Upper Iowa volleyball came away with their fifth conference win in tonight's 3-2 triumph over the McKendree Bearcats. After the Peacocks dropped the first two sets 25-22 and 25-20, they came to life as they won the remaining three sets with scores of 25-20, 25-13 and 15-9. UIU improved to 10-13 overall and 5-4 in conference play, while McKendree dropped to 11-12 (1-8 GLVC).
Lydia Imbrogno had a monstrous evening as she recorded a career-high of 25 kills with a .344 hitting percentage to help propel the team to their positive result.
The Peacocks committed four service errors in their first set which contributed to their early offensive struggle. With the score tied at 21 apiece, the Bearcats strung together a 5-1 run stemming from two Peacock errors and three Bearcat kills to take the first set. The second set finished in similar style as McKendree held a 22-19 advantage and sealed the deal with a 4-1 run, ending the set on a Peacock service error.
The third set was when all of the momentum shifted. The freshmen duo of
Maria Winter and
Kailey Porter were key factors as they sparked new life in the Peacock offense.
The energy started to rise about halfway through the third set when
Maria Winter,
Madelyn Rettler and
Nicole Pozorski put together three straight kills for the Peacocks to take the 17-14 lead. The visitors never came closer than a two-point differential from the home team as UIU grabbed their first win of the night.
Dominance extended into the fourth set as Upper Iowa defeated their opponents by a 12-point deficit. The team went on a 12-2 slide to pump up the score and give them an 18-9 advantage. Imbrogno recorded eight kills in this set alone. The Peacocks finished the set on a 5-0 run.
Upper Iowa put it all away in the fifth and final set. They were trailing the Bearcats 7-5, but put together a ten-point slide to finish off the set and earn their fifth conference win of the season.
Nicole Pozorski dished out 54 assists in tonight's victory and was completed by her teammates
Kaci Beesecker with 24 digs,
Zoe Semelroth with three blocks and
Madelyn Rettler with three aces and three blocks.
The Peacocks are back on the road next weekend for two more conference outings as they face the University of Indianapolis on Friday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. and Lewis University on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 3 p.m.
