THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK VOLLEYBALL… The Upper Iowa volleyball team, who was ranked No. 21 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, will play their final home and regular season matches of the 2019 campaign this weekend. The Peacocks will host No. 5 University of Minnesota Duluth on Friday night for Parent's Night and No. 9 St. Cloud State University on Saturday afternoon for Senior Day. First serve is set for 6 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.
LIVE OPTIONS… Live stats and webcast will be available all weekend through the links at UIUPeacocks.com/Live or the games can be streamed live on the Stretch Internet App for fans with Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple or Android televisions. In addition, both matches can be broadcast live on KCRG-TV 9.2.
A WEEKEND OF RECOGNITION… The Peacock volleyball team will honor both parents and seniors over the weekend. On Friday, parents of each student-athlete will be recognized during lineups. Upper Iowa will then honor a group of six seniors on Saturday for their contributions to the volleyball program over the last four years. Gabby Holmes, Carlee Ketchum, Claire Milnes, Krisha Tonne, Haley Weepie and Anna Winter have all played large roles in some of UIU's most successful seasons as a program. In the last four years, Upper Iowa has tallied 71 wins, qualified for the elite NSIC Tournament two times, and made an appearance in 10 AVCA DII Top-25 polls. The Peacocks also set the program record for most wins in a single season with 21 (2017), the most NSIC victories in a season with 12 (2017), and the most sweeps in a season with 15 (2019).
ALL-NSIC PERFORMERS… A trio of Peacock seniors were selected to the Northern Sun All-Conference Team on Thursday afternoon including outside hitter Anna Winter (First Team), libero Haley Weepie (Second Team) and setter Carlee Ketchum (Second Team). Winter's honor is her third after earning second team honors in 2017 and first team accolades as a junior, Weepie's honor was her second straight, and Ketchum was named to the team for the first time in her career. Each of the seniors not only led the team in their respective positions but also ranked among the best in the NSIC. Winter tallied 264 kills (7th in NSIC) in her 62 sets against Northern Sun opponents for a 4.26 kills per set average that ranks fourth in the league. She also ranks in the top-20 after hitting .290 in NSIC action this season. Weepie has accumulated 292 digs (8th in NSIC) against conference foes to rank seventh in the league with 4.71 digs per set, and Ketchum tallied 674 assists and a 10.87 assist per set average to rank sixth in the conference in both categories.
BRING OUT THE BROOMS… Upper Iowa set a new program record for most sweeps in a single season last weekend when the Peacocks notched their 15th straight-set victory on Saturday at Bemidji State University. UIU has won 78.9 percent of its matches in three sets this season including all but two of their NSIC victories. The University of Sioux Falls is the only other conference team to have won a higher percentage of their matches via sweep; 12 of the Cougars' 15 wins have gone to three sets (.800).
TOURNAMENT TALK… At the conclusion of all 16 matches this weekend, the top eight teams in the Northern Sun Conference standings will travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. for the NSIC Tournament beginning on Nov. 22 at the Sanford Pentagon. The Peacocks currently rank eighth in the league standings with an 11-7 record against NSIC opponents and are looking to make the tournament for the third consecutive season. No. 16 Winona State University and (RV) Augustana University both sit one game ahead of UIU with 12 wins apiece, while No. 17 Southwest Minnesota State University trails the Peacocks by a match with 10 wins. Upper Iowa could automatically qualify for the tournament with a pair of wins this weekend but would otherwise need some help from around the league to advance into the postseason.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS… Minnesota Duluth enters the weekend ranked No. 5 in the AVCA DII Top-25 and No. 2 in the latest NCAA DII Central Region. The Bulldogs are 23-3 overall and sit atop the NSIC standings with a 16-2 record. UMD averages more kills per set (15.25) than any other team in NCAA Division II while hitting .264 as unit to rank fourth in the NSIC. Kate Berg floors 4.27 kills per set (3rd in NSIC) to lead the team, while Abby Thor chips in 2.78/set and leads the team with a .368 attack percentage. Emily Balts coordinates the offense with 12.29 assists per set, which leads all NSIC setters and ranks 2nd in the nation. Defensively, the Bulldogs rank fifth in both opponent hitting percentage (.165) and digs per set (16.71). Keena Seiffert paces the backline with 5.12 digs per set (3rd in NSIC) and Thor patrols the net with .9 blocks per set (9th in NSIC)
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES… St. Cloud State is also ranked in both the AVCA Top-25 and Central Region rankings. After a split with Minnesota State University-Mankato and No. 6 Concordia University, St. Paul last weekend, the Huskies dropped one spot in both to come in at No. 9 in the nation and No. 6 in the region. SCSU is 21-5 overall (13-5 NSIC) and tied for fourth place in conference standings. The Huskies rank ninth in the NSIC with a .223 hitting percentage and fifth in kills per set (14.32) led by Linsey Rachel who averages 3.96 kills per set (9th in NSIC). Defensively, St. Cloud State leads the NSIC with 19.02 digs per set, which also ranks 13th in all of NCAA Division II. The efforts are led by NSIC Libero of the Year Clara Krenz who averages 5.9 digs per set (1st in NSIC; 9th in NCAA DII). Along with their digs, the Huskies average 1.98 blocks per set (5th in NSIC) to help rank fourth in the league for opponent hitting percentage (.164).
