THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK VOLLEYBALL … The Peacocks look to continue their trek through the conference schedule as they compete in two matches this weekend. They start at the University of Illinois Springfield on Friday at 6 p.m. and then head to Quincy University on Saturday for a 3 p.m. start. Upper Iowa is coming off their first conference win and heads into this weekend with a 5-6 (1-0 GLVC) record.
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… Peacock volleyball entertained a back-and-forth battle with Truman State in the team's first GLVC matchup last weekend, but ended up scraping out the 3-2 victory for their first conference win of the season.
Zoe Semelroth registered 16 kills (.387) in the victory, followed by
Maria Winter with 12. Other team notables include
Kylee Oldenburger with three aces,
Nicole Pozorski with 42 assists and
Kaci Beesecker with 21 digs.
TWO AT THE TOP… Emily Kono and
Zoe Semelroth lead the team in kills with 130 apiece, averaging just over three per set. Kono paces the Peacocks with 3.25 per set (.211), while Semelroth contributes 3.17 (.270).
SCOUTING THE PRAIRIE STARS (Courtesy of UIS Communications)… UIS's current record sits at 3-9, as the Prairie Stars fell to Maryville and Missouri S&T last weekend.
The Stars fell 3 sets to 1 in a very tight contest against Maryville on Friday night. Eirini Glynou led the Stars with 19 kills as she continued her hot start to the season. Freshman Gabriella Ricci recorded her first career double-double as she registered 17 kills and 13 digs. Erica Sledge had 38 assists while Amanda McConnell chipped in with 18 digs.
On Saturday against Missouri S&T, the Stars were defeated in straight sets by a talented Miner team. Eirini Glynou again led Prairie Stars with 14 kills on the day, while Erica Sledge added 23 assists.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS… The Peacocks see the Hawks for the second time this season after dropping to them in a 3-2 result in the Quincy University Hawks Invitational earlier this month. QU sits at a near-perfect record of 12-1, as their only loss came from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. They have a 2-0 start in the conference after defeating Missouri S&T (3-2) and Maryville (3-1).
Emma Wijnbergen leads the team in kills with 223 for the season, averaging 4.5 per set. Brianna Merkel has dished out 521 assists, for an average of just over ten each set. The Hawks have a core group of seven girls who have played in all 13 matches and 49 sets this season.
ON THE HORIZON… After four straight weeks of road games, the Peacocks host two matches in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium next weekend. They welcome Drury University on Friday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. and Southwest Baptist on Saturday at 7 p.m.
