THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK VOLLEYBALL… Upper Iowa heads to Kenosha, Wis. this weekend for four matches as part of the Hampton Inn Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. The Peacocks will take on No. 19 Michigan Technological University and the host Rangers on Friday, Sept. 2 at 1 and 7 p.m., respectively. UIU will then line up against McKendree University and the University of Illinois Springfield at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3.
 
LIVE OPTIONS… All four matches will have a pair of live options available for fans who can't make it to Kenosha. Both live stats (free) and a pay-per-view webcast (FloSports subscription) of each match will be available using the links above or by going to UIUPeacocks.com/Live.
 
OPENING WEEKEND REVIEW… Upper Iowa posted a 3-1 record in their opening weekend in Marquette, Mich. The Peacocks posted a three-set win over Lake Superior State University on Thursday, split a pair of five-set decisions with a win over the University of Minnesota Crookston and loss to Northern Michigan University on Friday, and closed out the weekend with a four-set win over Cedarville University. Following the tournament, Maggie Streightiff and Madelyn Rettler were named to the Wildcat Open All-Tournament Team. As a team, UIU averaged 11.5 kills per set and hit .200, while holding their opponents to 9.6 kills per set and a .123 hitting percentage. Defensively, the Peacocks got their hands on 15.8 digs and 1.8 blocks per set.
 
ZOE'S ZONE… Middle blocker Zoe Semelroth had a tremendous weekend leading the Peacocks to their 3-1 mark. The Tripoli, Iowa product put down a team-high 40 kills in the four matches and added 9 blocks including seven solo denials. Semelroth hit .600 on 15 swings against Minnesota Crookston and .593 in 27 swings against Northern Michigan.
 
HELPING HANDS… Setter Nicole Pozorski registered 134 assists in her 17 sets to pace the Peacock attack. The Eagle, Wis. native posted her best per set average in the five-set loss to Northern Michigan at 8.4 thanks to a total of 42 assists. Pozorski added 48 digs, 12 kills, and six blocks.
 
GETTING OFFENSIVE… In addition to Semelroth and Pozorski, Rettler (35) and Streightiff (32) combined for 67 kills in the four matches with both averaging just over two kills per set. Sarah Johnson played in nine sets over the weekend and recorded 21 kills from her middle position, while Emily Kono (16), Lydia Imbrogno (14), Kylee Oldenburger (13) and Pozorski (12) all racked up double-digit kill totals.
 
DEFEND YOURSELF… Upper Iowa's defense played well keeping the ball off the ground over the weekend. The best hitting percentage any opponent was able to record was .150 by Northern Michigan. UIU was able to force a hitting percentage of .058 by Lake Superior State. Rettler led the team with 57 digs, with Kaci Beesecker close behind with 51 and Pozorski's 48. At the net, Johnson added seven blocks to Semelroth's nine and Pozorski's six.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS… Michigan Tech opened the season with a 4-0 record at the Otter Invitational hosted by Cal State University-Monterey Bay. The Huskies did not lose a set in their four wins and moved into the AVCA Top 25 at No. 19 this week. Setter Lina Espejo-Ramirez was named the GLIAC Setter of the Week after averaging 9.58 assists and 2.92 digs per set in the four wins. Hitter Jillian Kuizenga was named the MVP of the tournament averaging 3.25 kills per set and libero Carissa Beyer was named to the all-tournament team with 3.8 digs per set.
 
Parkside opened their season at the Green Chile Classic at Western New Mexico University with a 2-2 record. The Rangers defeated Cal Poly University Humboldt and Fort Lewis University. Jazmine Neal paced the offense with 56 kills, while Reese Rossnagel added 45 kills. The UWP offense runs through Karlee Lois, who handed out 106 assists and added 43 digs. Neal (20) and Lindsay Krznarich (14) played big at the net sparking a team average of 2.13 blocks/set.
 
Illinois Springfield claimed a 3-1 record last weekend with wins over Fort Hays State University, Arkansas Tech University and Westminster College in Edmond, Okla. The Prairie Stars grabbed three-set sweeps in all three wins, but dropped a 3-0 decision to Oklahoma Christian University. Angela Denney led the UIS offense with 68 kills and a .292 hitting percentage, while Zanea Spencer notched 41 kills while hitting .374. Regan Trueblood set up the offense with 128 assists and added 42 digs. Amanda McConnell led the back line with 50 digs, while Ericka Snopko recorded nine blocks.
 
McKendree comes into the weekend with a 2-2 overall record after last weekend's run at the UIndy Invitational. The Bearcats split their two matches each day with wins over the University of Findlay and the University of Montevallo. Brianna Binder (58) and Colleen Preusser (50) combined to lead the offense with 108 kills in the four matches thanks to 170 assists out of the hands of Amber Williams. Binder also led the team in digs with 75, while Preusser notched 51 digs and Williams added 42. Claire Diercks (17) and Lauren McCurley (14) came up big at the net to lead the Bearcats to a 2.0 blocks per set average.
 
UP NEXT… Upper Iowa will be on the road for one more weekend before playing in front of their home crowd in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium. The Peacocks will head west to the University of Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Friday, Sept. 9 and Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minn. on Saturday, Sept. 10. The two matches will crack open the 2022 Northern Sun Conference schedule for all teams involved.