. Friday's match against the Dragons is set for 6 p.m. in Moorhead, Minn., while Saturday's game will start at 3 p.m. in Aberdeen, S.D.