UNI, Drake Set For Saturday Matchup in McLeod

GAME NOTES (PDF)

This Week's Action
Sat., Oct. 17 - Cedar Falls, Iowa (McLeod Center)
Drake at UNI, 7 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE AUDIO
PROMOTIONS: $1 Tickets/UNI Volleyball Alumni Free/UNI Football Ticket Provides Free Admission

• The University of Northern Iowa women's volleyball team (10-10 overall, 4-3 Missouri Valley Conference) will look for a big crowd on Saturday when the Panthers play host to the Drake Bulldogs at 7 p.m. in the McLeod Center.

• $1 tickets are available for the match against the Bulldogs and UNI volleyball alumni will be admitted free during the Homecoming festivities. Free admission to volleyball for those attending the UNI football game vs. Western Illinois.

• UNI is ranked No. 2 in the nation in digs/set (17.99).

• UNI recorded 111 total digs in its 3-2 win over Missouri State. The 111 digs tied for the fourth-most in UNI's history.

• Freshman libero Kendyl Sorge's 33 digs against Missouri State are the seventh-most by a UNI player in a match.

• Freshman Piper Thomas is closing in on the UNI freshman record for solo blocks. Thomas has posted 45 solos this season and is three away from tying the mark of 48 set by Michelle Schaab in 1983.

• Junior Amie Held has tallied 1,366 career digs and ranks No. 7 on UNI's all-time digs list. She needs two more digs to tie No. 6 Kate Galer, who posted 1,368 digs from 1993-1996.

• Freshman Bri Weber has recorded a team-best 14 double-doubles, while Amie Held has registered four straight double-doubles. Heather Hook has seven double-doubles.

• UNI was able to avoid a four-game Missouri Valley Conference losing skid by scoring a 3-2 win over Missouri State on Saturday night. The Panthers have never lost four MVC matches in succession in the history of the program.

PANTHERS RETURN HOME TO THE MCLEOD CENTER
The University of Northern Iowa women's volleyball team (10-10 overall, 4-3 Missouri Valley Conference) will look for a big crowd on Saturday when the Panthers play host to the Drake Bulldogs at 7 p.m. in the McLeod Center.
   $1 tickets are available for the match against the Bulldogs and UNI volleyball alumni will be admitted free during the Homecoming festivities.
   Individuals attending the UNI football game vs. Western Illinois will be admitted free to the volleyball match by showing their football ticket.

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

Live Audio Coverage Schedule
Sat., vs. Drake - UNIPanthers.com

SCOUTING DRAKE
Drake enters the match with a mark of 13-12 overall and 4-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Drake scored a 3-1 win at Bradley on Tuesday.
   UNI owns a 74-12-2 lead in the all-time series vs. Drake. The Panthers have won 36 consecutive matches against the Bulldogs. UNI has also won 30 straight matchups against Drake in Cedar Falls.

HELD NAMED THE MVC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK AGAIN
Junior Amie Held was named the MVC's Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season and fourth time in her career on Oct. 12.
   Held averaged 5.38 digs/set and 3.88 kills/set as UNI snapped a three-game losing streak. Held posted two more double-doubles to give her four straight double-doubles since moving into a six-player rotation slot.
   Held tallied 13 digs against Wichita State. She then recorded her second 30-dig match of the season with 30 digs in a 3-2 win over Missouri State.

UNI Multiple MVC Def. POW Honorees
Ellie Blankenship, UNI (9 times - 2007-2010)
Candice Burke, UNI (4 times - 2008-2012)
Amie Held, UNI (4 times - 2013-present)

NO. 2 IN THE NATION IN DIGS
UNI ranks No. 2 in the nation in digs (17.99/set). USC Upstate leads the nation at 18.25 digs/set.

ARE YOU DIGGING THIS?
UNI recorded 111 total digs in Saturday's 3-2 win over Missouri State.
   The 111 digs tied for the fourth-most in program history.

UNI Team Record For Digs in a Match
125 vs. Washington State (Sept. 11, 1987)
117 vs. Wichita State (Oct. 17, 2008)
112 vs. Illinois State (Oct. 25, 2008)
111 vs. Baylor (Sept. 4, 2010)
111 vs. Missouri State (Oct. 10, 2015)

FIRST TIME FOR 30/30 DIGS
Kendyl Sorge (33 digs) and Amie Held (30 digs) each posted 30 or more digs against the Bears. It marks the first time in school history that two players registered 30 or more digs in the same match.

7TH-BEST DIG TOTAL IN A MATCH
Kendyl Sorge's 33 digs vs. Missouri State are the seventh-most by a UNI player in a single match in the program's history.
   It is the most digs in a single match by a Panther since Candice Burke notched 35 digs against Evansville on Oct. 12, 2012.

UNI Individual Record For Digs in a Match
45, Patricia Dietz at Iowa (9/27/05)
39, Mary Bernhardt vs. Washington State (9/11/87)
38, Ellie Blankenship vs. Illinois State (10/25/08)
35, Candice Burke vs. Long Beach State (9/15/12)
35, Candice Burke vs. Evansville (10/12/12)
34, Ellie Blankenship at Wichita State (10/17/08)
33, Kendyl Sorge vs. Missouri State (10/10/15)

HELD LOOKING TO MOVE UP ON UNI'S ALL-TIME DIGS CHART
Amie Held ranks No. 7 on UNI's all-time digs list and can move past No. 6 Kate Galer with three digs on Saturday against Drake.
   Held has posted 1,366 career digs through 75 career matches. Galer secured 1,368 digs from 1993-1996 for the Panthers.
   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.   Candice Burke (2008-12)   1,737
3.   Amy Braun (2009-12)   1,672
4.   Stephanie May (2003-06)   1,570
5.   Bobbi Becker (1986-89)   1,457
6.   Kate Galer (1993-96)   1,368
7.   Amie Held (2013-pres.)   1,366
8.   Alexandra Auker (1997-00)   1,303
9.   Mary Bernhardt (1984-87)   1,202
10.   Miranda Weber (1999-02)   1,148

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TALK
Freshman Bri Weber has recorded a team-best 14 double-doubles, while junior Amie Held has registered four straight double-doubles.
   Sophomore setter Heather Hook has seven double-doubles.

PANTHERS SNAP RARE SKID
UNI was able to avoid a four-game Missouri Valley Conference losing skid by scoring a 3-2 win over Missouri State on Saturday night.
   The Panthers have never lost four MVC matches in succession in the history of the program.
   UNI's only previous three-game losing streak in MVC play came in 2005 when the Panthers lost at Wichita State (Nov. 11, 2005), at Missouri State (Nov. 12, 2005) and to Creighton (Nov. 18, 2005).

NCAA'S UPDATED RPI NUMBERS
UNI is ranked No. 65 in the latest release of the NCAA's RPI listing. UNI has already played 11 top-80 teams in the initial listing.
   UNI has collected three wins over top-60 RPI teams season with victories over No. 23 Creighton, No. 39 Missouri State and No. 66 Southern Illinois.
   Six MVC schools are ranked in the top 80 including Missouri State (No. 39), Wichita State (No. 55), Southern Illinois (No. 60), UNI (No. 65), Loyla (No. 78) and Illinois State (No. 80).

UNI's Top-100 RPI Opponents
1. USC (L, 3-0)
11. Kentucky (L, 3-1)
19. Western Kentucky (L, 3-1)
23. Creighton (W, 3-1)
26. Iowa State (L, 3-0)
30. Baylor (L, 3-2)
39. Missouri State (W, 3-2)
48. Colorado State (L, 3-0)
55. Wichita State (L, 3-0)
60. Southern Illinois (W, 3-1)
80. Illinois State (L, 3-0)

ONE OF THE TOUGHEST SLATES
UNI's schedule strength is ranked No. 24 in the nation according to the latest NCAA statistical release.
   UNI's opponents this season have posted a mark of 217-136 (.615), which puts the Panthers's 2015 schedule as the toughest in the Missouri Valley Conference.
   Missouri State has the second toughest schedule in the MVC with its opposition's record at 206-141 (.594).

THIRD AMONG FRESHMEN IN ATTACKS
Freshman Bri Weber ranks No. 16 in the nation in total attacks - but No. 3 in the nation among freshmen.
   Weber's 838 attacks as a freshman ranks only behind Morehead State's Merideth Jewell (937 attacks) and Marquette's Taylor Louis (914 attacks).

HEAD COACH BOBBI PETERSEN
Head coach Bobbi Petersen is in her 16th year as the Panthers head coach.
   Petersen has posted an impressive 401-116 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 (.785), with the Panthers winning 20 or more matches in 14 of her 15 years as head coach.

10 CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF APR RECOGNITION, PERFECTION
For the past 10 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 nine years.
   In fact, the UNI volleyball team has had a perfect score of 1,000 in each of the 10 years.

AVCA Team Academic Award
The UNI volleyball team compiled a 3.385 cumulative GPA during the 2014-15 season.
   It marks the fourth consecutive season that the Panthers have earned the AVCA Team Academic Award.

AMONG ELITE COMPANY
The Panthers rank No. 6 all-time in NCAA Division I winning percentage (.782). UNI trails only Penn State (.866), Hawaii (.854), Nebraska (.840), Florida (.831) and Stanford (.813) 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.

18 NCAA APPEARANCES
In its 18 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.

FAN FAVORITES
The Panthers consistently have ranked among the national leaders in attendance, including ranking No. 7 in the nation in 2014 with an MVC single-season record average of 3,118 fans per home match.

NCAA REGIONAL HOST
UNI will serve as the host to the 2015 Division I NCAA Tournament Regional in Des Moines, Iowa, on Dec. 11-12.
   The regional semifinals and final will take place in Wells Fargo Arena.
   To purchase all-session tickets ($17 or $20) to the NCAA Regional contact the Wells Fargo Arena ticket office at 515-564-8300.

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.

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