THIS WEEK IN UIU VOLLEYBALL… The Peacock volleyball team (20-9), which continues to receive votes in the latest AVCA Top 25 Poll (7 pts), is headed for their fourth straight appearance in the Northern Sun Conference Tournament. Upper Iowa tied for fifth place in the final regular season standings with a 13-7 mark against NSIC opponents, which set a new UIU-record for wins during the NSIC volleyball season. Due to tie breakers, the Peacocks are the seventh seed in the tournament and will play against the second-seeded Warriors of Winona State University, ranked No. 8 nationally, on Thursday. The UIU-WSU match is the tournament's first competition with first serve scheduled for 12 p.m.
WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL… The NSIC tournament is widely regarded as the top collection of talent in the nation with eight of the top teams in all of NCAA Division II. Five of the eight teams that qualified for the NSIC Tournament are ranked in the AVCA Top 25 including No. 8 Winona State (two-seed), No. 11 St. Cloud State University (one-seed), No. 13 Concordia University, St. Paul (three-seed), No. 15 Wayne State College (four-seed), and No. 16 Southwest Minnesota State University (eight-seed). SMSU finished the season tied with UIU (receiving votes/seven seed), Northern State University (five-seed), and Augustana University (six-seed).
PEACOCK LEADERS… Upper Iowa hit .214 during the regular season and averaged 13.1 kills per set, while tallying 15.8 digs/set defensively. On offense, UIU boasts four players that average more than two kills per set led by All-NSIC First Teamer
Kaitlin Niedert's 2.75 kills/set.
Maggie Streightiff, an All-NSIC Second Teamer, adds 2.51 per set, while
Zoe Semelroth and
Madelyn Rettler chip in 2.42 and 2.02 per set, respectively.
Nicole Pozorski has directed the Peacock attack throughout the season and is averaging 8.96 assists per set. Defensively,
Charisma Herr is averaging 4.45 digs per set, while Rettler adds 2.92 per set and
Sarah Stevelinck and Pozorski record 2.23 and 2.17 per set, respectively. At the net, Semelroth and
Kylie Willis put up UIU's best block with averages of 0.72 and 0.68 per set. On the service line, the Peacocks have put 210 aces (2.1/set) home led by a quartet of successful servers. Herr leads the team with 40, while Semelroth has registered 39, Rettler chipped in 35 and Pozorski tallied 33.
WHEN THE WARRIORS AND PEACOCKS MET IN FAYETTE… Upper Iowa took the first set of their match with then-No. 10 Winona State at home on Oct. 28, but the Warriors rallied with wins in the next three sets to claim a 3-1 Northern Sun Conference win. Fueled by four service aces in the opening frame, Upper Iowa jumped out to a commanding 20-13 lead. During the early play, the Peacocks got balanced scoring and kept the ball off the floor as the Warriors attacked. UIU forced Winona State into nine attack errors, but had to hold on for a 25-22 win when the visitors rallied to within two points, 22-20, thanks to a 7-2 run. In the second set, Winona State scored four straight points to push a narrow advantage into a 19-14 lead. Upper Iowa scored six of the next seven points fueled by kills from
Emily Kono,
Zoe Semelroth,
Kaitlin Niedert and
Nicole Pozorski and tied the score at 20-20. The home team couldn't keep the run going as the Warriors closed out the set on a 5-1 run to win 25-21 and tie the match at one set apiece. Upper Iowa was able to hang with Winona State in the third set trailing 19-17 late, but the Warriors ended the frame by scoring six of the final eight points to win 25-19. In the fourth set, the Peacocks used a 6-2 run to climb back into the set pull within three, 18-15, but the visitors were able to finish the set on a 7-2 run and claim the match three sets to one.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS OF THE 2021 MEETING… Winona State hit .208 on the night with 55 kills led by Megan Flom's 13 kills and Sidney Paulson's 12 kills. Bre Maloney handed out 44 assists, while Becca Pagel notched 24 digs and Flom, Madison Larson and Madison Rizner paced WSU's 12 team blocks. The Peacocks hit .119 on the night with 43 kills. Niedert led Upper Iowa's offense with 13 kills, while
Maggie Streightiff added 9 and
Emily Kono and
Zoe Semelroth chipped in 8 and 7, respectively.
Nicole Pozorski dished out 35 assists and added 5 kills and 6 digs.
Charisma Herr recorded 25 digs, while
Kaci Beesecker and
Sarah Stevelinck recorded 14 and 12 digs apiece.
MATCHES AGAINST THE TOP 25 IN 2021… Upper Iowa has played eight matches against AVCA Top 25 opponents this season and posted a 3-5 record in those matches. The Peacocks have three wins at home in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium over then-No. 23 University of Minnesota Duluth, then-No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State and then-No. 10 Concordia-St. Paul. UIU defeated UMD and SMSU in four sets, while sweeping the Golden Bears in three sets. In the five losses, UIU earned one set victory against then-No. 8 Northwest Misssouri State University, then-No. 16 St. Cloud State, and then-No. 10 Winona State, but were swept on the road by then No. 5 Wayne State and then-No. 6 Concordia-St. Paul.
PEACOCK HISTORY IN THE NSIC TOURNAMENT… Upper Iowa has played four matches in the NSIC Tournament in program history. In 2017, the team earned the seven-seed and lost to second-seeded Southwest Minnesota State by a 3-1 count. In 2018, UIU was the eight-seed and dropped a 3-1 decision to the top-seeded Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth. In 2019, the Peacocks were the eight-seed again, but UIU upset the top-seeded Wolves of Northern State University in a five-set thriller to secure their first postseason win at the NCAA Division II level. In the semis, UIU lost a five-set match to the fourth-seeded Huskies of St. Cloud State.
FOUR SEASONS OF SUCCESS… The Peacock volleyball success has been building under the direction of Head Coach
Aaron Nelson. Over the last four seasons, Upper Iowa has become a nationally-recognizable program in the top volleyball conference in all of NCAA Division II. The Peacocks have earned an 80-38 record overall and a 48-32 mark in the Northern Sun over their last four seasons.
