UNI Looks to Protect Perfect MVC Mark on the Road

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This Week's Action

Fri., Oct. 6 -- Terre Haute, Indiana
UNI at Indiana State, 6 p.m. | ESPN3 | AUDIO | STATS

Sat., Oct. 7 -- Evansville, Indiana
UNI at Evansville, 7 p.m. | ESPN3 | AUDIO | STATS

• The No. 21-ranked University of Northern Iowa volleyball team (14-4 overall, 4-0 MVC) will look to maintain its perfect mark in Missouri Valley Conference play with road matches at Indiana State (Fri., 6 p.m.) and Evansville (Sat., 7 p.m.).

• UNI is off to a 4-0 start in Missouri Valley Conference play for the first time since the 2014 season when the Panthers won their first seven league matches.

• UNI came in at No. 38 the NCAA Division I Volleyball RPI rankings released on Mon., Oct. 2.

• 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. 3 in the nation in total assists (785).

• In the latest NCAA volleyball stats, UNI ranks No. 2 in team digs, No. 3 in team kills, No. 3 in team assists and No. 4 in team attacks.

• 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 14 of its 18 matches this season. The Panthers are 13-1 when winning the first set.

• UNI is 676-9 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 448-136.

UNI LOOKS TO MAINTAIN PERFECT START TO MVC PLAY
The No. 21-ranked University of Northern Iowa volleyball team (14-4 overall) will take its perfect 4-0 Missouri Valley Conference record on the road to Indiana State (Fri., 6 p.m.) and Evansville (Sat., 7 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., at Indiana St. - KXEL (1540-AM)
Sat., at Evansville - UNIPanthers.com

THE VALLEY ON ESPN3
Both matches will be streamed live on The Valley on ESPN3.

SERIES NOTES
UNI holds a 58-4 all-time lead in the series vs. Indiana State. UNI notched a sweep of the Sycamores in their two matchups last year.
   UNI is 47-1 all-time vs. Evansville. The Panthers have won 17 straight decisions vs. the Purple Aces. The Purple Aces lone win in the series came Nov. 1, 2008, in Evansville.
Head coach Bobbi Petersen is 33-1 vs. the Purple Aces and 31-3 vs. the Sycamores.

HEAD COACH BOBBI PETERSEN
Head coach Bobbi Petersen is in her 18th year as the Panthers head coach.
   Petersen has posted an impressive 448-136 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 (.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 (476 - Missouri State in that elite class.

LOOKING TO REMAIN PERFECT
IN LEAGUE PLAY
UNI is off to a 4-0 start in Missouri Valley Conference play for the first time since the 2014 season when the Panthers won their first seven league matches.

UNI MOVES UP TO NO. 21
UNI moved up a spot to No. 21 in the Oct. 2 AVCA Top 25 Poll.
   UNI entered the top 25 poll this season at No. 22 on Sept. 18. UNI remained at No. 22 in the Sept. 25 poll.
   The last time UNI was ranked prior to the 2017 season came when the Panthers appeared at No. 25 in the Sept. 3, 2012, top 25 poll.

MORE POLLING NUMBERS
UNI has been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 113 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 113 poll rankings puts it on top. Iowa State has been ranked in 83 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 - 0.75 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 also ranks No. 3 in the nation in total assists (785).

UNI IN NCAA RPI
UNI ranks No. 38 the initial NCAA volleyball RPI release. The Panthers are among three MVC teams in the top 100 (UNI - 38; Missouri State - 60; Drake - 98).
   Hawaii, Minnesota and Iowa are the only states that have all of their NCAA Division I schools ranked in the NCAA's RPI Top-100.

EFFICIENT HITTING
UNI recorded a season-best .398 attack percentage in last Friday's 3-0 win over Bradley in the McLeod Center.
   It is the highest attack percentage for the Panthers since a .403 performance last season against Evansville (Sept. 24, 2016).
   Against Bradley on Friday, Piper Thomas (.667 - 10 kills) and Jaydlin Seehase (.625 - 11 kills) each hit over .600 with at least 10 kills. Thomas and Seehase combined for 31 attacks and only one error against the Braves.

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 has registered 1,101 career digs and 962 career 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

PANTHERS NEARLY AUTOMATIC WHEN UP 2-0
UNI jumped out to a 2-0 lead vs. Bradley on Friday and finished off the advantage with a 3-0 sweep.
   UNI improved to 676-9 all-time when winning the first two sets of a match.

EARLY ADVANTAGE
UNI has won the opening set in 14 of its 18 matches this season. The Panthers are 13-1 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 32 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.)   1,425
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.)   1,101
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 3,543 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.)   3,543
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 10.
   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 - 10

FOUR WINS OVER RANKED FOES
UNI wrapped up its non-conference play and captured two more wins over ranked foes to run the Panther season total to four wins over top-25 opposition.
   UNI began last week by going on the road and securing a 3-2 victory at No. 19-ranked Iowa State.
   UNI recorded the program's first win over Nebraska with a 3-1 triumph at the Omaha Challenge. The Panthers entered the match against Nebraska having only won one set against the Cornhuskers and that had occurred all the way back in 1977.

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE WEEKLY PICKS
For the second straight week, UNI has had a player selected for the Enterprise Bank & Trust MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week.
   Heather Hook (Sept. 20) and Piper Thomas (Sept. 27) have each earned the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honor this season.
   To qualify for Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week laurels, student-athletes must carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20, completed at least one academic year at a Valley institution and must be at least a sophomore in academic standing.

DIGGING IN VS. VALPO
UNI was credited with 104 digs in a four-set win at Valparaiso to begin league play.
   The 104 digs ranks as the third-best total in school history in four-set matches.
   UNI tallied 37 digs in the opening set alone against the Crusaders - topping its previous season-high of 33 digs in the first set of match vs. South Dakota (9/8).
   UNI tied a school record for four-set matches earlier this season by posting 107 digs vs. South Dakota.

UNI Record - Digs (4-Set Match)
1.   107 vs. South Dakota (9/8/17)
   107 at Creighton (10/27/00)
3.   104 at Valparaiso (9/22/17)
4.   101 vs. Arkansas State (12/4/93)
5.   100 vs. Illinois State (10/18/13)

UNI KNOCKED OFF FIVE RANKED TEAMS IN 2002
UNI is 4-2 against ranked foes in 2017. 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).

ROAD WIN OVER RANKED FOE
UNI's 3-2 win at Iowa State marked the first road victory over a ranked opponent since the Panthers toppled No. 8 Minnesota in a five-set match on Sept. 4, 2010.

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.

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