UNI Hunting for 17th MVC Tourney Title

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MVC Championship Central

2017 Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament

Thurs., Nov. 23 -- Normal, Illinois (Redbird Arena)
#5 Indiana State vs. #4 Drake, 5 p.m. | ESPN3 | STATS
#6 Valparaiso at #3 Illinois State, 7:30 p.m. | ESPN3 | STATS

Fri., Nov. 24 -- Normal, Illinois (Redbird Arena)
#1 Missouri State vs. #4/#5 winner, 5 p.m. | ESPN3 | STATS
#2 UNI vs. #3/#6 winner, 7:30 p.m. | ESPN3 | STATS

Sat., Nov. 25 -- Normal, Illinois (Redbird Arena)
State Farm MVC Championship, 4 p.m. | ESPN3 | STATS

• The No. 2-seeded University of Northern Iowa volleyball team (25-7, 15-3 MVC) will look to claim the automatic NCAA Tournament bid by winning the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament this weekend in Normal, Illinois.

• UNI has won a league-best 16 MVC Tournament titles and owns an MVC-best 43-20 all-time record in tournament play

• It marks the 33rd straight year that UNI has not only qualified for the MVC Tournament, but has played in the MVC Tournament semifinals.

• UNI is ranked No. 1 in the nation in kills per set (15.25). The Panthers rank No. 2 in the nation in digs per set (19.45).

• The Panthers are ranked No. 48 in the latest NCAA RPI.

• UNI is one of 22 teams to have recorded at least three wins against NCAA RPI top 25 teams.

• Among those 22 teams, only 11 have a winning record vs. top 25 opponents. UNI is 3-2 vs. the RPI top 25, with victories over No. 6 Nebraska, No. 11 USC and No. 15 Iowa State.

PANTHERS LOOK TO CLAIM FIRST MVC TOURNEY TITLE SINCE 2011
The No. 2-seeded University of Northern Iowa volleyball team (25-7, 15-3 MVC) will look to claim the automatic NCAA Tournament bid by winning the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament this weekend in Normal, Illinois, at Redbird Arena.
   UNI's first match of tournament will be Friday at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of Thursday's match between Valparaiso and Illinois State.
   The championship match is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m.

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.
   Chris Kleinhans-Schulz is in his sixth season as the play-by-play voice of Panther volleyball. Chris Mahi will serve as the analyst for home matches.

Live Audio Coverage Schedule
Fri., Semifinal - UNIPanthers.com
Sat., Championship - UNIPanthers.com

THE VALLEY ON ESPN3
The entire 2017 State Farm MVC Tournament will be streamed live on The Valley on ESPN3.

UNI VS MVC TOURNEY FIELD
UNI is 7-3 this season against the other five teams that have qualified for the 2017 MVC Tournament.
   UNI is 2-0 against Drake, Valparaiso and Indiana State. UNI split the season series vs. Illinois State. Missouri State won both matchups against the Panthers this year.

HEAD COACH BOBBI PETERSEN
Head coach Bobbi Petersen is in her 18th year as the Panthers head coach.
   Petersen has posted an impressive 459-139 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. UNI has taken part in 12 NCAA Tournaments under Petersen's direction. She ranks No. 10 of active Division I coaches in winning percentage (.768).
   Petersen is one of four MVC coaches to have eclipsed the 400-win mark joining Linda Dollar (758 - Missouri State), Iradge Ahrabi-Fard (503 - UNI) and Melissa Stokes (488 - Missouri State) in that elite class.

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
UNI is ranked No. 1 in the nation in kills per set (15.25).
   The Panthers rank No. 2 in the nation in digs per set (19.45).
   UNI ranks No. 3 in the nation in assists per set (14.15).
   The Panthers are ranked No. 4 in the nation in team assists (1,656), team digs (2,276), team kills (1,784) and team attacks per set (40.53).

UNI'S MVC TOURNAMENT
SUPERLATIVES
UNI holds the Missouri Valley Conference records for most tourney victories (43) and most tournament titles (16).
   UNI has a mark of 43-20 all-time in the MVC Tournament.
   By earning the No. 2 seed, UNI is guaranteed spot in the semifinals with a bye. As a result, this marks the 33rd straight Gateway/MVC Tournament semifinal appearance for the Panthers. UNI's streak of playing each year in the conference tournament semifinals began in 1985.
   The Panthers have reached the MVC tourney title match a league-leading 22 times and have won 16 MVC tourney championships.

UNI LAST KNOCKED OFF FIVE RANKED TEAMS IN 2002
UNI is 4-2 against ranked foes in 2017 with wins over No. 10 Nebraska, No. 18 USC, No. 19 Iowa State and No. 19 Missouri.
   With its next win against a ranked opponent, it would equal the school record for victories over ranked teams in a single season.
   UNI defeated five ranked opponents in 2002 (No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 7 UCLA, No. 20 Minnesota, No. 3 Florida, No. 20 Missouri) and three ranked teams in 2003 (No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 23 Missouri State, No. 20 UC Santa Barbara).

THREE MVC TEAMS IN RPI TOP 100
The Missouri Valley Conference is represented by three teams in the NCAA's RPI top 100 with Missouri State (No. 44), UNI (No. 48) and Illinois State (No. 95).
   UNI has six top-100 RPI wins this season (No. 6 Nebraska, No. 11 USC, No. 15 Iowa State, No. 34 Missouri, No. 58 Austin Peay, No. 95 Illinois State).

UNI AGAINST RPI TOP 25
UNI is one of 22 teams to have recorded at least three wins against the NCAA RPI top 25 teams.
   Among those 22 teams, only 10 have a winning record against the NCAA RPI top 25 - including UNI with a 3-2 mark.
   UNI's RPI top 25 wins have come against No. 6 Nebraska (3-1), No. 11 USC (3-1) and No. 15 Iowa State (3-2).

3 or More Wins vs NCAA RPI Top 25
1.   Kentucky   4-3
2.   Florida   3-1
3.   Texas   7-2
4.   Penn State   7-1
5.   Stanford   8-3
6.   Nebraska   9-3
7.   Minnesota   5-3
8.   Washington   9-5
11. USC   6-5
12. Kansas   4-5
13. Utah   5-7
14. Baylor   4-2
15. Iowa State   3-5
16. Creighton   3-4
17. Michigan State   3-4
22. Colorado   4-7
23. Oregon   5-8
24. UCLA   4-9
25. Purdue   3-5
27. Oregon State   3-8
37. Washington St.   3-11
48. UNI   3-2

HOOK, THOMAS NAMED TO MVC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE TEAM
UNI senior Heather Hook and junior Piper Thomas have been honored as honorable mention members of the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Scholar-Athlete Team.

Heather Hook, UNI, Sr., S, 3.33, Finance/Economics/Real Estate
Ranks fourth in the nation in total assists (1,366) ... leads the MVC in assists/set (11.68) ... became the sixth UNI setter to reach 4,000 career assists ... only the 23rd MVC player to surpass 4,000 assists ... set a career-high with 64 assists in a five-set win over No. 19 Missouri ... has tallied nine 50-plus assist matches in 2017 ... set a career-high with eight kills in a five-set win over Valparaiso ... set a career-high with 23 assists in a five-set match vs. Illinois State ... has registered 10 double-doubles this season.

Piper Thomas, UNI, Jr., MH, 3.47, Movement & Exercise Science
Ranks first on the team in kills (459), blocks (98) and hitting percentage (.355) ... top hitter in MVC matches only (.403) ... ranks second in the league in MVC matches only in kills/set (4.28) ... has posted five 20-plus kill matches this season, including a career-high 24 kills (.385) in a five-set match at Illinois State ... twice posted 20 kills in four-set matches (20 vs. No. 18 USC; 20 vs. Missouri State) ... three-time MVC Player of the Week honoree in 2017.

YET ANOTHER 20-WIN SEASON
UNI has recorded the program's 35th 20-win season. UNI has won 20 or more matches in 19 of the last 20 seasons.
   It is the 16th 20-win season for Panther head coach Bobbi Petersen.

STREAKS OF NOTE
The Panthers have guaranteed the program will have a .500 or better record for the 37th consecutive season.
   UNI, Hawaii, Nebraska, Stanford, Penn State and UCLA lead the nation with 37 consecutive non-losing seasons in NCAA Division I volleyball.
   UNI has also posted 33 straight NCAA Division I winning seasons – the sixth-longest active streak in the nation behind Hawaii (37), Nebraska (37), Penn State (37), Stanford (37) and UCLA (35).

TOP HITTER IN THE VALLEY
Junior Piper Thomas leads the Missouri Valley Conference in hitting percentage (.403) in league matches only. Thomas has 261 kills (46 errors) in 533 attack attempts.
   Missouri State's Lynsey Wright ranks second in the league with a .353 hitting percentage (232-62-481).

HOOK HEADS THE LIST
Senior setter Heather Hook leads the MVC in assists/set by a wide margin - 0.76 assists/set.
   Hook has an even wider lead when considering only Missouri Valley Conference matches - 0.85 assists/set.
   Hook is averaging 11.68 assists/set (12.26 in MVC play), while Illinois State's Stef Jankiewicz ranks second in the league at 10.91 assists/set (11.41 in MVC play).

WHO DO YOU STOP?
UNI's offense features three of the top-10 kill leaders in the Missouri Valley Conference.
   Junior Piper Thomas ranks No. 4 in the league in kills per set (3.92). Sophomore Karlie Taylor ranks No. 5 in the MVC in kills per set (3.84). Junior Bri Weber ranks No. 8 in the conference in kills per set (3.34).
   The trio also ranks in the top-10 in points per set. Thomas is No. 4 (4.51), Taylor is No. 5 (4.27) and Bri Weber is No. 6 (3.81) in points per set.

PIPER TAKES A SPOT IN SINGLE-SEASON TOP-10 KILLS LIST
Junior Piper Thomas has posted 459 kills this season to rank as the 10th-best single-season total in program history.
   Sophomore Karlie Taylor is poised to join the list as well as she has 449 kills on the year.
UNI's Single-Season Attack Attempts Chart
1.   Molly O'Brien (2002)       595
2.   Kate Galer (1996)       535
3.   Bobbi Becker (1989)       534
4.   Kim Kester (2002)       521
5.   Kerri Eich (1997)       501
6.   Denise Cuttell (1990)       497
7.   Maryellen McCann (1987)   494
8.   Kim Kester (2001)       479
9.   Molly O'Brien (2001)       475
10.   Piper Thomas (2017)       459

TOP SOPHOMORE MARK FOR KILLS
Karlie Taylor is nearing the UNI record for kills by a sophomore.
   Taylor has tallied 449 kills and needs only eight more to equal the sophomore record set by Rachael Tink of 457 set in 2003.
   Taylor has already eclipsed the UNI sophomore record for attacks with 1,214. Bri Weber held the previous best for a UNI sophomore with 1,063 in 2016.

KARLIE, BRI MOVING UP SINGLE-SEASON ATTACK CHART
Karlie Taylor and Bri Weber are moving up on the UNI single-season attacks chart.
   Taylor has 1,214 attacks, which ranks No. 5 on UNI's single-season list.
   Weber has totaled 1,212 attacks, which puts her at No. 6 on the chart. Weber holds the single-season record with 1,303 attack attempts.

UNI's Single-Season Attack Attempts Chart
1.   Bri Weber (2015)       1,303
2.   Laura Rowen (2006)       1,274
3.   Molly O'Brien (2002)       1,233
4.   Kerri Eich (1997)       1,224
5.    Karlie Taylor (2017)       1,214
6.   Bri Weber (2017)       1,212
7.   Kate Galer (1996)       1,201
8.    Kim Kester (2002)       1,199
9.   Bobbi Becker (1989)       1,195
10.   Amie Held (2016)       1,165

HOOK RANKS NO. 9 ON UNI'S SINGLE-SEASON ASSIST LIST
UNI senior setter Heather Hook ranks No. 9 on the Panther single-season assist chart. She has posted 1,366 assists this season.
   Last year, Hook tallied 1,341 assists.

UNI's Single-Season Assist Chart
1.   Jill Arganbright (2002)   1,689
2.   Jill Arganbright (2003)   1,613
3.   Kristin Belzung (2006)       1,514
4.   Erin Hirsch (2004)       1,472
5.   Kristin Belzung (2007)       1,440
6.   Molly Turk (2012)       1,439
7.   Heather Hook (2015)       1,417
8.   Jill Arganbright (2001)   1,415
9.   Heather Hook (2016)       1,366
10.   Jill Arganbright (2000)   1,347

SORGE RANKS 9TH ON
SINGLE-SEASON DIGS LIST
UNI junior libero setter Kendyl Sorge ranks ninth on the Panthers's single-season digs chart with 546 digs entering the MVC Tournament.
   Sorge posted 621 digs last year, which ranks No. 6 on the UNI list.

UNI's Single-Season Digs Chart
1.   Ellie Blankenship (2009)   698
2.   Ellie Blankenship (2008)   676
3.   Ellie Blankenship (2010)   658
4.   Candice Burke (2012)       625
5.   Ellie Blankenship (2007)   624
6.   Kendyl Sorge (2016)       621
7.   Candice Burke (2011)       585
8.   Amie Held (2015)       577
9.   Kendyl Sorge (2017)       546
10.   Amie Held (2014)       524

WEBER FINDS A SPOT IN UNI'S DOUBLE-GRAND CLUB
Junior Bri Weber became the 11th UNI Panther to post a pair of 1,000 career totals (digs, kills or assists).
   Weber is one of eight Panthers to post 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in their careers.
   Weber has totaled 1,300 digs and 1,130 kills.

UNI's 1,000/1,000 Club
Jill Arganbright   1,025 digs/6,064 assists
Alexandra Auker   1,303 digs/1,360 kills
Bobbi Becker   1,457 digs/1,611 kills
Mary Bernhardt   1,202 digs/3,977 assists
Amy Braun   1,672 digs/1,202 kills
Kate Galer   1,368 digs/1,720 kills
Kim Kester   1,013 digs/1,439 kills
Kim McCaffrey   1,015 digs/1,272 kills
Bre Payton   1,222 digs/4,752 assists
Laura Rowen   1,145 digs/1,386 kills
Bri Weber   1,300 digs/1,130 kills

SORGE MOVES TO NO. 5, WEBER TO NO. 10 ON UNI'S TOP-10 ALL-TIME DIGS LIST
Junior libero Kendyl Sorge has moved into the No. 5 slot on UNI's all-time digs list with 1,652 digs. Sorge ranks No. 29 on the NCAA's active career digs list.
   Junior Bri Weber has 1,300 career digs to rank No. 10 on UNI's all-time digs list.

UNI's All-Time Digs Chart
1.   Ellie Blankenship (2007-2010)   2,656
2.   Amie Held (2013-2016)   2,002
3.   Candice Burke (2008-2012)   1,737
4.   Amy Braun (2009-2012)   1,672
5.   Kendyl Sorge (2015-pres.)   1,652
6.   Stephanie May (2003-2006)   1,570
7.   Bobbi Becker (1986-1989)   1,457
8.   Kate Galer (1993-1996)   1,368
9.   Alexandra Auker (1997-2000)   1,303
10.   Bri Weber (2015-pres.)   1,300
11.   Bre Payton (2007-2011)   1,222
12.   Mary Bernhardt (1984-1987)   1,202
13.   Miranda Weber (1999-2002)   1,148
14.   Laura Rowen (2004-2007)   1,145
15.   Jill Arganbright (2000-2003)   1,025

HOOK CLIMBS ASSIST LADDER
UNI senior setter Heather Hook ranks No. 6 on the school's all-time assist chart.
   Hook is the sixth UNI Panther to accumulate at least 4,000 assists in her career. Hook has posted 4,124 career assists.
   Hook ranks No. 22 on the NCAA's active career leaders list in assists.

UNI's All-Time Assist Chart
1.   Jill Arganbright (2000-2003)   6,064
2.   Shannon Perry (1996-1999)   4,881
3.   Bre Payton (2008-2011)   4,752
4.   Kara Galer (1992-1995)   4,265
5.   Kristin Belzung (2003-2007)   4,256
6.   Heather Hook (2014-pres.)   4,124
7.   Mary Bernhardt (1984-1987)   3,977
8.   Bobbie Kreple (1987-1990)   2,780
9.   Kinsey Caldwell (2013-2014)   2,549
10.   Katie Crowley (1988-1991)   1,895

THOMAS JOINS UNI'S TOP-10 SOLO BLOCKS LIST
Junior middle hitter Piper Thomas has joined the top-10 list of solo blockers in UNI volleyball history.
   Thomas ranks No. 8 on UNI's solo block list with 70 career solos.

UNI's All-Time Solo Blocks Chart
1.   Denis Cuttell (1987-1990)   90
2.   Holly VanHofwegen (1996-1999)   86
3.   Kari Warren (1983-1986)   83
4.   Lisa Meeker (1986-1986)   74
5.   Carrie Shurr (1991-1994)   73
6.   Jill Sprague (1985-1988)   71
   Danielle Brazda (2003-2007)   71
8.   Piper Thomas (2015-pres.)   70
9.   Tricia Mills (1990-1993)   65
10.   Krista DeGeest (2008-2012)   64

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TALK
Karlie Taylor leads the Panthers in double-doubles this season with 22.
   Bri Weber ranks second on the team in double-doubles with 15, while Heather Hook has posted 10 double-doubles this year.
   Weber has recorded 49 career double-doubles. Hook has tallied 34 career double doubles.

Career Double-Doubles
Bri Weber - 49
Heather Hook - 34
Karlie Taylor - 22

PANTHERS NEARLY AUTOMATIC WHEN UP 2-0
UNI jumped out to a 2-0 lead at Drake on Saturday and finished off the advantage with a 3-0 sweep.
   UNI improved to 686-9 all-time when winning the first two sets of a match.

EARLY ADVANTAGE
UNI has won the opening set in 26 of its 32 matches this season. The Panthers are 24-2 when winning the first set.

4,000 CAREER ASSISTS FOR HOOK
UNI senior setter Heather Hook became only the sixth UNI Panther to reach 4,000 career assists.
   Hook also became the 23rd MVC player with 4,000 or more assists.
   Hook ranks No. 4 in the nation in total assists (1,366) this season.
   Hook has tallied 4,124 career assists and is one of 22 active NCAA Division I players with 4,000 or more assists.

1,000 CAREER KILLS FOR PIPER
UNI junior middle hitter Piper Thomas became the 27th Panther to surpass 1,000 career kills.
   Thomas has tallied 1,042 career kills. She leads in the Panthers in kills (449) and hitting percentage (.359).

12 CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF APR RECOGNITION, PERFECTION
For the past 12 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 12 years.
   UNI volleyball is one of 93 programs in the nation to have earned the recognition in each of the 12 years teams have been honored.

AVCA TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD
The UNI volleyball team compiled a 3.42 cumulative GPA during the 2016-17 season.
   It marks the sixth consecutive season that the Panthers have earned the AVCA Team Academic Award.

AMONG ELITE COMPANY
The Panthers rank No. 8 all-time in NCAA Division I winning percentage (.774). UNI trails only Penn State (.861), Hawaii (.855), Nebraska (.842), Florida (.830), Stanford (.811), UCLA (.776) and BYU (.775) 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.

20 NCAA APPEARANCES
In its 20 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.

PANTHERS PICKED SECOND IN MVC PRESEASON POLL
The Panthers earned one first-place vote in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference coaches poll.
   UNI is projected to finish second behind preseason favorite Missouri State.

2017 PRESEASON POLL
1.   Missouri State (9)   99 pts.
2.    UNI (1)    89 pts.
3.    Illinois State    76 pts.
4.    Loyola    67 pts.
5.    Southern Illinois    64 pts.
6.    Drake    48 pts.
7.    Valparaiso    33 pts.
8.    Bradley    32 pts.
9.    Indiana State    26 pts.
10. Evansville    16 pts.

NICARAGUA TRIP
UNI spent 10 days in Nicaragua this past spring as the Panthers were able to make an trip outside the United States.
   UNI was in Nicaragua from May 9-17. The days consisted of playing volleyball, experiencing Nicaragua and doing mission work.
   An extra component of this trip that was different than in the past was the opportunity to give back. The team volunteered at Manos Unidas (cooperative for people with disabilities), Escuela Adelante (preschool) and local schools. The Panthers also hosted a youth volleyball clinic.

FAN FAVORITES
The Panthers consistently have ranked among the national leaders in attendance, and this season is no different with UNI ranked No. 14 in average home attendance at 2,438 per match.
   UNI has ranked in the top 20 in home attandance in 16 of the last 18 seasons, including a stretch of eight straight seasons in the top 20.

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