THIS WEEK IN UIU VOLLEYBALL… The Peacocks have a pair of Northern Sun Conference matches to close out this week, but are split between away and home action. Upper Iowa heads to St. Paul, Minnesota on Thursday, Oct. 20 for a match against the No. 3 Golden Bears of Concordia University, St. Paul at 6 p.m. The team will then return to Fayette and prepare to host the Mavericks of Minnesota State University, Mankato at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22. UIU is 12-8 overall and 6-7 in the Northern Sun, while CSP is 19-2 overall and 12-1 in the conference and MSU is 6-15 overall and 5-8 in the NSIC. Fans are encouraged to wear pink on Saturday for Breast Cancer Awareness along with the Peacocks on Dig Pink Night.

LIVE OPTIONS… Both matches will have a pair of live options available for fans who can't make it to the Twin Cities or Fayette. Live stats and a webcast will be available through links at UIUPeacocks.com/Live. In addition, the matches can 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. The Minnesota State match will also be broadcasted on KCRG-TV 9.2 beginning at 8 p.m. on Saturday night.
 
GET YOUR TICKETS… Upper Iowa has partnered with HomeTown Ticketing for all of this season's volleyball matches in Dorman. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time at UIUPeacocks.com/Tickets or by paying cash in person prior to the match. Fans are encouraged to stay ahead of the curve this season with the HomeTown Ticketing Fan App available on all mobile device platforms.
 
DIGITAL MATCHDAY PROGRAM… Digital programs are available to fans in the gymnasium or at home for the Minnesota State match. Fans can access the interactive gameday program at any time at UIUPeacocks.com/Programs. QR Codes will also be located around the lobby to scan with your cell phone's camera that will link you directly to that game's specific digital gameday program.
 
GIVING BACK… The Peacock volleyball team is hosting a Toy Drive for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital this Saturday during the home volleyball match versus Minnesota State. The team is asking fans to bring a toy and, in return, fans will receive free admission to the match. Toys must be new and unwrapped. Ideas for toys include Rubik's Cubes, word search books, fidget spinners, card games, newly purchased small plush animals, Fischer Price small toys, small and medium Lego kits, books, board games, Barbies, Matchbox cars, nail polish, Nerf balls, action figures and small tractors.
 
RETRACING OUR STEPS… The Peacocks put together six impressive sets at home last weekend and scored a pair of Northern Sun Conference sweeps over Bemidji State University and the University of Minnesota Crookston. Upper Iowa hit .243 as a team with 80 kills and a per set average of 13.3. The Peacock defense held their guests to a low .020 hitting percentage and only allowed 45 kills over the six sets thanks to per set averages of 17.2 digs and 2.3 blocks. UIU also had a big advantage at the service line over the weekend with 23 service aces while only surrendering five to the Beavers and Golden Eagles combined. Zoe Semelroth (25 kills) and Emily Kono (14) led the offense, which ran through the hands of Nicole Pozorski, who registered 64 assists. Kaci Beesecker paced the back line with 36 digs and added eight aces. Six different Peacocks posted at least three blocks in the two matches led by Sarah Johnson's five denials. Martha Pace made her collegiate debut on Saturday and knocked down six kills and added two digs.
 
PEACOCKS AMONG THE NSIC LEADERS… Semelroth is ranked 15^th in the NSIC in kills/set with 3.08, while her total of 219 ranks 16^th in the conference. Semelroth is also ranked eighth in aces/set with 0.4 and a total of 27. Thanks to her kills, aces and blocks, the Peacock middle is 10^th in the conference in points/set with an average of 3.9. Beesecker, UIU's libero, is ranked second in the NSIC in digs/set with a 4.66 per set average and third in the conference in aces with a 0.4 average and a total of 31. Pozorski is ranked ninth in assists/set with an average of 9.4, while Madelyn Rettler averages the 10^th best number of digs/set at 3.56.
 
SCOUTING THE NO. 3 GOLDEN BEARS… Concordia-St. Paul is 19-2 overall and 12-1 in the NSIC and only one team has been able to scratch the Golden Bears record so far. No. 1 Wayne State College defeated CSP in straight sets in back-to-back matches on Sept. 3 and 9. Since those two losses, Concordia has rattled off 12-straight victories and dropped only three sets to their opponents posting 10 three-set sweeps. The team is hitting .303 with a 14.9 per set average in kills and is picking up 14.8 digs per set and 2.0 blocks per set. Jasmine Mulvihill averages 4.4 kills/set and is hitting .298 to lead the offense, while Sophia Andersen (3.03) and Emma Schmidt (2.87) both average over 2.5 kills/set. The offense runs through Teagan Starkey, who is handing out 12.7 assists/set, while the defense is paced by Ellie Sieling and Schmidt with 3.3 and 3.2 digs/set, respectively. At the net, Katie Mattson denies 0.9 blocks/set, and Kennedy Brady adds 0.8 blocks/set.
 
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS… Minnesota State opened the season with a 1-11 record in their first 12 matches, but since a five-set win at Minnesota State University Moorhead, the team has posted a 5-4 record to move their overall mark to 6-15 and their NSIC record to 5-8. The NSIC wins have come against MSU Moorhead, Minot State University, University of Mary, Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State. Last weekend, the Mavericks lost a pair of four-set matches at home to nationally-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State University. MSU is hitting .170 as a team and is knocking down 11.9 kills/set and adding 1.5 aces/frame. The Mavericks are getting to 15.3 digs/set and also stopping attacks at the net with 2.2 blocks/set. Three players are averaging over 2.0 kills/set including Toryn Richards (2.3), Sophie Tietz (2.3) and Gianna Trotter (2.0). Two setters run the attack with Brooke Bolwerk averaging 6.8 assists/set and Makayla Snow notching 4.9 assists/set. Ellie Kline leads the team in digs with 3.3 per set, while Kiya Durant is averaging 1.2 blocks/set.
 
WHO'S NEXT… Upper Iowa will be busy next week with another three-match week on their plate. The Peacocks get started on Tuesday, Oct. 25 in Fayette with a rematch against Winona State University at 6 p.m. UIU will then head out on the road for a pair of matches on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28-29. Upper Iowa will line up against the Vikings of Augustana University on Friday at 6 p.m. in Sioux Falls, S.D. and then head south to take on the undefeated, No. 1 Wildcats of Wayne State College on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Wayne, Neb.