FAYETTE, Iowa - Peacock volleyball (11-11, 4-6 GLVC) is back home this weekend for critical matchups against Quincy (Ill.) (17-8, 4-5 GLVC) and Illinois Springfield (7-16, 1-8 GLVC). The Peacocks face the Hawks in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium for Dig Pink Night on Friday at 6 p.m. The team plays the Prairie Stars on Saturday at 3 p.m. for Halloween.
Upper Iowa, the winners of six of its last eight matches, enters the week in ninth place in the GLVC standings. Quincy is eighth with the same number of conference wins as the Peacocks. The top eight teams make the GLVC Tournament in Williamsville, Illinois, on Nov. 12-14.
LIVE OPTIONS
Fans unable to attend the games this weekend can stay connected with a pair of live options available at UIUPeacocks.com/Live, featuring access to live stats and a pay-per-view webcast through GLVCSN. Fans can also refer to the links attached to this story for all live options.
In addition to GLVCSN.com, viewers can catch the Peacocks on the GLVCSN iOS and Android mobile app, as well as the GLVCSN app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for all Peacock home events can be purchased digitally at tickets.uiu.edu. Single game tickets are available online and at the ticket booth on gameday. If you want to pay in person, both Harms-Eischeid Stadium and Dorman Memorial Gymnasium are now accepting all major credit cards, checks and cash.
TICKET PRICES…
Upper Iowa Students … Free Admission after showing UIU Student ID
Upper Iowa Faculty/Staff … Free Admission after showing 26-27 Season Pass
Football General Admission Sales … Adults - $10, Youth (Grades K-12) - $5, Kids (Age 5 and under) - Free
DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAMS
Fans can access the interactive and digital gameday program any time at UIUPeacocks.com/Programs. The digital programs are available to fans at our games and to those watching at home. QR Codes will be located around the stadium to scan with your cell phone's camera, which will link you directly to that game's specific digital gameday program.
LAST TIME OUT
Upper Iowa went 1-1 this past weekend with a four-set win over Southwest Baptist (Mo.) (14-10, 3-6 GLVC) and a three-set loss in the team's last road match against Drury (Mo.) (17-6, 7-2 GLVC).
Junior setter Grace Fruzen totaled 75 assists (10.71/set) on the weekend with 17 digs, five kills and two service aces. She had 41 assists in the four-set win over SBU, her most in a four-set match this season and her third-most overall.
Natalie Bystol led the Peacocks with 20 kills, while Faith Fisher and Kailey Porter each had 19 kills. Fisher totaled a team-high 13 kills in the win over the Bearcats while hitting .458, and Bystol had 12 kills while hitting .291. Porter posted a team-high 10 kills with a .273 hitting percentage in the loss to Drury.
Junior libero Morgan Block finished the weekend with 40 digs (5.71/set), including 21 against Southwest Baptist. It marked her 12th match of 20 or more digs this season. Marissa Becker also had 27 digs (3.86/set), and Addy Vaughn had 25 digs (3.57/set).
STATISTICS SUMMARY
Block is up to 429 digs (5.50/set) for the season and leads the conference in digs per set. The junior also ranks seventh in the nation in digs per set. In GLVC play, Block is second in the conference in that category with 206 digs (5.57/set).
The Sumner native is also close to reaching a career milestone with the Peacocks. Block enters the weekend with 949 career digs and is 99 digs away from the top-10 all-time in the program's history.
Fruzen has posted 652 assists (8.69/set) this season with 47 kills, a tied team-high 32 service aces and 232 digs (3.09/set). She ranks fifth in the GLVC in assists per set and 16th in digs per set. The junior is averaging 9.22 assists per set in GLVC play this season, also ranking fifth.
Bystol surpassed 200 kills for the season this past weekend, with a team-high 202 (2.81/set). She ranks 11th in the GLVC in kills per set.
Porter has added 171 kills (2.48/set) with a team-best .311 hitting percentage. Porter also ranks 11th in the GLVC in hitting percentage. She enters this week at 499 kills in her career, one away from the half-century milestone.
Becker has 153 kills (2.32/set) and 136 digs (2.06/set). Erica Conger has totaled 144 kills (2.32/set) on a .202 hitting percentage. Avery Agnew has tallied 149 digs (1.80/set), and Vaughn has 138 digs (1.77/set). Vaughn is also tied with Fruzen for a team-high 32 service aces.
In the GLVC, the Peacocks rank first in service aces, averaging 2.02 per set, and fifth in digs, averaging 16.23 per set. UIU ranks second in opposing assists, allowing 10.70 per set, and third in opposing kills, allowing 11.54 per set.
AROUND THE GLVC
Missouri-St. Louis (17-6, 9-1 GLVC), Indianapolis (21-3, 8-1 GLVC) and Rockhurst (Mo.) (17-6, 8-1 GLVC) all clinched spots in the GLVC Tournament this past weekend. Drury (Mo.) and Lewis (Ill.) round out the top five in fourth and fifth place.
UMSL suffered its first conference loss to Indianapolis on Saturday after defeating Lewis in five sets on Friday. It marked UIndy's first regular-season victory over the Tritions in over a decade.
Maryville (Mo.) (11-13, 5-4 GLVC) and Truman State (Mo.) (11-12, 5-5 GLVC) enter this week a game ahead of Quincy (Ill.) in eighth and Upper Iowa in ninth. Southwest Baptist and William Jewell (Mo.) (7-17, 3-6 GLVC) are a game behind the Hawks and Peacocks.
UIndy's Maddie Lynch leads the GLVC in kills per set at 3.99, while UMSL's Alayna Santel is the overall leader in total kills with 367 (3.86/set). Santel also leads the conference in service aces, averaging 0.55 per set. Marly Burbach of Missouri-St. Louis leads the conference with 1,035 assists (10.89/set).
Rockhurst has the toughest weekend of any team coming up for Halloween, facing fifth-place Lewis on Friday. The Hawks will then break the tie for second place against UIndy on Saturday.
ABOUT THE HAWKS
Quincy enters Friday's match on a GLVC-best five-match winning streak, with three wins at the Midwest Crossover, a nonconference win against Illinois Springfield and a conference win against the Prairie Stars. The Hawks are 10-2 in neutral site matches this season with a 4-4 record on the road.
The Hawk attack is led by freshman outside hitter Aysem Kocaalp with 286 kills (3.29/set) while adding 3.93 points per set after posting 44 service aces. Kocaalp ranks second in the GLVC in service aces per set, seventh in kills per set and fifth in points per set.
Senior middle Erin Matzke is adding 209 kills (2.27/set) with a team-best .339 hitting percentage, ranking eighth in the GLVC. Freshman Olivia Curry has posted 196 kills (2.13/set) and senior Selin Turgut has 192 kills (2.58/set).
Senior setter Macey Rocco leads the Hawks with 862 assists (9.37/set), ranking fourth in the GLVC. She also has 215 digs (2.34/set) on defense. Senior libero Amber Glen leads the Hawks in digs with 326 (3.66/set), ranking ninth in the GLVC in digs per set.
Quincy ranks second in the GLVC in service aces per set, averaging 2.01, just barely behind the Peacocks. The Hawks have six players with double-digit aces this season.
Head coach Mark Jones is in his eighth season with the Quincy volleyball program. He has a 166-57 overall record at Quincy and is coming off four straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
ABOUT THE PRAIRIE STARS
UIS enters this weekend after two straight losses to Quincy, but picked up three wins at the Midwest Region Crossover. Before that, the Prairie Stars had lost five straight GLVC matches after winning its home opener against McKendree (Ill.) (4-19, 0-10 GLVC).
Junior Kendall Johnson leads the UIS attack with 216 kills (2.73/set) while adding a team-high 20 service aces. Makenna Cox leads the team in points per set with 4.47 while adding 181 kills (3.98/set). Cox hasn't played a match since Sept. 19 vs. Lewis. Khadijah Blue has 129 kills (2.17/set), and Alyssa Gray has 126 kills (2.19/set).
Setter Madi Siefken has totaled 434 assists (5.49/set) during her junior season, along with 12 service aces. On defense, junior libero Emma Frazier leads the Prairie Stars with 298 digs (3.68/set). Johnson has also added 155 digs (1.96/set), and UIS ranks seventh in the GLVC in digs per set as a team, averaging 15.30.
Laura Ulrich is in her second season with the Prairie Stars. Before Illinois Springfield, she served as the head coach of St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. Ulrich has a 13-24 record at Illinois Springfield entering this weekend and a 70-75 overall record as a head coach.
