UNI Opens NCAA Tourney Play vs. Marquette

Friday, December 4

Minneapolis, Minn.

4:30 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

Marquette

Photo by: Mike Dunlop

UNI Opens NCAA Tourney Play vs. Marquette

12/1/2015 2:56:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Complete Release (PDF)

This Week's Action
Fri., Dec. 4 - Minneapolis, Minn. (The Sports Pavilion)
UNI vs. Marquette, 4:30 p.m. - LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
Jackson State at #2 Minnesota, 6:30 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 5 - Minneapolis, Minn. (The Sports Pavilion)
Second Round, 6:30 p.m.

• The University of Northern Iowa women's volleyball team (19-14 overall, 12-6 Missouri Valley Conference) was awarded an at-large bid into the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

• The University of Minnesota is the No. 2 overall seed and will serve as the host in the first two rounds.

• UNI will take on Marquette in a first round matchup on Friday at 4:30 p.m. in The Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis.

• UNI holds a 4-1 lead in the all-time series vs. Marquette. The last meeting came Sept. 9, 2012, when UNI scored a five-set win in Milwaukee, Wis.

• The winner of the UNI-Marquette match will take on the winner of the Minnesota-Jackson State match on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

• UNI is making its 19th appearance and its third time as an at-large selection (2008, 2012, 2015).

• UNI has posted 14 wins in the NCAA Tournament and has advanced to at least the second round 11 times.

• The Panthers have made three Sweet 16 appearances (1999, 2001, 2002).

• UNI's last NCAA appearance came in 2012 when the Panthers scored a 3-0 first-round win over Kansas State.

• UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen has led the Panthers to 11 NCAA Tournament trips. UNI is 9-10 in NCAA tournament play under Petersen, including two trips to the Sweet 16 (2001, 2002).

UNI NCAA VOLLEYBALL NOTES
UNI HEADED TO MINNESOTA FOR 2015 NCAA TOURNAMENT
The University of Northern Iowa women's volleyball team (19-14 overall, 12-6 Missouri Valley Conference) was awarded an at-large bid into the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
   The University of Minnesota is the No. 2 overall seed and will serve as the host in the first two rounds.

UNI DRAWS MARQUETTE IN FIRST ROUND MATCHUP
UNI will take on Marquette in a first round matchup on Friday at 4:30 p.m. in The Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis.
   UNI holds a 4-1 lead in the all-time series vs. Marquette. The last meeting came Sept. 9, 2012, when UNI scored a five-set win in Milwaukee, Wis.
   UNI and Marquette had four common opponents (Iowa State, Missouri State, Wichita State and Creighton).
   Marquette went 2-4 against common foes with wins over Iowa State (3-0) and Missouri State (3-1).
   UNI went 2-4 against common foes with victories over Missouri State (3-2) and Creighton (3-1) .

UP NEXT
The winner of the UNI-Marquette match will take on the winner of the Minnesota-Jackson State match on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
   The winner of the second round match will advance to the Des Moines Regional on Dec. 11-12 at Wells Fargo Arena. The University of Northern Iowa is serving as the host for the Des Moines Regional.

19TH TRIP TO THE NCAA TOURNEY
UNI is making its 19th appearance and its third time as an at-large selection (2008, 2012, 2015).
   UNI has posted 14 wins in the NCAA Tournament and has advanced to at least the second round 11 times.
   The Panthers have made three Sweet 16 appearances (1999, 2001, 2002).
   UNI's last NCAA appearance came in 2012 when the Panthers scored a 3-0 first-round win over Kansas State.
1 OF 4 MVC TEAMS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
UNI is one of four Missouri Valley Conference teams to earn a spot in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
   Wichita State took the automatic bid from the MVC and will play the Kansas State Wildcats in Lincoln, Neb.
   Missouri State earned an at-large selection and will face the Missouri Tigers in Lawrence, Kan.
   Southern Illinois also tallied an at-large bid and will play the Illinois Fighting Illini in Louisville, Ky.

BOBBI IN THE BIG DANCE
UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen has led the Panthers to 11 NCAA Tournament trips. UNI is 9-10 in NCAA tournament play under Petersen, including two trips to the Sweet 16 (2001, 2002).

BOBBI RANKS 10TH IN ACTIVE WIN PERCENTAGE
UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen is ranked No. 10 among active Division I head coach in winning percentage. Petersen has collected a record of 410-121 (.772) in her 16 years as the Panther head coach.

Div. I Winning Percentage (Active Coaches)
1.   Russ Rose (Penn State)   .865
2.   Dave Shoji (Hawaii)   .857
3.   Mary Wise (Florida)   .843
4.   John Dunning (Stanford)   .829
5.   John Cook (Nebraska)   .822
6.   Jerritt Elliott (Texas)   .811
7.   Brian Gimmillaro (Long Beach St.)   .794
8.   Mick Haley (USC)   .798
9.    Tom Hilbert (Colorado State)   .783
10.   Bobbi Petersen (UNI)   .772
Note: min. of five years as head coach

RADIO COVERAGE
Live radio coverage of the UNI Panther volleyball team can be found on NewsTalk 1540-AM KXEL and www.UNIPanthers.com. 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
Fri., vs. Marquette - UNIPanthers.com
Sat., vs. TBD - UNIPanthers.com

LONG LINE OF SUCCESS
UNI is assured of its 37th consecutive non-losing season.
   UNI also clinched its 31st straight season with a winning record.
   UNI needs one more victory to extend its streak of 17 consecutive 20-win seasons.

NCAA'S UPDATED RPI NUMBERS
UNI is ranked No. 45 in the latest release of the NCAA's RPI listing. UNI has played 14 top-100 teams in the RPI.
   Marquette enters the NCAA Tournament with an RPI of 36.
   UNI has collected eight wins over top-100 RPI teams season with victories over No. 15 Creighton, No. 34 Missouri State, No. 40 Southern Illinois, No. 69 Illinois State (twice), No. 85 Cincinnati, No. 90 Alabama and No. 94 Northern Illinois. UNI was 8-12 against the top-100 teams.
   Five MVC schools are ranked in the top 70 including No. 28 Wichita State, No. 34 Missouri State, No. 40 Southern Illinois, No. 45 UNI and No. 69 Illinois State.

UNI's Top-100 RPI Opponents
3. USC (L, 3-0)
13. Western Kentucky (L, 3-1)
15. Creighton (W, 3-1)
20. Colorado St. (L, 3-0)
21. Kentucky (L, 3-1)
23. Iowa St. (L, 3-0)
34. Missouri St. (W, 3-2 | L, 3-1)
28. Wichita St. (L, 3-0 | L, 3-0 | L, 3-2)
40. Southern Illinois (W, 3-1 | L, 3-1)
42. Baylor (L, 3-2)
69. Illinois St. (L, 3-0 | W, 3-1 | W, 3-1)
85. Cincinnati (W, 3-1)
90. Alabama (W, 3-1)
94. Northern Illinois (W, 3-1)

ONE OF THE TOUGHEST SLATES
UNI's schedule strength is ranked No. 14 in the nation according to the latest NCAA statistical release.
   UNI's opponents this season have posted a mark of 410-251 (.620), which puts the Panthers's 2015 schedule as the toughest in the Missouri Valley Conference.
   UNI's first round opponent in the NCAA Tournament, Marquette, has the nation's No. 19-ranked toughest schedule. Marquette's opponents had a record of 396-251 (.612).

HOOK RANKS 9TH NATIONALLY
Sophomore setter Heather Hook ranks No. 9 nationally in total assists with 1,366.

NO. 2 IN THE NATION IN DIGS
UNI ranks No. 2 in the nation in digs/set as the Panthers are averaging 17.86 digs/set this season.

GREAT FAN SUPPORT
UNI is ranked No. 13 in the nation in average home attendance. UNI is averaging 2,277 fans per home match this season.
   UNI ranked No. 7 in the nation in average home attendance in the 2014 season with 3,118 fans per match in the McLeod Center.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TALK
Freshman Bri Weber has recorded a team-best 17 double-doubles. Junior Amie Held has tallied 13 double-doubles. Sophomore Heather Hook has been credited with 11 double-doubles.

GETTING DEFENSIVE AT MVC TOURNAMENT
UNI averaged 20.78 digs per set in its two MVC Tournament matches. UNI posted 96 digs in its 3-1 win over Illinois State in the quarterfinal. UNI then registered 91 digs in the MVC semifinal vs. Wichita State.
   UNI's Kendyl Sorge averaged 6.44 digs/set in the MVC Tournament. She tallied her second 30-plus dig match of the year against Illinois State with 31 digs. Sorge added 27 digs against the Shockers in the semifinal matchup.

HELD NAMED TO THE MVC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Junior Amie Held was named to the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament team.
   Held registered a team-best 30 kills (3.33/set) and four service aces in UNI's two MVC tourney matches. She also posted 28 digs (3.11/set) to go along with four blocks (0.44/set).

PIPER POSTS STRONG MVC TOURNEY SHOWING
UNI freshman middle hitter Piper Thomas averaged 2.89 kills per set and hit .317 in the two MVC tourney matches to lead the Panthers.
   Thomas had 14 kills (.419) in a 3-1 win over Illinois State. She then posted 12 kills (.207) against Wichita State in the five-set MVC semifinal.

SUPERLATIVE NUMBERS AFTER 2-0 LEADS
The Panthers have been nearly unbeatable at home when taking a 2-0 lead in the program's history.
   UNI is 343-1 at home in matches it won the first two sets. UNI's only loss at home after winning the first two sets came on Sept. 21, 2007, when Creighton rallied for a five-set win in the McLeod Center.
   UNI is 648-9 all-time when leading matches 2-0.

UNI's Only Losses When Leading 2-0
Oct. 26, 1985 at Missouri State
Sept. 30, 1990 vs. Memphis (neutral)
Nov. 29, 1990 vs. Boise State (neutral)
Sept. 4, 1992 vs. Virginia (neutral)
Aug. 30, 1996 vs. Northern Arizona (neutral)
Sept. 21, 2007 vs. Creighton
Sept. 6, 2013 vs. Wisconsin (neutral)
Sept. 5, 2014 vs. Creighton (neutral)
Nov. 27, 2015 vs. Wichita State (neutral)

HELD, HANELINE EARN 1ST-TEAM ALL-MVC HONORS
For the 10th consecutive season, the University of Northern Iowa volleyball team had two players named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team.
   Juniors Kayla Haneline (Plattsmouth, Neb.) and Amie Held (Festus, Mo.) were each named First-Team All-MVC performers in helping UNI to a fourth-place finish in the MVC.
   Haneline earned the first-team honor for the second consecutive season, while Held moved up from a second-team selection last season to a first-team honoree this year.
   Haneline ranks fourth in the MVC in blocks/set (1.05) and fifth in the league in kills/set (3.17). She leads UNI in kills (406), blocks (134) and attack percentage (.288). She registered at least eight kills in each conference match this season. She has posted 24 double-figure kill totals in 2015. She set her career-high in kills on two occasions this season vs. Evansville (Sept. 26) and at Drake (Nov. 14). Haneline tallied a career-high nine blocks in a 3-2 win over Drake (Nov. 14).
   Held leads the team in digs (552) and service aces (30). Since moving to a six-rotation position on Oct. 2, she has led the team in kills. Held has posted 13 double-doubles since moving into a hitting position. She scored a career-high 16 kills vs. Wichita State in the MVC Tournament semifinal (Nov. 27). Held has been credited with 30 digs in two matches this year.

HELD, HANELINE, NAMED TO SCHOLAR-ATHLETE SQUAD
Juniors Amie Held and Kayla Haneline were each named to the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference's Volleyball Scholar-Athlete First Team.
   Held has a 3.84 GPA, while majoring in movement and exercise science. It marks the second straight season that Held has earned first-team scholar-athlete honors.
   Haneline has a 3.56 GPA with a double major in management (business administration) and biology. She earned honorable mention scholar-athlete team status last season.

PIPER THOMAS NAMED TO MVC ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Freshman middle hitter Piper Thomas earned a slot on the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference's All-Freshman Team.
   Thomas (Jesup, Iowa/Jesup HS) ranks second on the squad in blocks (99) and third on the team in kills (278) and hitting percentage (.244).
   Thomas was twice named the MVC Freshman of the Week during the season. Thomas tallied 18 double-figure kill efforts and set her career-high with 16 kills in a five-set win over Evansville (Sept. 26). Thomas posted a career-high seven blocks in a 3-0 win at Bradley (Sept. 29).
   She becomes the 19th UNI Panther named to the MVC All-Freshman Team.

UNI's All-Time All-Freshman Team Honorees
1996 - Shannon Perry, Holly VanHofwegen
1997 - Alexandra Auker
1999 - Kim Kester
2000 - Jill Arganbright, Molly O'Brien
2001 - Shar Vermeer
2002 - Rachael Tink
2004 - Danielle Brazda
2005 - Ashten Stelken
2006 - Shannon Aschoff
2007 - Ellie Blankenship
2008 - Michelle Burow, Bre Payton
2009 - Amy Braun, Krista DeGeest
2010 - Shelby Kintzel
2013 - Amie Held
2015 - Piper Thomas

HELD UP TO NO. 5 ON DIGS LIST
Junior Amie Held moved into No. 5 on UNI's all-time digs list - surpassing her head coach Bobbi (Becker) Petersen on the list. Held has tallied 1,531 career digs.
   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.   Amie Held (2013-pres.)   1,531
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

HELD NOT FAZED BY SWITCHING
Since making the switch from libero to a six-rotation player on Oct. 2, junior Amie Held has led the Panthers 213 in UNI's last 17 matches.
   Held leads the Panthers in digs (552 - 4.31/set). Heading into the NCAA Tournament, Held's 552 digs ranks as the seventh-best single-season total in UNI history.

UNI's Single-Season Digs List
1.   Ellie Blankenship (2009)   698
2.   Ellie Blankenship (2008)   676
3.   Ellie Blakenship (2010)   658
4.   Candice Burke (2012)   625
5.   Ellie Blankenship (2007)   624
6.   Candice Burke (2011)   585
7.   Amie Held (2014)   552
8.   Amie Held (2015)   524
9.   Stephanie May (2006)   521
10.   Bobbi Becker (1987)   471

WEBER NEEDS 16 ATTACKS TO SET UNI SINGLE-SEASON MARK
Freshman Bri Weber heads into the NCAA Tournament with 1,259 attacks this season. She needs 16 more attacks to surpass Laura Rowen's UNI single-season record of 1,274 attacks set in 2006.

UNI's Single-Season Total Attacks
1.   Laura Rowen (2006)   1,274
2.   Bri Weber (2015)   1,259
3.   Molly O'Brien (2002)   1,233
4.   Kerri Eich (1997)   1,224
5.   Kate Galer (1996)   1,201
6.   Kim Kester (2002)   1,199
7.   Bobbi Becker (1989)   1,195
8.   Denise Cuttell (1990)   1,135
9.   Rachael Tink (2004)   1,132
10.   Eryca Hingtgen (2014)   1,130

WEBER TAKES OVER UNI FROSH MARK FOR TOTAL ATTACKS
Freshman outside hitter Bri Weber set UNI's freshman attacks mark in UNI's 3-2 win at Drake (Nov. 14).
   Weber has registered 1,259 attacks, which moved her past Alex Auker's freshman mark of 1,081 attacks in 1997 for the Panthers.

11 OR MORE LEAGUE WINS
Since the first season of MVC volleyball in 1992, UNI has posted 11 or more conference wins in every season.
   UNI's mark for fewest MVC wins in a season came in 1992 when the Panthers tallied 11 league victories.
   UNI tied its record for most league losses in a single season with six. UNI posted a 12-6 MVC mark in 2005 and 2015.

DIGGIN' TRIPLE DIGITS
For the second time this season, UNI posted 100 digs in a match in its 3-2 victory at Drake (Nov. 14).
   UNI also tallied 111 digs in a 3-2 win over Missouri State (Oct. 10).

SEASON-HIGHS AT DRAKE
UNI set a season-high with nine service aces in the 3-2 win at Drake (Nov. 14).
   The Panthers also tied a season-high with 13 blocks vs. the Bulldogs. It is the eighth time this season that UNI has achieved double-figures in blocks in a match.
HANELINE BOOSTS UNI
Junior Kayla Haneline registered 21 kills, nine blocks and a .381 hitting percentage in leading UNI to a 3-2 win over Drake (Nov. 14).
   Haneline set her career-high with nine blocks and tied another career-high with 21 kills vs. the Bulldogs.

THOMAS NABS 2ND MVC FROSH OF THE WEEK HONOR
For the second time this season, freshman middle middle Piper Thomas has been named the MVC Freshman of the Week (Nov. 2).
   Thomas averaged 3.29 kills/set with a .271 hitting percentage. Thomas also averaged 1.00 blocks/set in helping UNI to a pair of victories.
   Thomas collected 13 kills (.154 hitting percentage) and three blocks in a 3-1 win over Illinois State on Oct. 30.
   She then scored a match-high 10 kills (.500 hitting percentage) and four blocks in a 3-0 win over Indiana State on Oct. 31.

UNI Volleyball's Multiple
MVC Freshman of the Week Honorees
Danielle Brazda, UNI (4 times - 2004)
Ashten Stelken, UNI (4 times - 2005)
Amy Braun, UNI (2 times - 2009)
Amie Held, UNI (2 times - 2013)
Piper Thomas, UNI (2 times - 2015)
Bri Weber, UNI (2 times - 2015)

THOMAS EARNS FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONORS
Middle hitter Piper Thomas was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Freshman of the Week (Oct. 19).
   Thomas recorded 11 kills (.471 hitting percentage) to go along with four blocks in a 3-0 sweep of the Drake Bulldogs (Oct. 17).
   Thomas posted five of her 11 kills and three of her blocks in a 25-13 opening-set win vs. the Bulldogs. Thomas added three more kills in both the second and third sets as the Panthers defeated the Bulldogs for the 37th straight time.

UNI HAS LOYOLA'S, EVANSVILLE'S NUMBER
UNI is a perfect 11-0 all-time vs. Loyola after posting a 3-0 win in Chicago (Oct. 20).
   UNI scored a 3-0 win at Evansville (Oct. 23) to record its 15th consecutive victory over the Purple Aces. UNI is 45-1 all-time vs. Evansville.

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 (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)

ARE YOU DIGGING THIS?
UNI recorded 111 total digs a 3-2 win over Missouri State (Oct. 10).
   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 Missouri State (Oct. 10).
   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)

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 (Oct. 10).
   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).

SWITCHING JERSEYS
UNI junior Amie Held played as a libero for the first two sets of the Indiana State match on Oct. 2, before switching and becoming an all-six rotation player in the third set. Held proceeded to lead the Panthers in digs for the week and in kills over the final two matches. She averaged 5.18 digs/set and 2.36 kills/set with a .271 hitting percentage.
   Held began the week as a libero and posted 15 digs in a 3-0 win at Bradley (Sept. 29). Held then switched jerseys at the intermission of UNI's match at Indiana State and played all six rotations for the final three sets. Held recorded a team-best 14 kills (.306 hitting percentage) along with 17 digs at Indiana State.
   Held then posted another team-high 12 kills and 25 digs at Illinois State (Oct. 3). It marked the first two double-doubles of Held's collegiate career after having served as a libero in her first 72 collegiate appearances on the volleyball court.

400 CAREER WINS FOR BOBBI
UNI scored a 3-0 win over Bradley Sept. 29 in Peoria, Ill., to give head coach Bobbi Petersen her 400th career victory.
   Petersen became only the fourth MVC coach to reach the 400-win mark - joining Linda Dollar (Missouri State - 758 wins), Iradge Ahrabi-Fard (UNI - 503 wins) and Melissa Stokes (Missouri State - 427 wins).

A NEW STARTING GRID
UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen had three players in new spots at Illinois State (Oct. 3).
   Junior Amie Held made her first career start as a six-rotation player after serving as a libero in her previous 72 collegiate matches.
   Freshman Kendyl Sorge made her first appearance as a libero. Sorge had served as a back row defensive specialist in her first 17 collegiate matches.
   Junior Lindsey Schulz made her first start as an outside hitter after coming off the bench in her previous 59 collegiate matches.

WEBER EARNS 2ND STRAIGHT MVC FRESHMAN OF WEEK AWARD
UNI freshman Bri Weber has been named the Missouri Valley Conference's Freshman of the Week (Sept. 28) for the second straight week.
   Weber (Dike, Iowa/Dike-New Hartford HS) averaged 4.11 kills per set and 2.89 digs per set in helping UNI to a pair of MVC-opening victories over Southern Illinois and Evansville. Weber secured a career-high 21 kills (.300 hitting percentage) in a 3-1 win over SIU on Friday. Weber came up with 16 kills and 15 digs in UNI's 3-2 win over Evansville on Saturday.

UNI Multiple MVC Freshman of Week Honorees
Danielle Brazda, UNI (4 times - 2004)
Ashten Stelken, UNI (4 times - 2005)
Amy Braun, UNI (2 times - 2009)
Amie Held, UNI (2 times - 2013)
Bri Weber, UNI (2 times - 2015)

FIRST SWEEP FOR UNI THIS YEAR
UNI's 3-0 sweep of the Bradley Braves Sept. 29 in Peoria, Ill., at the Renaissance Coliseum was the first sweep of an opponent for the Panthers this season.

OFF TO THE RIGHT START
UNI won its conference opener for the 29th time in 30 tries and improved to 16-0 at home in MVC openers with a 3-1 win over Southern Illinois (Sept. 25).

HITTING 21
Bri Weber recorded 21 kills on Friday vs. Southern Illinois to set a career-high, and then Kayla Haneline matched her on Saturday with a career-high 21 kills vs. Evansville. It marked the first time a Panther had reached 21 kills since Macy Ubben tallied 21 kills vs. South Dakota State on Oct. 1, 2013.

GOING THE DISTANCE VS. UE
UNI and Evansville played a five-set match for only the second time in the all-time series between the two schools. UNI has scored a five-set win in both instances. The first of which occurred on Sept. 13, 1997, in Evansville, Ind. UNI posted a five-set win vs. Evansville (Sept. 26) in the McLeod Center.

WEBER NAMED MVC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
UNI freshman Bri Weber was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Freshman of the Week (Sept. 21).
   Weber led the Panthers with 51 kills, five service aces and two double-doubles as UNI went 2-2. Weber tied a career-high with 18 kills and added 12 digs in a 3-1 victory at Northern Illinois. Weber was credited with 14 kills and two service aces in a 3-1 win over Alabama at the Huskie Invitational. Weber notched a team-best 10 kills in a three-set match at Iowa State (Sept. 16).

HANELINE, HELD NAMED TO HUSKIE INVITE ALL-TOURNEY TEAM
Juniors Kayla Haneline and Amie Held were each named to the all-tournament team at the Huskie Invitational in DeKalb, Ill..
   Haneline led the Panthers with a .377 hitting percentage and 16 blocks, while Held led UNI with 54 digs in the tournament.

HANELINE, HELD EARN A SPOT ON THE ALL-AMERICAN CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Juniors Kayla Haneline and Amie Held were each named to the all-tournament team at the Butler All-American Classic. Haneline led the Panthers with 45 kills and 19 blocks, while Held led UNI with 55 assists.

HANELINE NAMED TO THE UNI ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Kayla Haneline posted a team-best 35 kills (3.18/set) and eight blocks (0.73/set) in helping the Panthers to a second-place tie at the UNI Tournament.
   Haneline recorded a season-high .344 hitting percentage with 14 kills against No. 10-ranked Kentucky.
   Haneline then led the Panthers to a 3-1 win over Creighton with 13 kills and tied a season-high with seven blocks.
   Haneline closed out the weekend with a team-high eight kills against No. 8-ranked Southern California. Haneline tallied service aces against Creighton and USC.

HELD NAMED MVC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Amie Held averaged 5.27 digs per set in helping the Panthers to a second-place tie at the UNI Tournament. For her efforts, Held was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 8).
   Held recorded 19 digs against No. 10-ranked Kentucky. She then matched the 19-dig total and added a pair of service aces in a 3-1 victory over Creighton. Held tallied 20 digs in a three-set match vs. No. 8 Southern California.

UNPARALLED START FOR WEBER
Freshman outside hitter Bri Weber became the first UNI Panther freshman to debut with double figures in kills and digs in her first match.
   In fact, Weber posted double figures in kills and digs in each of the first two matches of her career.
   Weber dazzled in her collegiate debut by earning a start and then posting 18 kills and 21 digs in a 3-1 win over UC Davis.
   Weber recorded her second straight double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs in a five-set match vs. Baylor. Weber finished her first weekend as a collegian by posting her third straight double-figure dig match with 14 digs against No. 12 Colorado State.

HOOK EARNS ALL-TOURNEY
HONORS AT COLORADO STATE
Sophomore Heather Hook was named to the Rams Volleyball Classic all-tournament team. Hook made the first three starts of her career and averaged 9.83 assists/set.

1,000 DIG CLUB FOR HELD
Junior Amie Held surpassed the 1,000 career dig mark in the season opener vs. UC Davis.

TRIO OF DEBUTS IN STARTING LINEUP
UNI's lineup in its season-opener vs. UC Davis featured a trio of players making their first collegiate starts. Sophomore Heather Hook, freshman Piper Thomas and freshman Bri Weber each made their initial college starts against the Aggies.
   Hook posted 43 assists, eight digs, six kills and three blocks, while Weber notched a double-double with 18 kills and 21 digs. Thomas recorded eight kills and two blocks in her first collegiate start vs. UC Davis.

HEAD COACH BOBBI PETERSEN
Head coach Bobbi Petersen is in her 16th year as the Panthers head coach.
   Petersen has posted an impressive 410-121 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 (.772), 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.

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 (CNT) program that trained and competed in conjunction with the USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships from June 21-29 in New Orleans, La.

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.

UNI ADDS FOUR SIGNEES
UNI head volleyball coach Bobbi Petersen has announced the addition of four signees to the Panther volleyball program for the 2016 season.
   Kate Busswitz (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/C.R. Prairie HS), Kate Cassabaum (Nevada, Iowa/Nevada HS), Abbi Staack (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock HS) and Karlie Taylor (Eddyville, Iowa/Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont HS) have each signed at UNI to become a part of the Panther volleyball tradition.
   "We are extremely excited about our 2016 recruiting class and look forward to what these four student athletes will bring to our program," Petersen said. "Each is an incredible athlete, with great work ethic, a hunger to compete and have a high commitment to academics, all of which are important to our program. We are thrilled to have each of them and their families become members of the UNI Panther volleyball program."

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.