THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK VOLLEYBALL … The Peacocks open up conference play on the road at Truman State today at 3 p.m. UIU comes into this weekend with a 4-6 record, while they're opponents sit at 7-5 on the season.
LIVE COVERAGE… There are several ways to stay connected with Peacock volleyball while they are on the road this weekend. 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.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK… Upper Iowa is coming off a tough weekend after competing in the Missouri S&T Classic and going 0-3, falling to Oklahoma Baptist (3-0), Missouri S&T (3-0) and Northwestern Oklahoma State University 3-1.
In the first game versus the Bison, the scores were similar across all three matches. The final numbers were 25-19, 25-18 and 25-19. The Peacocks held a 8-2 lead to start the first set, but endured a 12-1 slide from OBU that put them at a 16-10 disadvantage. They were unable to muster enough points to keep within reach of their opponents. Upper Iowa continued to struggle to combat the Bisons' runs in the second and third matches. They were down by one point near the end of set three (19-18), but allowed OBU to finish off the contest with a 6-1 run.
The sets were more competitive in their second matchup against the Miners, but the Peacocks were unable to convert points when necessary. Despite the 3-0 loss (25-21, 26-24, 30-28), Upper Iowa edged out their opponents statistically in kills (50-47), aces (10-2), assists (40-37) and digs (40-34).
In their final contest of the weekend, UIU was defeated 3-1 by Northwestern Oklahoma. The Peacocks won the first set 26-24, but then dropped the next three with scores of 28-26, 25-17 and 25-22.
THE SERIES… This marks only the second meeting between these two teams in program history. The Peacocks dropped the first matchup after losing three straight sets. Their meeting dates back to 2008, and Upper Iowa looks for redemption 15 years later.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS… Truman State enters today's match with a 7-5 record, coming off a 4-0 weekend at the Reddie Tiger Invitational, hosted by Henderson State University. They defeated Lee, Christian Brothers, Union and Henderson State. They suffered four losses in the tournament prior to UW-Parkside, Purdue Northwest, Minnesota State Moorhead and Winona State. Allison Beaten leads the team in kills with 101 on the year, averaging 2.2 per set. Emma Baierl has dished out the most assists on the team, averaging just shy of five per set.
DOWN THE ROAD… Upper Iowa continues their road stretch next weekend as they take on Illinois Springfield and Quincy on Sep. 29-30. The match against the Prairie Stars is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. and competition with the Hawks will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
