THIS WEEKEND IN UIU VOLLEYBALL… The Peacocks are on the road for two more Northern Sun Conference matches this weekend to close out a five-match road swing. Upper Iowa will line up against the Beavers of Bemidji State University on Friday at 6 p.m. and then take on the Golden Eagles of the University of Minnesota Crookston on Saturday at 2 p.m. UIU is coming off back-to-back, two-win weeks to push their overall record to 10-4 with a 3-2 mark against NSIC foes. BSU enters the weekend with a 0-13 overall record and 0-5 in the NSIC, while UMC is 1-9 overall and 0-5 in the conference.
LIVE OPTIONS… Both NSIC matches will have multiple options for following live if fans can't be there in person. Both matches will have live stats and a NSIC Network webcast available through links at UIUPeacocks.com/Live. The matches can also be streamed through most mobile devices at NSICNetwork.com/UIUPeacocks or through the NSIC Network app on Roku and Amazon Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android televisions.
HIT THE REWIND BUTTON ON LAST WEEK… UIU won two of their three matches last week; both wins came in three sets over Minot State University and the University of Mary. The Peacocks opened the week at No. 6 Concordia University, St. Paul and stumbled in the opening set against the Golden Bears. After the tough first set, the Peacocks gave the perennial-powerhouse all they could handle, but dropped both the second and third sets by a score of 25-23.
Kaitlin Niedert,
Zoe Semelroth and
Maggie Streightiff led the offense as UIU converted 14 kills/set with a hitting percentage of .256 in their nine sets.
Charisma Herr and
Madelyn Rettler paced the defense which picked up 14.89 digs per set and held the opponent offenses to a .182 hitting percentage.
WHERE THEY RANK… Upper Iowa is ranked in the top-five in several categories within the high-powered Northern Sun Conference and in the top-30 across all NCAA Division II. When it comes to per set averages, UIU is second in the NSIC in digs (16.45), third in kills (14.02), fourth in aces (1.78) and fifth in assists (12.67). Nationally, the Peacocks are 18
th in kills/set and 30
th in assists/set. Upper Iowa's season totals are among the best including a NSIC-best 806 digs and 687 kills and the third-highest conference mark of 621 assists and 87 aces. The team's total digs and assists rank 17
th and 21
st in NCAA Division II, respectively. While seventh-best in the NSIC, the team's .249 hitting percentage ranks 29
th in the nation.
BALANCED ATTACK… Upper Iowa's success this season has been fueled by a balanced attack that has seen seven players record at least 40 kills in the team's 14 matches. Four Peacocks are leading the attack that is averaging slightly over 14 kills per set. Rettler leads the way with a 3.04 per set average, but Streightiff (2.69), Semelroth (2.67) and Niedert (2.57) are close behind and present the opponent's front line with a lot of decisions to make in defense.
Nicole Pozorski has set up the offense throughout the season playing in 48 of the possible 49 sets with a 9.96 assists/set average; UIU's starting setter is also averaging 1.31 kills/set.
GETTING DEFENSIVE… Senior
Charisma Herr is leading the back line from her libero position this season. Herr is averaging 4.76 digs/set, which ranks fourth in the NSIC, and has tallied 233 this season, which puts her third in the conference. In addition to Herr's great passing, she has notched a team-high 21 aces. Rettler (2.71 digs/set),
Sarah Stevelinck (2.59) and Pozorski (2.29) have all handled their defensive passing duties as well. At the net, UIU is averaging 1.8 blocks/set with Semelroth accounting for half of that total. The Peacock middle blocker has 43 blocks in 48 sets and carries a 0.90 per set average.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS… Anna Averkamp paces the team with 112 kills this season and averages 2.60 kills/set. Emily Wade coordinates the Beaver attack with 326 assists and a 7.41 assists/set average. On defense, the Beavers are led by Madison Weyker who has totaled 167 digs with a 3.80 digs/set average. At the net, Bjerklie leads the team with 24 blocks. As a team, BSU is hitting at a .094 clip, while allowing opponents to hit at a .290 efficiency. The Beavers average 9.66 kills/set.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES… Lauren Wallace leads UMC with 82 kills on the year and is averaging 2.48 per set. Natalie Koke sets up the Golden Eagle attack with 6.55 assists/set thanks to 216 helpers in 33 sets. On the back line, Layne Whaley (74 digs), Wallace (71) and Bailey Schaefer (70) pace the team to an average of 11.21 digs/set. Mara Weisensel has bothered opponent attacks at the net posting 20 blocks on the season. As a team, UMC has tallied 300 kills on the season and is averaging 9.1 per set with a .109 hitting percentage. The Golden Eagle opponents have hit .267 and averaged 13 kills/set.
LOOKING AHEAD… The Peacocks return home to Dorman Memorial Gymnasium next Friday and Saturday for the first and second contests of a four-match home stand. Upper Iowa hosts St. Cloud State University on Friday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. and the University of Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m.
