The No. 22 Peacock volleyball team lined up against Minnesota State University-Mankato, who was receiving votes in the latest AVCA Top-25 poll, in the Taylor Center on Monday afternoon. In an effort to redeem a 3-1 loss suffered earlier this season, Upper Iowa came together as a team to earn their first road victory over the Mavericks in program history thanks to set scores of 25-21, 25-22, and 25-21. With the win, the Peacocks improve to 17-7 overall and 9-7 in the conference. Minnesota State falls to 15-9 (8-7 NSIC) on the season.
With the 2019 regular season quickly winding down, both teams went into the match knowing a win could only increase their chances of securing one of just eight spots in the elite NSIC conference tournament. Upper Iowa is now one game ahead of Minnesota State and No. 18 Southwest Minnesota State University with nine conference wins, and will look to maintain its position in the standings when the remaining NSIC teams play on Tuesday evening. SMSU will take on No. 13 Wayne State College in its mid-week matchup, while Augustana University - who UIU is currently tied for 7th with - is set to host University of Sioux Falls.
TURNING POINT…
- After Upper Iowa went up 2-0 in the match, the Mavericks worked their way out to a commanding 13-6 lead in the third frame. The Peacocks then generated a 10-3 run that would give the visitors their first lead of the set at 16-15. Kaitlin Niedert played a vital role during the stretch with two kills and a solo block, while Maggie Streightiff added a pair of kills and Kasey Brennan served up two aces. MSU would retake the lead at 18-17 but UIU saw five of the next six points go in their favor to go up 22-19 and the finished out the set ahead 25-21 to secure the sweep.
PEACOCKS OF THE GAME...
- Kaitlin Niedert led the team for the second-straight game with a season-high 16 kills. Niedert hit .419 with just three errors in 31 swings and also led the team with three total blocks (1 solo)
- Maggie Streightiff knocked down 12 kills and had just four errors in 19 attempts (.421)
- Haley Weepie continued to be a staple on the backline with a game-high 22 digs, her second highest per set average of the season (7.3/set)
- Carlee Ketchum handed out 33 assists and knocked down four kills in 12 attempts (.333)
STATS OF THE GAME...
- Upper Iowa rebounded from a season-low hitting percentage on Saturday with a .260 hitting clip thanks to 47 kills and only 14 errors in 127 swings
- The Peacock offense came out of the gates on fire with 17 kills in the first set compared to the Mavericks' 11; UIU hit .343 in the frame while MSU hit .2
- The Peacocks redeemed themselves behind the service line with a 5-3 advantage in aces after the Mavericks held a 9-3 advantage in the teams' previous matchup
QUOTABLE... "The last five days have been quite the grind for the team with five practices and three games since Thursday. We are proud of how much energy we were able to bring and how well we executed in crunch time, including a big comeback in the third set. We fought hard from start to finish and were aggressive throughout the match. It was a great team win tonight!"
-Head Coach Aaron Nelson
UP NEXT... The Peacocks will have the next three days off before hopping on the bus once more for a pair of road matches against Bemidji State University and University of Minnesota Crookston on Nov. 8-9.
