HAMMOND, Ind. - Peacock women's volleyball (9-10, 3-5 GLVC) picked up two wins on Friday at the Midwest Region Crossover. UIU defeated Lake Superior State (Mich.) (4-15, 1-9 GLIAC) in four sets (25-18, 25-20, 15-25, 25-18) and Thomas More (Ohio) (7-12, 3-6 G-MAC) in three sets (25-13, 25-16, 25-17).
It was status quo for junior setter Grace Fruzen, totaling 59 assists (8.43/set), 21 digs (3.0/set) and a team-high seven service aces to average one per set. Fruzen pushed her double-double streak to 10 matches with 30 assists and 15 digs vs. Lake Superior State.
Junior libero Morgan Block led the Peacocks in digs with 41 (5.86/set), which was above her GLVC-leading 5.48 digs per set average this season. She was a perfect 19-for-19 on serve receptions and added three service aces.
Erica Conger was a monster in the first game against the Lakers, totaling 15 kills (3.75/set), three digs, two service aces and a block. She totaled 17.5 points in the match, tying for the most in a four-set match by a Peacock player this season. She also added a .407 hitting percentage, the fifth-highest for a UIU player this year.
Kailey Porter and Gracen Klima came alive against Thomas More. Porter totaled 11 kills and a .450 hitting percentage while Klima had 10 kills and a .400 hitting percentage.
Natalie Bystol played all seven sets at outside hitter, leading the Peacocks with 18 kills (2.57/set) on the day. Faith Fisher added 13 kills in seven sets with two blocks. Alexis Moses added eight kills and a team-high five blocks.
The Peacocks are back in action on Saturday at 9 a.m. to wrap up the Midwest Region Crossover. UIU faces Kentucky Wesleyan (4-15, 1-8 G-MAC) on court seven at the Hammond Sportsplex. A win would mark the second 3-0 weekend for the Peacocks at the Crossover in program history (2024).
Upper Iowa 3, Lake Superior State 1 (25-18, 25-20, 15-25, 25-18)
After falling down 6-3 in the first set, UIU scored 12 of the next 15 points to lead 15-9 in the first set. Leading 20-15, Bystol helped the Peacocks close out the final five points of the set with three kills to win it, 25-18. Upper Iowa hit .351 in the opening set behind five kills from Bystol, four kills from Conger and four kills from Fisher.
UIU jumped out to an early 9-4 lead with two early Conger kills. Later in the set, the Peacocks scored nine out of 10 points, including two kills by Conger, kills by Fisher and Marissa Becker and a block by Moses and Conger. LSSU battled back, but late kills by Becker and Ava Ketelsen helped the Peacocks close the set, 25-20. Conger hit 4-of-7 in the set for a .571 hitting percentage and Becker added four kills herself.
The Lakers used an early 8-0 run to take an 11-5 lead in the third set, and later went on an 8-1 run to close the set with a 25-15 win. This was UIU's worst hitting set of the day at .000, while Lake Superior hit .500.
Upper Iowa got back on track in the fourth set, jumping out to a 12-4 lead, aided by two Moses kills and aces from Conger and Fruzen. After LSSU closed the gap to 18-14, Becker got the Peacocks back on track with a kill, Fruzen and Moses recorded a block and Bystol knocked down a kill. An Addy Vaughn service ace won the set and the match, 25-18.
Conger knocked down 15 kills, while Bystol had 11, Fisher had nine, Becker had seven and Moses had six. Fruzen totaled 30 assists and 15 digs. That tied for her third-most assists in a four-set match this season.
Block added 22 digs, her fourth-most in a four-setter this season. Avery Agnew had eight digs, and Addy Vaughn totaled six digs. Fruzen had three service aces, Conger had two and Vaughn had two.
LSSU ended the match with a slight hitting percentage at .217-.210 despite the Peacocks totaling more kills, 53-41. The Peacocks led in aces, 10-7, and digs, 67-51. That's the third-most digs UIU has had as a team in a four-set match this season.
Elisa Rizzoli led Lake Superior State with 12 kills, 13 digs and two aces. Azra Bilgicer totaled 15 assists, and Avery Headworth tallied 12. The Lakers finished the match with a 10-4 blocking advantage, led by Morgan Deming and Giselle Wiitanen with four each.
Upper Iowa 3, Thomas More 0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-17)
Fruzen started the match strong with service aces on two of the first three points of the match. Kills by Porter on three out of four points later in the set gave UIU a 14-6 lead. The Peacocks ended the set scoring seven of the last nine points with two kills by Klima, a kill by Moses and a kill by Porter.
UIU kept it rolling in the second set with a 14-5 lead built by five Klima kills, two Bystol kills and a Porter kill. After Thomas More cut the lead to 14-12, two Fruzen service aces helped spark a 5-0 run to lead, 19-12. A kill by Porter, a service ace by Agnew and a kill by Fruzen helped UIU close the set, 25-16.
The Peacocks got back above the .300 hitting mark with a .312 third set. With UIU trailing 12-10, three Saint attack errors and kills by Moses and Klima created a 10-1 UIU run to lead 16-12. A kill by Ketelsen, along with a block by her and Porter, helped UIU win the set, 25-17.
Porter finished the match with a team-high 11 kills and a .450 hitting percentage. Klima knocked down 10 kills without an attack error for a .400 hitting percentage. This tied her season-high hitting percentage with last week against William Jewell, and the 10 kills are Klima's second-most this season.
Bystol added seven kills, Fisher had four, and Fruzen had three. Fruzen posted 29 assists with six digs. Block totaled 19 digs with two service aces. Agnew and Fruzen each had four service aces.
UIU hit .296 as a team, its third-highest hitting percentage as a team this year in a match. Thomas More finished the match hitting .073 as UIU led in kills, 38-23. The Peacocks totaled 13 aces to the Saints' five, also marking the third-most in a match this season for the Peacocks. Upper Iowa led in blocks, 5-2, assists, 34-22, and digs, 51-47.
Thomas More was led offensively by Sadie Stuart with seven kills. Megan Rogers totaled 10 assists, and Taylor Stivers had 10 digs.
