Panthers Take Perfect Mark to Bluejay Invitational

Friday, September 1

Omaha, Nebraska

4:30 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

USC

Panthers Take Perfect Mark to Bluejay Invitational

8/29/2017 1:43:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Full Release (PDF)

Fri., Sept. 1 -- Bluejay Invitational (Omaha, Neb.)
UNI vs. #18 USC, 4:30 pm | STATS | VIDEO | AUDIO

Sat., Sept. 2 -- Bluejay Invitational (Omaha, Neb.)
UNI vs. #13 Kentucky, 10 am | STATS | VIDEO | AUDIO
UNI at #7 Creighton, 8 pm | STATS | VIDEO | AUDIO

• The University of Northern Iowa women's volleyball team will look to protect its perfect 3-0 start to the 2017 season when it takes part in the Bluejay Invitational this weekend in Omaha, Nebraska.

• UNI will take on the No. 18-ranked USC Trojans on Friday at 4:30 p.m. The Panthers will match up against the No. 13-ranked Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Panthers will wrap up the weekend's action against the host No. 7-ranked Creighton Bluejays on Saturday at 8 p.m.

• The Panthers were receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 poll after starting the year with three wins at the Austin Peay Tournament. UNI received 27 votes and ranks No. 31 in the Aug. 28 coaches poll.

• UNI is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since the 2011 season when the Panthers won their first nine matches.

• Junior middle hitter Piper Thomas was named the MVC Player of the Week for her play at Austin Peay's tourney.

• Sophomore Karlie Taylor went for 23 kills and junior Bri Weber went for 22 against the Missouri Tigers. It marked the first time since Nov. 20, 2009, that the Panthers had two players each post 20 kills in a single match. Shannon Aschoff (20) and Michelle Burow (20) each went for 20 kills vs. Creighton on Nov. 20, 2009.

• Head coach Bobbi Petersen is in her 18th year at the helm of the Panther program with a record of 437-132.

PANTHERS HEAD TO OMAHA FOR BLUEJAY INVITATIONAL
UNI will be back in action this Friday and Saturday in Omaha, Neb., as the Panthers take part in the Bluejay Invitational.
UNI will take on the USC Trojans on Friday at 4:30 p.m. The Panthers will match up against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Panthers will wrap up the weekend's action against the host Creighton Bluejays on Saturday at 8 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.

Live Audio Coverage Schedule
Fri., vs. USC - KXEL (1540-AM)
Sat., vs. Kentucky - KXEL (1540-AM)
Sat., at Creighton - UNIPanthers.com

STREAMING COVERAGE
All of three of UNI's matches at the Bluejay Invitational be streamed live on Creighton's website at
www.GoCreighton.com/watch.

ALL-TIME SERIES
UNI is 0-4 all-time vs. Southern California. The Panthers won their first set all-time against the Trojans last season in Los Angeles, but USC prevailed in the match, 3-1.
UNI is 1-3 all-time vs. Kentucky. UNI secured a 3-0 win over No. 23-ranked Kentucky last season in Los Angeles.
UNI holds a 41-8 lead in the all-time series vs. Creighton. The Panthers and Bluejays were long-time foes in the Missouri Valley Conference with the squads playing home-and-home matches from 1994-2012. UNI and Creighton met twice last season with the Bluejays scoring a 3-0 win in Los Angeles and a 3-2 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Lawrence, Kan.

HEAD COACH BOBBI PETERSEN
Head coach Bobbi Petersen is in her 18th year as the Panthers head coach.
Petersen has posted an impressive 437-132 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 (.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 (466 - Missouri State in that elite class.

3-0 START FOR THE PANTHERS
UNI is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since the 2011 season when the Panthers won their first nine matches.
It marks the 12th time in program history that UNI has won its first three matches (2017, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2001, 1999, 1994, 1993, 1990, 1987, 1986, 1975).

TAKING DOWN A RANKED FOE
UNI began the season by taking down No. 19-ranked Missouri in five sets.
It was UNI's first win over a ranked foe since topping No. 23 Kentucky in a 3-0 victory last season (Sept. 3, 2016).

THOMAS TAKES MVP HONORS AT AUSTIN PEAY TOURNAMENT
Junior Piper Thomas earned tournament MVP honors at the Culver's Governors Challenge as she led UNI to a perfect 3-0 record.
Thomas recorded a .482 hitting percentage as she secured 47 kills over the three matches. Thomas also posted a team-best 15 blocks.
In the five-set win over No. 19-ranked Missouri, Thomas had a career-high 18 kills (.412 hitting percentage) to go along with five blocks and three digs.
Thomas registered 13 kills (.765 hitting percentage) with no attack errors along with five digs and four blocks in a 3-0 win over Middle Tennessee State.
Thomas wrapped up the weekend's action with 16 kills (.406 hitting percentage) and added six blocks and three digs in a 3-1 triumph over Austin Peay.

PIPER NAMED MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior middle hitter Piper Thomas was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Volleyball Player of the Week for her play at the Culver's Governors Challenge.

TAYLOR POSTS BIG NUMBERS IN TENNESSE
Sophomore Karlie Taylor posted a pair of impressive numbers in her 2017 season debut vs. No. 19-ranked Missouri. Taylor became only the 26th Panther to post 20 or more kills and digs.
Taylor notched career-high in kills (23) and digs (21) in UNI's 3-2 win over the Tigers.
Taylor secured her second career double-double against Austin Peay when she tallied 21 kills and 14 digs.

TWO OR MORE WITH 20 KILLS
UNI's Karlie Taylor and Bri Weber each recorded career-highs with 20-plus kills in its five-set victory over Missouri (8/26).
Taylor went for 23 kills, while Weber went for 22 against the Tigers.
It marked the first time since Nov. 20, 2009, that the Panthers had two players each post 20 kills in a single match. Shannon Aschoff (20) and Michelle Burow (20) each went for 20 kills vs. Creighton on Nov. 20, 2009.

SORGE LED DEFENSIVE CHARGE
Junior Kendyl Sorge bolstered a Panther defensive effort with a team-best 51 digs in helping UNI to a 3-0 start to the season.
Sorge averaged 4.25 digs per set over the 12 sets of action at the Culver's Governors Challenge hosted by Austin Peay.
Sorge began the year with 24 digs and added three assists in a 3-2 win over No. 19-ranked Missouri.
Sorge tallied six digs to go with two aces and two assists in a 3-0 triumph over Middle Tennessee State.
Sorge completed the weekend's action by notching 21 digs, five assists and three service aces in a 3-0 win over Austin Peay.

SORGE MOVES INTO UNI'S TOP-10 ALL-TIME DIGS LIST
Junior libero Kendyl Sorge has moved into No. 10 on UNI's all-time digs list with 1,157 digs.
Sorge surged past Miranda Weber, who had 1,148 digs from 1999-2002. for the Panthers.

UNI'S All-Time Digs Chart
1. Ellie Blankenship (2007-10) 2,656
2. Amie Held (2013-16) 2,002
3. Candice Burke (2008-12) 1,737
4. Amy Braun (2009-12) 1,672
5. Stephanie May (2003-06) 1,570
6. Bobbi Becker (1986-89) 1,457
7. Kate Galer (1993-96) 1,368
8. Alexandra Auker (1997-2000) 1,303
9. Mary Bernhardt (1984-87) 1,202
10. Kendyl Sorge (2015-pres.) 1,157

HOOK CLIMBS ASSIST LADDER
UNI senior setter Heather Hook moved up to No. 7 on the school's all-time assist chart.
Hook has tallied 2,897 assists to move past Bobbie Kreple, who posted 2,780 assists from 1987-1990.

UNI'S All-Time Assist Chart
1. Jill Arganbright (2000-03) 6,064
2. Shannon Perry (1996-99) 4,881
3. Bre Payton (2008-11) 4,752
4. Kara Galer (1992-95) 4,265
5. Kristin Belzung (2003-07) 4,256
6. Mary Bernhardt (1984-87) 3,977
7. Heather Hook (2014-pres.) 2,897
8. Bobbie Kreple (1987-90) 2,780
9. Kinsey Caldwell (2013-14) 2,549
10. Katie Crowley (1988-91) 1,895

HOOK NETS CAREER-HIGH
IN ASSISTS VS. MIZZOU
Senior setter Heather Hook set her career-high in assists with 64 in a five-set win over No. 19-ranked Missouri.
Hook's previous career-best of 59 assists came Sept. 23, 2016, in a five-set match vs. Southern Illinois.

BIG DEBUT FOR JAYDLIN
Freshman Jaydlin Seehase registered 28 kills (.250 hitting percentage) and added five blocks in helping UNI to three victories at Austin Peay's tournament.
Seehase began her collegiate career with 12 kills and hit .321 with two blocks in a five-set win over No. 19-ranked Missouri.
Seehase posted seven kills and a .231 hitting percentage in a 3-0 victory over Middle Tennessee State.
Seehase completed the weekend with nine kills, four digs and a block in UNI's 3-1 triumph over Austin Peay.

THOMAS, TAYLOR EARN ALL-TOURNEY HONORS IN TENN.
UNI's Piper Thomas and Karlie Taylor each earned a spot on the Culver's Governors Challenge All-Tournament team.
Thomas was named the Tournament MVP after securing 47 kills while hitting .482. Thomas also registered a team-high 15 blocks in the three matches.
Taylor notched a team-best 53 kills and had two matches of 20-plus kills to begin the season.

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.