Upper Iowa volleyball started their weekend in competition with Maryville and surrendered in three sets by scores of 25-19, 25-17, and 25-20. During tonight's contest,
Nicole Pozorski became the Peacock volleyball program's all-time assist leader. She eclipsed the previous mark of 3,833 assists set in 2009 by Keri Vance.
"I wouldn't be where I am today without a couple of key things; working my butt off in practices/games every single day and understanding that every rep matters," said Pozorski. "It takes learning from your mistakes on this journey and getting better from those, as well as a lot of trust in my teammates.
Pozorski finished the night with a game-high 25 assists and three blocks.
"I want to thank all of the teammates I have had over the years; I wouldn't be where I am without them," noted Pozorski. "It takes a dig and a kill to achieve something like this. I also want to thank all the coaches I have had for trusting me out on the court and teaching me the game."
Emily Kono finished with a team-high 11 kills (.320),
McKenna Diermeier collected 14 digs, Pozorski and
Zoe Semelroth picked up three blocks, and
Jaeden Cook tallied three aces.
UIU started down 10-6 in the first set but was able to rally and piece together a 7-1 run to take an 11-10 lead. The two teams went back and forth until the end of the frame as Maryville rattled off the last five points behind three kills and two UIU attacking errors.
Jaeden Cook helped give some spark early in the set with her serving, and she notched three aces in set one alone.
The Saints led 13-6 in set two but were subjected to another 7-1 run by Upper Iowa as they closed the gap 15-14. The burst was highlighted by two Kono kills and two aces from
Lydia Imbrogno. The second set ended in the same fashion as the first, as MU executed a 6-0 run to end the set.
Upper Iowa played a back-and-forth match with the home team in set three, exchanging points back and forth until a 5-1 burst put the Saints ahead 18-13. MU maintained the distance for the remainder of the set to down the Peacocks. Both teams hit their match-high as UIU recorded a .189 at the net while the Saints tallied a .297.
The Peacocks have their final game of the season tomorrow against Missouri S&T at 3 p.m. in Rolla, Mo.
