UNI Ready to Host 2016 MVC Volleyball Tournament

Thursday, November 24

Cedar Falls, Iowa

7:30 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

Loyola

UNI Ready to Host 2016 MVC Volleyball Tournament

11/22/2016 10:52:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

By: Colin McDonough

COMPLETE RELEASE (PDF)

This Week's Action
Thurs., Nov. 24 -- Cedar Falls, Iowa (McLeod Center)
#5 Illinois State vs. #4 Southern Illinois, 5 p.m. | ESPN3 | STATS
#6 Loyola at #3 UNI, 7:30 p.m. | ESPN3 | STATS

Fri., Nov. 25 -- Cedar Falls, Iowa (McLeod Center)
#1 Missouri State vs. #4/#5 winner, 5 p.m. | ESPN3 | STATS
#2 Wichita State vs. #3/#6 winner, 7:30 p.m. | ESPN3 | STATS

Sat., Nov. 26 -- Cedar Falls, Iowa (McLeod Center)
MVC Championship, 4 p.m. | ESPN3 | STATS

• The University of Northern Iowa women's volleyball team (23-8 overall, 14-4 MVC) earned the No. 3 seed for the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. UNI will serve as the host for the event Nov. 24-26 in the McLeod Center.

• All matches can be viewed live on ESPN3.

• UNI holds the Missouri Valley Conference records for most tourney victories (42) and most tournament titles (16).

• UNI has appeared in 32 consecutive MVC volleyball tournaments. UNI has also taken part in the semifinals in 31 straight Gateway/MVC tournaments.

• The Panthers have reached the MVC tourney title match a league-leading 22 times.

• UNI has a mark of 42-19 all-time in the MVC Tournament.

• The Panthers have won the title as the host school on six different occasions - 1986, 1987, 19984, 1999, 2010 and 2011.

• The Panthers enter the MVC Tournament having won five straight matches. The Panthers have also won 13 of their last 14 matches.

• Kayla Haneline and Amie Held each were named to the MVC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete Team.

PANTHERS SET TO HOST 2016 MVC TOURNAMENT
The University of Northern Iowa women's volleyball team (23-8 overall, 14-4 MVC) earned the No. 3 seed for the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
   UNI will serve as the host for the event Nov. 24-26 in the McLeod Center.
   UNI will take on No. 6-seeded Illinois State in the second quarterfinal Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
The winner of the UNI-Loyola match will take on the No. 2-seeded Wichita State Shockers on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The championship match is slated for Saturday at 4 p.m.

ESPN3 FOR THIS WEEK
The entire 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament will be broadcast live on The Valley on ESPN3 with Greg Halbleib (play-by-play) and Linda Dollar (analyst) calling the action.

RADIO COVERAGE
Live radio coverage of the UNI Panther volleyball team can be found on www.UNIPanthers.com and KXEL (1540-AM). All audio will be free of charge (no subscription service).
   Chris Kleinhans-Schulz is in his fifth season as the play-by-play voice of Panther volleyball.

Live Audio Coverage Schedule
Thurs., Loyola - News/Talk 1540 KXEL
Fri., Wichita St. - News/Talk 1540 KXEL
Sat., Title Match - News/Talk 1540 KXEL

ALL-TIME SERIES
UNI holds a 14-0 lead in the all-time series vs. Loyola. The Panthers swept the Ramblers in both matches this season (W, 3-2; W, 3-0).
   The Panthers own 50-16-1 lead in the all-time series vs. Wichita State. The Panthers took both matches from the Shockers this season (W, 3-1; W, 3-0).

HEAD COACH BOBBI PETERSEN
Head coach Bobbi Petersen is in her 17th year as the UNI head coach.
   Petersen has posted an impressive 433-130 record at the helm of UNI's program, with seven Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles, eight MVC tournament crowns and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances to her credit. She ranks in the top 10 of active Division I coaches in winning percentage (.769).
   In 2015, Petersen joined the 400-win club allowing her to become only the fourth MVC coach to earn 400 victories. Petersen joined Linda Dollar (758 - Missouri State), Iradge Ahrabi-Fard (503 - UNI) and Melissa Stokes (438 - Missouri State) in that elite class.

PANTHERS HOLD MVC MARKS
UNI holds the Missouri Valley Conference records for most tourney victories (42) and most tournament titles (16).

MVC TOURNEY STAPLE
UNI has appeared in 32 consecutive MVC volleyball tournaments. UNI has also taken part in the semifinals in 31 straight Gateway/MVC tournaments.

TOUGH OUT IN THE TOURNEY
The Panthers have reached the MVC tourney title match a league-leading 22 times.

CELEBRATE AT HOME
The Panthers have won the title as the host school on six different occasions - 1986, 1987, 19984, 1999, 2010 and 2011.

ENTERING THE FIELD HOT
The Panthers enter the MVC Tournament having won five straight matches. The Panthers have also won 13 of their last 14 matches.

WINNING YEAR AFTER YEAR
UNI has won 19 or more matches in 19 consecutive years. UNI secured the 34th 20-win season in program history.

SORGE NOTCHES 4TH MVC DEF POW HONOR
Libero Kendyl Sorge (Janesville, Iowa) has earned her fourth overall Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week honor.
   Sorge averaged 6.29 digs per set and tallied 44 total digs in leading UNI to a pair of Missouri Valley Conference victories. Sorge notched 24 digs and added three assists in a 3-1 win at Illinois State. Sorge added 20 digs and three more assists to go along with a service ace in Saturday's 3-0 sweep at Indiana State.

UNI's Multiple Def. POW Selections
Ellie Blankenship - Nine Times
Amie Held - Five Times
Candice Burke - Four Times
Kendyl Sorge - Four Times

SORGE SURGES TO 1,000 DIGS
Kendyl Sorge became the 16th UNI Panther to surpass the 1,000 dig mark in her career.
   Sorge ranks No. 13 on UNI's all-time digs list with 1,050 career digs.

UNI's 1,000-Dig List
1.   Ellie Blankenship (2007-10)   2,656
2.   Amie Held (2013-present)   1,924
3.   Candice Burke (2008-12)       1,737
4.   Amy Braun (2009-12)           1,672
5.   Stephanie May (2003-06)   1,570
6.   Bobbi Becker (1986-89)           1,457
7.   Kate Galer (1993-96)           1,368
8.   Alexandra Auker (1997-2000)   1,303
9.   Bre Payton (2007-11)           1,222
10.   Mary Bernhardt (1984-87)   1,202
11.    Miranda Weber (1999-2002)   1,148
12.   Laura Rowen (2004-07)           1,145
13.   Kendyl Sorge (2015-present)   1,050
14.   Jill Arganbright (2000-03)   1,025
15.   Kim McCaffrey (1997-2001)   1,015
16.   Kim Kester (1999-2002)           1,013

SORGE, HELD RANK HIGH ON UNI'S DIGS/SET LIST
Kendyl Sorge ranks No. 2 on UNI's all-time digs per set list with a 4.32 digs/set average.
   Amie Held ranks No. 3 (4.33) on the digs per set list.
   Ellie Blankenship (2007-2010) holds down the top spot with a 5.59 digs/set average.

11 OR MORE VALLEY WINS
UNI has won 11 or more Missouri Valley Conference matches in every season since the league went to home-and-home regular season scheduling in 1992.

POWER CONFERENCE
UNI is among four MVC schools ranked in the top 65 of the RPI released by the NCAA on Monday.
   Wichita State (No. 35), UNI (No. 44), Missouri State (No. 46) and Southern Illinois (No. 63) are all ranked in the top 65 of the latest NCAA RPI.

5 WINS VS RPI TOP 50
UNI has won five matches against top-50 RPI opponents this season. Missouri State is the only other MVC school with five top-50 RPI victories.
   The Panthers are one of 29 teams in the nation with five or more wins against the RPI Top 50.

Five or more wins vs. top-50 RPI
Rk.   Team (Top 50 Wins)
1.    Wisconsin (16)
2.   Texas (12)
3.   Nebraska (14)
4.   Minnesota (11)
6.   Kansas (10)
7.   Missouri (5)
8.   BYU (5)
9.   Stanford (10)
10.   North Carolina (8)
11.   Washington (7)
12.   UCLA (9)
14.   Michigan State (8)
17.   Michigan (8)
18.   Creighton (5)
19.   Kansas State (7)
20.   Utah (7)
21.   Oregon (7)
22.   Purdue (6)
23.   Penn State (6)
25.   TCU (5)
30.   Iowa State (5)
31.    Arizona (7)
36.   Marquette (5)
37.   Pittsburgh (5)
43.   USC (5)
44.   UNI (5)
45.   Washington State (6)
46.    Missouri State (5)
81.   Colorado (6)

MORE STREAKS OF NOTE
UNI, Hawaii, Nebraska, Stanford, Penn State and UCLA lead the nation with 36 consecutive non-losing seasons in NCAA Div. I volleyball.
   UNI has also posted 32 straight NCAA Division I winning seasons – the sixth-longest active streak in the nation behind Hawaii (36), Nebraska (36), Penn State (36), Stanford (36) and UCLA (34).

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
UNI ranks No. 1 in the nation in digs per set (18.59).
   UNI ranks No. 3 in the nation in total team attacks per set (39.06).
   The Panthers also rank No. 6 in the nation in kills per set (14.53).
   UNI's 248 total team attacks is the second-highest single-match total in the nation this season.

HANELINE ECLIPSES 1,000 KILLS
Senior Kayla Haneline ranks No. 17 on UNI's all-time kills list with 1,131.
   Shari Vermeer ranks No. 16 with 1,133 kills from 2000-2004.
   Krista DeGeest ranks No. 15 with 1,150 kills from 2008-2012.
   Haneline is one of 25 Panthers to have reached 1,000 career kills.

WEBER, HANELINE AMONG BEST ON UNI KILLS/SET ALL-TIME LISTS
Bri Weber ranks No. 11 on UNI's career kills/set list with a 3.01 average in 235 sets.
   Teammate Kayla Haneline ranks No. 13 on UNI's career kills/set list with a 2.89 average in 391 career sets.

PIPER BLOCKS 10 AT ILLINOIS ST
Sophomore middle hitter Piper Thomas recorded a career-high 10 blocks in UNI's 3-1 win at Illinois State (Nov. 18).
   She had two solos and eight block assists against the Redbirds.
   It marked the first time since the 2013 season that UNI had a player reach double figures in blocks. Courtney Kintzel tallied 13 blocks vs. Wisconsin on Sept. 6, 2013.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE CLUB
Senior Amie Held holds the team lead in double-doubles with 18 this season.
   Sophomore Bri Weber is UNI's active career leader in double-doubles with 33.
   Sophomore Piper Thomas recorded her first career double-double Friday at Illinois State with 17 kills and 10 blocks.

UNI Double-Doubles
18, Amie Held (32 career)
15, Bri Weber (33 career)
12, Heather Hook (23 career)
1, Piper Thomas (1 career)

HOOK IS TOPS IN THE VALLEY
Junior setter Heather Hook leads the MVC and ranks No. 14 in total assists (1,228).
   Hook also ranks No. 20 in the nation in assists per set (11.16).

HELD UP TO NO. 2 ON DIGS CHART
Senior Amie Held ranks second on UNI's all-time digs chart with 1,954.
   Ellie Blankenship holds the all-time digs mark at UNI with 2,656 from 2007-2010.

UNI's All-Time Digs List
1.   Ellie Blankenship (2007-10)   2,656
2.   Amie Held (2013-pres.)    1,954
3.   Candice Burke (2008-12)    1,737
4.    Amy Braun (2009-12)    1,672
5.    Stephanie May (2003-06)    1,570
6.    Bobbi Becker (1986-89)    1,457
7.    Kate Galer (1993-96)    1,368
8.    Alexandra Auker (1997-00)   1,303
9.    Mary Bernhardt (1984-87)    1,202
10.   Miranda Weber (1999-02)    1,148

HOOK RANKS 9TH ON ASSIST LIST
Junior Heather Hook ranks No. 8 on UNI's all-time assist list with 2,645.
   Jill Arganbright holds the all-time digs mark at UNI with 6,064 from 2000-2003.

UNI's All-Time Assists List
1.   Jill Arganbright (2000-03)   6,064
2.   Shannon Perry (1996-99)   4,881
3.   Bre Payton (2008-11)   4,752
4.   Kara Galer (1992-95)   4,265
5.   Kristin Belzung (2003-07)   4,256
6.   Mary Bernhardt (1984-87)   3,977
7.   Bobbie Kreple (1987-90)   2,780
8.   Heather Hook (2014-pres.)   2,645
9.   Kinsey Caldwell (2013-14)   2,549
10.   Katie Crowley (1988-91)   1,895

HANELINE, HELD NAMED TO MVC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE TEAM
UNI seniors Kayla Haneline and Amie Held have each been named to the MVC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete Team.
   It marks the third straight first-team honor for Held and the second consecutive year that Haneline has been named to the first team.
   Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA (on a 4.00 scale). Also, students must have participated in at least 75-percent of the regular-season matches. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore status in both athletic and academic standing at their institution (true freshmen and redshirt freshmen were not eligible).

Amie Held, UNI, Sr., 3.82, OH/L, 3.82, Sports Psychology
Three-time MVC Scholar-Athlete First-Team selection in 2014 and 2015 … first-team all-MVC pick in 2015 … second-team all-MVC honoree in 2014 … leads UNI with 36 service aces and 18 double-doubles … tops the team in total kills (347 – 3.15 kills/set) … second on the team in digs (398 – 3.62 digs/set) … posted a career-high 23 kills and added 22 digs in a 3-2 win over Iowa State (Sept. 13) … has 26 double-digit dig matches this season ... has 19 double-digit kill matches this year.

Kayla Haneline, UNI, Sr., 3.59, MH, Biology & Management
Two-time First-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete honoree … two-time all-MVC first-team honoree in 2014 and 2015 … two-time honorable mention AVCA all-district pick in 2014 and 2015 … leads the Panthers in hitting percentage (.318) … second on the squad in total kills (338) and total blocks (92) … secured a season-high 19 kills at Southern Illinois (Sept. 23) … has 19 double-digit kill matches this season.

11 CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF APR RECOGNITION, PERFECTION
For the past 11 years the NCAA has recognized teams in the top-10 percent of the Academic Progress Report and the UNI volleyball team has been on the list all 11 years.
   In fact, the UNI volleyball team has had a perfect score of 1,000 in each of the 11 years.
   UNI volleyball is one of 110 programs in the nation to have earned the recognition in each of the 11 years teams have been honored.

AVCA Team Academic Award
The UNI volleyball team compiled a 3.40 cumulative GPA during the 2015-16 season.
   It marks the fifth consecutive season that the Panthers have earned the AVCA Team Academic Award.

POLLING NUMBERS
UNI has been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 110 times in program history - the most in the Missouri Valley Conference.
   By comparison, the rest of the current teams in the MVC have been ranked 52 times (Wichita St. - 35; Illinois St. - 14; Missouri St. - 3).
   In the state of Iowa, UNI's 110 poll rankings puts it on top. Iowa State has been ranked in 77 polls, while Iowa has been ranked in one.
   UNI has been ranked in the top 10 in the AVCA poll on 25 occasions. Wichita State has twice been ranked in the top 10 for the second-best number in the MVC.
   UNI's highest ranking in the AVCA Top 25 is No. 6 (Sept. 15, 2003).

AMONG ELITE COMPANY
The Panthers rank No. 6 all-time in NCAA Division I winning percentage (.776). UNI trails only Penn State (.865), Hawaii (.856), Nebraska (.841), Florida (.829) and Stanford (.812) in NCAA Division I winning percentage totals.

17 MVC REGULAR SEASON TITLES
The Panthers have tallied 17 MVC regular season titles through the years.
   UNI won the regular season title in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013.

19 NCAA APPEARANCES
In its 19 trips to the NCAA tournament, UNI has posted 14 wins, advancing to at least the second round 11 times.
   UNI has advanced as far as the NCAA's Sweet 16 three times since 1999. In 2002, the Panthers went into the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in the East Region.

HANELINE, HELD COMPETED FOR USA VOLLEYBALL OVER SUMMER
USA Volleyball selected 36 athletes, including UNI's Kayla Haneline and Amie Held, to participate in the U.S. Collegiate National Team-Indianapolis.
   The squad, which is part of USA Volleyball's High Performance pipeline and is considered a second tryout for the U.S. Women's National Team, trained and competed from June 21-30 in Indianapolis.

FAN FAVORITES
The Panthers consistently have ranked among the national leaders in attendance, including ranking No. 16 with 2,058 fans per home match.
   Last season, UNI ranked No. 13 in the nation in average home attendance at 2,277 per match.

WEEKLY PRESS LUNCHEONS
UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen will be available at the weekly Press Luncheons held each Monday beginning at noon in the back room of Pepper's Grill and Sports Pub located on 18th Street in Cedar Falls.