Coming off the program's most successful run at the NSIC Championship Tournament, the Upper Iowa volleyball team moved up one spot to No. 18 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Top-25 poll. The Peacocks earned a program-high 361 votes to match their highest ranking as a team. Upper Iowa closed the 2019 campaign with a 21-9 overall record and 12-8 mark in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, which ties the program's highest win totals in both categories.
Half of the 16-team Northern Sun Conference are represented in the Top-25 along with two more receiving votes. Leading the way is NSIC Champions Concordia University, St. Paul who leaped five spots into the No. 3 ranking. University of Minnesota Duluth (No. 6), St. Cloud State University (No. 7), and Northern State University (No. 8) are also ranked in the Top-10, while Wayne State College (No. 13), Winona State University (No. 16), and Southwest Minnesota State University (No. 20) round out the eight nationally-ranked teams. Augustana University and Minnesota State University-Mankato received votes outside the poll.
After earning the eighth seed in the NSIC Tournament with a thrilling five-set victory over then-No. 5 Minnesota Duluth on Nov. 15, the Peacocks traveled to Sioux Falls, S.D. to face then-No. 4 Northern State who claimed their second-straight regular season conference title. The two teams engaged in a back-and-forth battle that came down to the final moments of the fifth-set, and Upper Iowa prevailed with a 15-11 set victory to advance to the semifinals for the first time in program history. The Peacocks then took the floor against fourth-seeded St. Cloud State in another match that would go the distance, however Upper Iowa fell just shy of the finals with a 15-10 fifth-set loss.
At the conclusion of the tournament, senior Anna Winter was named to the NSIC Championship All-Tournament Team along with six other athletes including Erin Fallert (CSP), Jasmine Mulvihill (CSP), Tori Hanson (CSP), Linsey Rachel (SCSU), and Phebie Rossi (SCSU). Winter led the Peacocks with 40 kills in their two games to average 4.0 kills per set. She swung at a .293 hitting clip and added 10 digs and 3 blocks to her stat line. As a senior, Winter broke the individual season school records for most kills (469), best kills per set average (4.3/set), most attack attempts (1,245), and most points scored (506.5). The outside hitter from Rochester, Minn. finished her remarkable career with 1,349 kills (2nd all-time), a .261 hitting percentage, 447 digs, 148 blocks, 55 aces, and 31 assists.
Seniors Gabby Holmes, Carlee Ketchum, Claire Milnes, Krisha Tonne, and Haley Weepie all suited for the last time in Peacock blue as well. Along with Winter, the trio of Holmes, Ketchum and Weepie also stamped their names in the career record books; Holmes played in 118 matches (7th all-time) and finished her career with 999 career digs (9th all-time), Ketchum handed out 1,661 assists (5th all-time) fueled by 1,180 this season (2nd-most all-time), and Weepie tallied 1,444 career digs (2nd all-time) including 538 as a senior (2nd-most all-time). Together, the six seniors combined for 73 wins to become the winningest class in program history.
Upper Iowa All-Time in AVCA Top 25
Nov. 25, 2019 - No. 18
Nov. 18, 2019 - No. 19
Nov. 11, 2019 - No. 21
Nov. 4, 2019 - No. 22
Oct. 28, 2019 - No. 22
Oct. 21, 2019 - No. 21
Oct. 14, 2019 - No. 19
Oct. 7, 2019 - No. 18
Sept. 30, 2019 - No. 22
Sept. 23, 2019 - No. 23
Sept. 16, 2019 - No. 25
Oct. 30, 2017 - No. 25
