This Week in Peacock Volleyball… Upper Iowa volleyball heads to the land of the Hawks in Quincy, Ill. this weekend as they take on three competitors for non-conference matchups. The Peacocks start off with Edinboro University on Friday at 4 p.m. before playing two additional matches on Saturday versus Newman University at 12 p.m. and Quincy at 6 p.m.
 
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 Week One… The Peacocks went 2-2 in their opening weekend of play as they defeated Cal Poly Humboldt (3-1) and Alaska Fairbanks (3-0), while falling to No. 7 St. Cloud State (3-1) and No. 14 Alaska Anchorage (3-2). After the tournament, Upper Iowa holds a .183 attacking percentage, averaging 11.6 per set. In other statistical categories, they are tallying 15.1 digs per set, 1.8 service aces and 11.3 assists. 
 
All-Tournament Team Selection… Emily Kono was selected to the Seawolf Invitational All-Tournament team for her performance over four games while in Anchorage, Alaska. Kono finished the weekend with 53 kills (.206 average), equaling out to 3.31 per set. The senior had a team-high of 18 kills in their match against St. Cloud State. She also put another 17 down in an earlier match that weekend against Cal Poly Humboldt. 
 
2,000 and Climbing… Senior setter Nicole Pozorski eclipsed the 2,000 career assists during their match against St. Cloud State, where she tallied 32, bringing her to an overall total of 2,011. Pozorski has already gathered 138 assists so far this season over four games. She registered a season-high of 40 in their match versus Cal Poly Humboldt. The Mukwonago, Wis. native also recorded 21 kills and five service aces during the Seawolf Invitational this past weekend. 
 
Scouting the Fighting Scots (Courtesy of Edinboro Communications)… The Edinboro volleyball team went 2-2 over the course of the weekend at the St. Anselm Invitational in their opening action of the season. In the first match on Saturday, Edinboro swept Saint Michael's 3-0 winning the first two sets by matching 25-19 scores before winning the third 33-31. In the second match of the day, Edinboro dropped a 3-0 decision to Southern New Hampshire. Burrelli led the offense for the Scots with 10 kills and in the process became the 16th Fighting Scot to reach the 1,000-kill plateau.
 
On Sunday, the Scots swept Southern Connecticut State 3-0. With the score level at 17-17 in the first set, the Scots closed the set on an 8-2 run keyed by three kills from Makayla Neelands to take the set. In their next match of the day, Edinboro jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but their opponent, the Hawks, rallied to win the next three and take the 3-2 victory.
 
Scouting the Jets (Courtesy of Newman Communications)… Newman's volleyball squad is 0-4 on the season thus far, having competed in the Missouri Southern Tournament last weekend. They opened their season competing in two games against Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southwest Baptist, falling 3-2 and 3-0. 
 
In day two of their tournament, Newman competed in two more matches, taking on Southern Arkansas and Cameron. Despite a promising outlook after several strong sets that they dominated in the day before, Newman lost in 5 sets to Northwestern Oklahoma State in their first game, nearly coming back to win, while they would then go on to be swept by Southwest Baptist in their second outing. Makenna Reinert leads the team in kills with 35, while her teammate Ozioma Ajekwu trails close behind with 30. 
 
Scouting the Hawks (Courtesy of Quincy Communications)…  A year removed from their record-breaking campaign, the Quincy University women's volleyball team started off their 2023 season taking three out of four contests in the TAMUK Tournament. Three Hawks were chosen as All-Tournament selections for the four contests. Emma Wijnbergen, Brianna Merkel and Alice Pavan. 
 
Wijnbergen paced the offense, collecting 71 kills, good for 30 more than any of her teammates while hitting .294 with 12 blocks. With six assists and five service aces, Wijnbergen comes in at third and fourth on the team, respectively, for the tournament. 
 
Merkel captained the offense as the team's setter during the tournament. She collected 147 assists, good for just under a 10 assist per set average. In addition, Merkel showed her prowess on both sides of the ball, collecting 17 kills along with 38 digs and three blocks. 
 
Pavan anchored the defense, manning the net to the tune of 13 blocks during the four matches. Aside from being a menacing presence defensively up front, Pavan also proved a formidable offensive weapon, collecting 39 kills on a potent .465 hitting percentage.
 
Down the Road… The Peacocks have one more tournament remaining before breaking into conference play in just over two weeks. UIU will partake in the Missouri S&T Volleyball Classic next weekend in Rolla, Mo. They take on Oklahoma Baptist University on Friday, Sep. 15 at 10 a.m. and Missouri S&T at 2 p.m. On Saturday, they compete against Northwestern Oklahoma State University at 10 a.m.