Volleyball Opens Season at Austin Peay Tournament

UNI Volleyball Notes (PDF)

This Week's Action
Sat., Aug. 26 -- Culvers Governors Challenge (Clarksville, Tenn.)
UNI vs. #19 Missouri, 10 am -- AUDIO
UNI vs. Middle Tennessee State, 5:30 pm -- AUDIO

Sun., Aug. 27 -- Culvers Governors Challenge (Clarksville, Tenn.)
UNI at Austin Peay, 12 pm (TV - OVCDigitalNetwork.com) -- LIVE STATS | AUDIO
• The University of Northern Iowa women's volleyball team will begin its 2017 season at the Culvers Governors Challenge hosted by Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tennessee.

• UNI will take on the No. 19-ranked Missouri Tigers in the opener on Sat., Aug. 26, at 10 a.m. Later on Saturday, UNI will match up against the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders at 5:30 p.m. UNI will wrap up its first weekend of action against tournament host Austin Peay on Sunday at 12 p.m.

• 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).

• UNI, Hawaii, Nebraska, Stanford, Penn State and UCLA lead the nation with 36 consecutive non-losing seasons in NCAA Division I volleyball.

• UNI has 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).

• UNI has captured the AVCA Team Academic Award in six straight seasons. UNI posted a 3.42 cumulative grade point average in the 2016-17 academic year.

• Junior Bri Weber is a preseason all-MVC selection.

• Head coach Bobbi Petersen is entering her 18th year at the helm of the Panther program with a record of 434-132.

IT'S NOT THE LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE
UNI will begin the 2017 season in Clarksville, Tennessee, at the Culvers Governors Challenge hosted by Austin Peay University.
UNI will take on the Missouri Tigers in the opening match of the season on Sat., Aug. 26. Later on Saturday, UNI will match up against Middle Tennessee State. The Panthers will wrap up play in Tennessee on Sunday by taking on Austin Peay at noon.

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.

Live Audio Coverage Schedule
Sat., vs. Missouri - KXEL (1540-AM)
Sat., vs. MTSU - KXEL (1540-AM)
Sat., at Austin Peay - KXEL (1540-AM)

STREAMING COVERAGE
Sunday's match between UNI and Austin Peay will be stream live on OVCDigitalNetwork.com.

ALL-TIME SERIES
UNI and Missouri will be meeting for the first time since a 2010 NCAA Tournament first round matchup in Cedar Falls on Dec. 3, 2010. Missouri came away with a 3-2 win over UNI, including a 15-10 triumph in the fifth set. UNI holds a 10-5-3 lead in the all-time series. UNI's last win over Missouri came Dec. 7, 2002, when the Panthers posted a five-set win to advance to the Sweet 16.
UNI owns a 2-0 lead in the all-time series vs. Middle Tennessee State. UNI secured a 25-18, 25-17, 25-13 win over the Middle Tennessee on Sept. 5, 2009, at the Blue Raider Bash in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
UNI won the only previous meeting with Austin Peay by a 3-0 count (15-9, 15-4, 15-2) on Sept. 12, 1998,
at the Northern Illinois Invitational in DeKalb, Illinois.

HEAD COACH BOBBI PETERSEN
Head coach Bobbi Petersen is beginning her 18th year as the Panthers head coach.
Petersen has posted an impressive 434-132 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. 12 of active Division I coaches in winning percentage (.767).
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 (464 - Missouri State in that elite class.
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.

STIFF NON-CONFERENCE SETUP
Head coach Bobbi Petersen has led the Panthers to back-to-back at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament. You can look no further than the loaded non-conference schedule the Panthers have played as to why UNI has found itself in the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 2016.
This season marks yet another stiff non-conference setup that will feature seven matches against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25.

Ranked or Receiving Votes
#5 Nebraska
#9 Creighton
#14 Kentucky
#19 Missouri
RV Southern California
RV Iowa State
RV Kansas State

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.

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 17 times (Illinois State - 14; Missouri State - 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 - the best mark in the MVC. Illinois State is second with one top-10 appearance.
UNI's highest ranking in the AVCA Top 25 is No. 6 (Sept. 15, 2003).

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.

MORE STREAKS OF NOTE
UNI, Hawaii, Nebraska, Stanford, Penn State and UCLA lead the nation with 36 consecutive non-losing seasons in NCAA Division I volleyball.
UNI has 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).

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.

VOLLEYBALL GOLF OUTING
The 2017 UNI volleyball golf outing is set for Sun., Oct. 1, at Fox Ridge Golf Course in Dike.
The four-person best shot will get underway at 12:30 p.m. with the shotgun start. The $45 entry per golfer includes green fees, flight prizes and flag events. For an additional $12 golfers can use a golf cart for the event. Entrants can also add in $8 per golfer for a meal following the golf.
Send golfer names, addresses, phone numbers along with $45 entry fee per golfer along with cart fee and meal fee (if applicable) to:

UNI Volleyball Golf Outing
P.O. Box 257
Dike, Iowa 50624

For questions call Joe Becker at 319-989-2405.

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.

WEBER EARNS PRESEASON ALL-MVC STATUS
Junior Bri Weber (Dike, Iowa) has been named to the preseason all-Missouri Valley Conference squad.

FAN FAVORITES
The Panthers consistently have ranked among the national leaders in attendance, including ranking No. 18 in the nation in 2016 with an average of 2,086 fans per home 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.

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.

WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen will be available at the weekly press conference held each Monday beginning at noon in the McLeod Center's Alumni Suite. The press conference will be streamed live for the general public and media to view.

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