FAYETTE, Iowa - Peacock volleyball (3-1) heads to the Sioux Falls Classic this weekend in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. UIU will play in the Sanford Pentagon, the site of last year's Division II National Championship, on Friday and then Sioux Falls' Stewart Center on Saturday. 

The Peacocks will be tested right off the bat with No. 6 Washburn (Mo.) (4-0) at 10 a.m. on Friday. UIU will then play Chadron State (Neb.) (2-2) at 4 p.m. to wrap up the day. On Saturday, UIU faces Black Hills State (S.D.) (2-2) at 10 a.m. and Emporia State (Kan.) (3-1) at 1 p.m. ESU received 36 points in this week's AVCA Coaches' Poll.

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 pay-per-view webcasts through Midco Sports. Fans can also refer to the links attached to this story for all live options. 

LAST TIME OUT
Upper Iowa went 3-1 this past weekend at the Union University Volleyball Classic in Jackson, Tennessee. The Peacocks picked up wins against Lane College (Tenn.) (0-4), Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (2-2) and Union (Tenn.) (2-2). UIU's only loss was to Tusculum (Tenn.) (3-1) in five sets. The 3-1 start marks UIU's best since 2022.

Kailey Porter was named to the All-Tournament Team after hitting .438 with a team-high 48 kills (2.82/set). She played in 17 of the 18 sets on the weekend. On the attack, Marissa Becker added 44 kills (3.14/set), Gracen Klima had 26 kills (2.00/set) and Natalie Bystol had 22 kills (2.00/set). Graduate Alexis Moses totaled 25 kills after appearing in all 18 sets on the weekend. 

Junior Grace Fruzen was UIU's top setter with 125 assists (7.81/set). She added six service aces and was second on the team in digs with 39. Morgan Block totaled 76 digs (5.43/set) to lead the team. 

AROUND THE GLVC
No. 17 Missouri-St. Louis (2-1) had the biggest upset in the nation on the weekend, beating preseason No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) (2-1) in five sets. The Tritons are currently the highest ranked team in the GLVC. 

UIndy, Lewis (Ill.), Missouri S&T and Southwest Baptist (Mo.) all started the season 4-0. UIndy is No. 28 in the AVCA Coaches' Poll this week receiving 40 votes. The Greyhounds had three sweeps on the weekend.

UIndy's Maddie Lynch earned GLVC Offensive Player of the Week honors after being named the UIndy Invitational MVP. Adelyn Weiler of Missouri S&T was named GLVC Defensive Player of the Week after totaling 89 digs (5.56/set), and UMSL's Marly Burbach was named Setter of the Week after tallying 149 assists (10.64/set). 

ABOUT THE ICHABODS - Friday at 10 a.m.
Washburn is coming off a 4-0 weekend at the Washburn Invitational with three four-set wins and a three-set win. The Ichabods played GLVC foe William Jewell (Mo.) (1-3) this past Friday night with a four-set win. UIU last played Washburn in 2017, earning a three-set win. 

Junior outside hitters Emma Siron and Byrnne Toplski lead the Ichabod attack with 58 kills (4.14/set) and 51 kills (3.64/set), respectively. Setter Shannon Frakes leads the team with 162 assists (11.57/set), and she is also the team's leader in digs with 52 (3/71/set). 

Head coach Chris Herron, a Washburn athletics hall of famer, is in his 25th season with the team in 2026. He has a 655-145 overall record entering this weekend and has led Washburn to seven MIAA Championships and 19 trips to the NCAA Tournament. 

ABOUT THE EAGLES - Friday at 4 p.m.
Chadron State enters at 2-2 after winning two matches at the South Dakota School of Mines Hardrocker Tournament. The Eagles defeated Lake Superior State (Mich.) (0-4) in four sets and Minnesota Crookston (1-3) in three sets. 

Upper Iowa and Chadron State met in nonconference action last season, losing in three sets. The Peacocks are 2-1 against Chadron since 2008.

 Junior Mataya Ward leads the team with 40 kills (4.08/set), while Gibson Beckler has 27 kills (2.45/set) and Kally Kirkwood has totaled 26 kills (2.00/set). The Eagles have two top setters in Jillian Donovan with 65 assists (5.42/set) and Cydnie Eskew with 52 assists (4.00/set). Senior libero Avery Lacy is the team's digs leader with 70 (5.38/set). 

Head coach Jennifer Stadler is in her eighth season with the Eagles. Chadron State finished 5-21 last season. 

ABOUT THE YELLOW JACKETS - Saturday at 10 a.m.
Black Hills State went 2-2 at the UMary (N.D.) Marauders First Serve Invitational. The Yellow Jackets picked up a three-set win against Montana State-Billings (1-3) and a five-set win over Western New Mexico (1-3). 

Senior outside hitter Izzy Saiki leads the team with 49 kills (3.06/set), and senior Carsyn Mettler adds 41 kills (2.56/set). Libero Keira Thompson is the team's digs leader with 53 (3.31/set). The Yellow Jackets use two setters, with senior Elena Atkinson tallying 79 assists (4.94/set) and senior Emma Kruger totaling 66 assists (4.13/set). 

Head coach Grayson DuBose is in his first season with Black Hills State. He spent the past three seasons at Eastern Washington. Before that, he was the longest-tenured head coach in Utah State history, spending 14 seasons with the program from 2006-19. 

ABOUT THE HORNETS - Saturday at 1 p.m.
Emporia State went 3-1 this past weekend at the Ferris State (Mich.) Tournament, only losing to the host team, No. 10 Bulldogs (4-0), in three sets. The Hornets picked up a three-set win over Minnesota State (1-3), which was receiving votes in the preseason poll. 

Sophomore outside hitter Lavra Krizanic leads the team with 41 kills (3.73/set). Senior setter Brailee Bogle leads the team in assists with 72 (5.54/set). Senior Miya Tsurumaki from Japan is the team's digs leader with 40 (3.08/set), while Krizanic adds 39 digs (3.55/set) and sophomore Delainee Dexter has 30 digs (2.31/set). 

Head coach Ken Murczek is in his fourth season with Emporia State in 2026. He has a 54-34 record entering this weekend and has led the Hornets to three straight MIAA Tournament appearances.