THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK VOLLEYBALL … The Peacocks are back in Dorman Gymnasium tonight at 6 p.m. in a non-conference battle with Winona State before heading to Hammond, Ind. for the Midwest Crossover tournament later this week. The Midwest Crossover will be held on Oct. 13-14 with representation from several different conferences. Upper Iowa will face Ohio Dominican and Wayne State University (MI) on Friday at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., with their last match taking place on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. versus Trevecca Nazarene. The Peacocks are 7-8 (3-2 GLVC) heading into this week.
LIVE COVERAGE… There are several ways to stay connected with Peacock volleyball if fans are unable to make it to Fayette this evening. There are both live stats (free) and a pay-per-view webcast available through the links attached with this story. Fans can also refer to UIUPeacocks.com/Live for all links on each gameday. More information with ways to follow matches at the Midwest Classic will be released later this week on social media and any links provided can be found at UIUPeacocks.com/Live.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK… Upper Iowa went 2-0 last weekend as they defeated Drury and Southwest Baptist. They trumped the Panthers in a 3-1 decision. The first two sets belonged to UIU in a 25-16 and 25-19 effort. The Panthers retaliated and pulled through with a 25-18 win to force a fourth set. Upper Iowa regained their footing and sealed the game with a 25-19 decision in the fourth set.
UIU earned their second win of the weekend in a tough-fought 3-2 victory against Southwest Baptist. SBU claimed set one with a score of 25-21 after UIU was unable to overcome an 18-9 disadvantage, despite their six-point run to bring the deficit to 18-15. The Peacocks came back to claim the second stint 25-20 and the third set as they scraped out a 25-21 win. The fourth set was taken by the Bearcats who rallied off an 8-0 run to win the game after trailing the Peacocks 22-18. UIU grabbed the fifth set in a 15-12 decision. They rattled off the last three points with the score tied at 12 apiece after a service error from the opposing team and kills from
Zoe Semelroth and
Martha Pace.
SUCCESS FROM SEMELROTH… Senior
Zoe Semelroth is coming off an impressive weekend of play as she recorded 44 kills with a .434 hitting percentage, fueling the Peacocks to a 2-0 weekend with wins over Drury and Southwest Baptist. The middle leads the team with 3.61 kills per set (.318), while also pacing the team with 21 service aces.
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS… Non-conference opponent Winona State is fifth in the NSIC standings with a 13-4 (6-3 NSIC) record. They are coming off two wins from last weekend after sweeping Minot State and University of Mary. The Warriors defeated fellow GLVC affiliate Truman State earlier this season in a 3-1 decision. WSU has a 16-9 mark against UIU that dates back to 2009. They fell to the Peacocks on Oct. 25 last year in a 3-1 final.
MIDWEST CLASSIC OPPONENTS… Upper Iowa is set to participate in the Midwest Classic this weekend, a tournament with teams from several conferences across the Midwest. They start off competition with Ohio Dominican, a G-MAC affiliate with a 9-7 overall record and a 6-4 mark in conference. Wayne State University (MI) is a member of the GLIAC who comes into the tournament with a 5-12 mark overall and 2-7 record in conference play. Trevecca Nazarene competes in the G-MAC and holds a 6-5 conference mark, and an overall record of 9-11.
ON THE HORIZON… The Peacocks travel to Missouri for a pair of matches next weekend. They compete with William Jewell and Rockhurst on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m.
