The No. 22 Upper Iowa volleyball team secured their fifth sweep in the last six matches on Friday evening with a straight-set victory over University of Minnesota Crookston. The Peacocks outscored the Golden Eagles 25-11, 25-19, and 25-13 on the road to improve to 18-7 overall and 10-7 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, while UMC fell to 4-21 overall and 2-15 NSIC. With the win, UIU remains alone in 8th place in conference standings.
Upper Iowa hit .306 as a unit thanks to 49 kills and 11 errors in 124 attempts. The Peacocks put on a defensive showcase to hold the Golden Eagles to a .067 hitting efficiency (24K, 16E, 120TA) thanks to 62 digs (20.7/set) and 6.0 total blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED…
- Upper Iowa closed out the first set with 9-1 run after the teams battled out to a 16-10 score. The Peacocks were led by Anna Winter (5 kills) and Kaitlin Niedert (3 kills) during the frame that resulted in a 25-11 set victory for the visitors.
- The Golden Eagles controlled the second set all the way out a seven-point lead, 17-10, but Upper Iowa battled back with eight straight points to take a 18-17 advantage. The run was highlighted by three total blocks including two solo denials by Sarah Johnson. UMC retied the set at 18-all on the next rally, but the Peacocks put the set away with seven of the next eight points to go up 2-0 in the match with a 25-19 win.
- After hitting .200 and .224 in the first and second sets, respectively, the Peacock offense was nearly unstoppable in the third frame. UIU hammered down 20 kills in the set with just one error in 36 swings for a .528 hitting efficiency. Kaitlin Niedert led the effort with seven total kills including four during a 8-0 spurt early in the set that gave Upper Iowa a lead they wouldn't surrender as the Peacocks would secure the sweep with a 25-13 third-set victory.
PEACOCKS OF THE GAME...
- Anna Winter led the team with 16 kills and no errors in 26 swings for a season-high .615 hitting efficiency
- Kaitlin Niedert extended her streak of games with double figure kills to six with a 15-kill performance
- Four Peacocks reached double digits in the dig department with Gabby Holmes leading the way with a season-high 14. Haley Weepie was next with 12 and both Charisma Herr and Carlee Ketchum tallied 10
- Along with her digs, Carlee Ketchum handed out 36 assists, knocked down seven kills, and was involved in two blocks
- Sarah Johnson was a force at the net with five total blocks including two solo denials. Johnson also added six kills and three digs
STATS OF THE GAME...
- Upper Iowa averaged more than 20 digs per set for the third time this season with 62 total
- The Peacocks earned advantages in every category including kills (49-24), hitting % (.306-.067), digs (62-45), assists (48-24), blocks (6-3), and aces (3-2).
- The sweep marks the 14th of the season, which ties the program record for most sweeps in a single season
UP NEXT... The Peacocks will stay on the road for another NSIC matchup against Bemidji State University on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
