No. 20 UNI to Take on Salukis, Bears at Home

Friday, October 13

Cedar Falls, Iowa

7 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

Southern Illinois (Karaoke Friday)

No. 20 UNI to Take on Salukis, Bears at Home

10/11/2017 9:19:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

UNI-vb-notes-SIU-MSU-2017-1

By: Colin McDonough

Complete Release (PDF)

This Week's Action

Fri., Oct. 13 -- Cedar Falls, Iowa (McLeod Center)
Southern Illinois at UNI, 7 p.m. | ESPN3 | AUDIO | STATS

Sat., Oct. 14 -- Cedar Falls, Iowa (McLeod Center)
Missouri State at UNI, 7 p.m. | ESPN3 | AUDIO | STATS

• The No. 20-ranked University of Northern Iowa volleyball team (16-4 overall, 6-0 MVC) will look to defend its home court against Southern Illinois (Fri., 7 p.m.) and Missouri State (Sat., 7 p.m.).

• UNI is currently riding a season-long six-match win streak.

• UNI is off to a 6-0 start in Missouri Valley Conference play for the first time since the 2014 season when the Panthers won their first seven league matches.

• The last time UNI won eight in a row to start MVC play, the Panthers were on their way to an 18-0 mark in league play in the 2011 season.

• UNI came in at No. 44 the NCAA Division I Volleyball RPI rankings released on Mon., Oct. 9.

• UNI has recorded top-100 RPI victories over No. 5 Nebraska, No. 17 USC, No. 18 Iowa State, No. 35 Missouri and No. 65 Austin Peay.

• Junior outside hitter Bri Weber needs 10 kills to reach 1,000 career kills. She would become the 11th UNI Panther to post a pair of 1,000 career totals (digs, kills or assists).

• Senior setter Heather Hook leads the MVC in assists/set by a wide margin - 0.75 assists/set. Hook is averaging 11.21 assists/set, while Illinois State's Stef Jankiewicz ranks second in the league at 10.46 assists/set.

• Hook ranks No. 5 in the nation in total assists (858).

• In the latest NCAA volleyball stats, UNI ranks No. 3 in team kills, No. 3 in team assists and No. 5 in team digs.

• The Panthers are 4-2 this season against ranked opponents with wins over No. 10 Nebraska (3-1), No. 18 USC (3-1), No. 19 Missouri (3-2) and No. 19 Iowa State (3-2).

• UNI has won the opening set in 16 of its 20 matches this season. The Panthers are 15-1 when winning the first set.

• UNI is 678-9 all-time when winning the first two sets of a match.

• Head coach Bobbi Petersen is in her 18th year at the helm of the Panther program with a record of 450-136.

UNI TO DEFEND HOME COURT VS SIU, MISSOURI STATE
The No. 20-ranked University of Northern Iowa volleyball team (16-4, 6-0 MVC) will look to defend its home court this Friday and Saturday against Southern Illinois (4-13, 3-3 MVC) and Missouri State (14-5, 6-0 MVC). Both matches will begin at 7 p.m. in the McLeod Center.

PROMOTIONS
Friday's match will be a Karaoke Night, while Saturday's match will be a Hawaiian Night.

TICKETS
Fans can purchase single-game tickets to UNI volleyball home games through UNITIX.
   Call 319-273-4849 or visit www.unipanthers.com/tickets.

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., vs Southern Ill. - KXEL (1540-AM)
Sat., vs Missouri St. - KXEl (1540-AM)

THE VALLEY ON ESPN3
Both matches will be streamed live on The Valley on ESPN3.
   Eric Braley (play-by-play) and Barb Randall (analyst) will call the action in the McLeod Center.

SERIES NOTES
UNI holds a 53-13 all-time lead in the series vs. Southern Illinois. The Panthers have defeated the Salukis three straight times in the McLeod Center.
   UNI owns a 48-24 lead over Missouri State in the all-time series between the two programs. The Bears have won three consecutive matchups in the series.
   UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen is 31-5 vs. Southern Illinois and she is 27-12 vs. Missouri State.
HEAD COACH BOBBI PETERSEN
Head coach Bobbi Petersen is in her 18th year as the Panthers head coach.
   Petersen has posted an impressive 450-136 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 (.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 (478 - Missouri State in that elite class.

TWO WINNINGEST ACTIVE MVC COACHES SQUARE OFF
UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen (450 career wins) will match up against Missouri State head coach Melissa Stokes (478 career wins) on Saturday in the McLeod Center.
   No other coach in the Missouri Valley Conference has more than 62 career victories. Drake's Darrin McBroom ranks third in the MVC in career victories with 62 entering this week's play.
   Stokes and Petersen also rank No. 1 and No. 2 on the league's all-time MVC victory chart. Stokes is 277-108 (.719) all-time in MVC play, while Petersen is 261-51 (.837) in league action.

POTENTIAL 7-0 MATCHUP
IN MCLEOD ON SATURDAY
If UNI and Missouri State enter Saturday's match with identical 7-0 MVC marks, it would mark the first match of 7-0 league teams since UNI and Illinois State locked horns on Oct. 17, 2014.
   Illinois State came away with a 3-1 win over the Panthers in Redbird Arena in 2014.
   UNI and Missouri State were both 8-0 when the pair met on Oct. 17, 2009, in Cedar Falls. UNI posted a 3-1 win in that match in the McLeod Center.
   Missouri State and Drake will meet this Friday in the Knapp Center in Des Moines in a square off of two 6-0 MVC teams.

STARTING MVC PLAY ON FIRE
UNI is off to a 6-0 start in MVC action and has won 18 of its 20 sets played in the league. UNI has won by 3-0 sweeps in four of its last five matches.
   UNI will look to match its best start through seven matches in MVC play since 2014 when the Panthers won their first seven league tilts.

.300 OR HIGHER FOR UNI
UNI notched a .300 or better attack percentage for the third straight match on Saturday in Evansville, Indiana. UNI hit .343 against Evansville after posting a .398 attack effort against Bradley and a .313 attack percentage vs. Illinois State.

MORE STREAKS OF NOTE
UNI needs one more victory this season to clinch its 37th consecutive non-losing season.
   UNI's next triumph would also guarantee the programs its 33rd straight NCAA Division I winning season.

WHO DO YOU STOP?
UNI's offense features three of the top-10 kill leaders in the Missouri Valley Conference.
   Sophomore Karlie Taylor ranks No. 4 in the MVC in kills per set (3.88). Junior Piper Thomas ranks No. 5 in the league in kills per set (3.75). Junior Bri Weber ranks No. 8 in the conference in kills per set (3.30).
   The trio also ranks in the top-10 in points per set. Thomas is No. 4 (4.43), Taylor is No. 5 (4.24) and Bri Weber is No. 6 (3.82) in points per set.
UNI MOVES UP TO NO. 20
The Panthers moved up a slot to No. 20 in the Oct. 9 AVCA Top 25 Poll - marking the highest ranking for the Panthers since being No. 18 in the final 2011 AVCA Top 25 Poll.
   It marks the 86th time in school history that the Panthers have been ranked No. 20 or higher in the AVCA poll.

MORE POLLING NUMBERS
UNI has been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 114 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 114 poll rankings puts it on top. Iowa State has been ranked in 84 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).

HOOK HEADS THE LIST
Senior setter Heather Hook leads the MVC in assists/set by a wide margin - 0.84 assists/set.
   Hook is averaging 11.29 assists/set, while Illinois State's Stef Jankiewicz ranks second in the league at 10.45 assists/set.
   Hook also ranks No. 5 in the nation in total assists (858).

UNI IN NCAA RPI
UNI fell to No. 44 in the latest NCAA RPI release. The Panthers are the highest rated MVC school with Missouri State coming in at No. 57.
   UNI has recorded top-100 RPI victories over No. 5 Nebraska, No. 17 USC, No. 18 Iowa State, No. 35 Missouri and No. 65 Austin Peay.

WEBER CLOSING IN ON AN ELITE 1,000/1,000 CLUB
Junior Bri Weber is looking to become the 11th UNI Panther to post a pair of 1,000 career totals (digs, kills or assists).
   Weber would also become the 26th Panther to tally at least 1,000 career kills. Weber has 990 career kills entering this week's matches against Southern Illinois and Missouri State.
   She is one of 17 Panthers to record at least 1,000 career digs with 1,130 career digs.

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

PANTHERS NEARLY AUTOMATIC WHEN UP 2-0
UNI jumped out to a 2-0 lead vs. Evansville on Saturday and finished off the advantage with a 3-0 sweep.
   UNI improved to 678-9 all-time when winning the first two sets of a match.

EARLY ADVANTAGE
UNI has won the opening set in 16 of its 20 matches this season. The Panthers are 15-1 when winning the first set.
   UNI's only loss this season when winning the Panthers won the first set vs. No. 13 Kentucky and the Wildcats scored a five-set win on Sept. 2 in Omaha, Nebraska.

SORGE MOVES TO NO. 7 ON UNI'S TOP-10 ALL-TIME DIGS LIST
Junior libero Kendyl Sorge has moved into the No. 7 slot on UNI's all-time digs list with 1,425 digs.
   Sorge needs 13 more digs to move into No. 6 on the list. Bobbi Becker recorded 1,457 digs from 1986-1989.

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.   Stephanie May (2003-2006)   1,570
6.   Bobbi Becker (1986-1989)   1,457
7.   Kendyl Sorge (2015-pres.)   1,444
8.   Kate Galer (1993-1996)   1,368
9.   Alexandra Auker (1997-2000)   1,303
10.   Bre Payton (2007-2011)   1,222
11.   Mary Bernhardt (1984-1987)   1,202
12.   Miranda Weber (1999-2002)   1,148
13.   Laura Rowen (2004-2007)   1,145
14.   Bri Weber (2015-pres.)   1,130
15.   Jill Arganbright (2000-2003)   1,025

HOOK CLIMBS ASSIST LADDER
UNI senior setter Heather Hook ranks No. 7 on the school's all-time assist chart.
   Hook is the seventh UNI Panther to accumulate at least 3,000 assists in her career. Hook has posted 3,616 career 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.   Mary Bernhardt (1984-1987)   3,977
7.   Heather Hook (2014-pres.)   3,616
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 is tied with Tricia Mills (1990-1993) for No. 8 on the solo blocks list with 65.

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 (2003-20070   71
8.   Tricia Mills (1990-1993)   65
   Piper Thomas (2015-pres.)   65
10.   Krista DeGeest (2008-2012)   64

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TALK
Karlie Taylor leads the Panthers in double-doubles this season with 12.
   Bri Weber ranks second on the team in double-doubles with nine, while Heather Hook has posted seven double-doubles this year.
   Weber has recorded 43 career double-doubles. Hook has tallied 31 career double doubles.

Career Double-Doubles
Bri Weber - 43
Heather Hook - 31
Karlie Taylor - 12

UNI 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).

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.

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.

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.

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, 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.

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.