UNI Returns to Omaha for Another Tournament

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This Week's Action

Fri., Sept. 15 -- Omaha Challenge (Omaha, Neb.)
UNI at Omaha, 7 p.m. | VIDEO | AUDIO | STATS

Sat., Sept. 16 -- Omaha Challenge (Omaha, Neb.)
UNI vs. Nebraska, 12 p.m. | AUDIO | STATS
UNI vs. Kansas State, 5:30 p.m. | AUDIO | STATS

• The University of Northern Iowa volleyball team (8-3 overall) will wrap up the non-conference portion of its schedule by taking part in the Omaha Challenge on Sept. 15-16.

• The Panthers will take on tourney host Nebraska-Omaha on Friday at 7 p.m. UNI will then match up against No. 10 Nebraska (12 p.m.) and Kansas State (5:30 p.m.) on Saturday.

• UNI is 3-2 this season against ranked opponents with wins over No. 18 USC (3-1), No. 19 Missouri (3-2) and No. 19 Iowa State (3-2).

• The Panthers are tied with Florida and Creighton for the most wins (3) over ranked foes this season.

• The last time UNI recorded three wins in the same season over ranked foes came in 2003 (No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 23 Missouri State, No. 20 UC Santa Barbara).

• It marks UNI's first road win over a ranked foe since toppling No. 8 Minnesota on Sept. 4, 2010.

• UNI tied a school record (four-set matches) with 107 team digs in a 3-1 victory over South Dakota.

• The 107 digs by the Panthers is the most by an NCAA Division I school this season in four-set matches. UNI previously tallied 107 digs at Creighton (Oct. 27, 2000).

• UNI's Bri Weber and Kendyl Sorge each earned a spot on the Kangaroo Klassic All-Tournament team. Weber averaged 3.18 kills/set and 4.27 digs/set, while Sorge averaged 4.82 digs/set in the three matches in Kansas City.

• Head coach Bobbi Petersen is in her 18th year at the helm of the Panther program with a record of 442-135.

UNI RETURNS TO OMAHA FOR SECOND TOURNAMENT OF THE SEASON
The University of Northern Iowa volleyball team (8-3 overall) will wrap up the non-conference portion of its schedule by taking part in the Omaha Challenge on Sept. 15-16
   The Panthers will take on tourney host Nebraska-Omaha on Friday at 7 p.m. UNI will then match up against No. 10 Nebraska (12 p.m.) and Kansas State (5:30 p.m.) on Saturday.

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 Omaha - KXEL (1540-AM)
Sat., vs. Nebraska - KXEL (1540-AM)Sat., vs. Kansas St. - UNIPanthers.com

ALL-TIME SERIES
Nebraska-Omaha holds a 4-3-1 lead in the all-time series vs. UNI. The Panthers picked up a 3-0 win over the Mavericks last season, 25-8, 26-24, 25-19, in Kansas City, Missouri.
   The Nebraska Cornhuskers own a 6-0-1 lead in the all-time series vs. UNI. The programs last met on Nov. 30, 2012 in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Nebraska scored a 25-21, 25-16, 25-21 win.
   UNI trails Kansas State in the all-time series, 4-6-1. The teams last met on Nov. 29, 2012, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with the Panthers securing a 25-18, 25-13, 25-21 win over K-State.

HEAD COACH BOBBI PETERSEN
Head coach Bobbi Petersen is in her 18th year as the Panthers head coach.
   Petersen has posted an impressive 442-135 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 (.766).
   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 (470 - Missouri State in that elite class.

UNI WITH THREE WINS OVER RANKED FOES
UNI moved to 3-2 vs. ranked opponents this season with its 3-2 triumph over No. 19 Iowa State on Tuesday in Ames. UNI had already defeated No. 19 Missouri (3-2) and No. 18 USC (3-1).
   UNI is tied with Creighton and Florida for the most wins this season over ranked foes.
   It marks only the third time in school history that UNI has knocked off at least three ranked opponents in the same season.
   UNI defeated five ranked opponents in 2002 (No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 7 UCLA, No. 20 Minnesota), No. 3 Florida, No. 20 Missouri) and 2003 (No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 23 Missouri State, No. 20 UC Santa Barbara). UNI is 2-2 against ranked opponents this season.

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.

ANOTHER WIN IN AMES
UNI recorded its 11th all-time victory over Iowa State in matches played in Ames.
   Iowa State entered the match having not lost a decision to an in-state opponent since 2008 when the Panthers went into Hilton Coliseum and scored a victory over the Cyclones.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TALK
Bri Weber and Karlie Taylor lead the Panthers in double-doubles this season with five each. Heather Hook has posted four double-doubles.
   Weber recorded her 39th career double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs in UNI's 3-2 win over No. 19 Iowa State on Tuesday.

Career Double-Doubles
Bri Weber - 39
Heather Hook - 28
Karlie Taylor - 5

SORGE MOVES TO NO. 8 ON UNI'S TOP-10 ALL-TIME DIGS LIST
Junior libero Kendyl Sorge has moved into the No. 8 slot on UNI's all-time digs list with 1,235 digs.
   Sorge needs 60 more digs to move into No. 7 on the list. Kate Galer recoded 1,368 digs from 1993-1996.

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.   Kendyl Sorge (2015-pres.)   1,308
9.   Alexandra Auker (1997-2000)   1,303
10.   Mary Bernhardt (1984-87)   1,202

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 3,193 career assists.

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.)   3,236
8.   Bobbie Kreple (1987-90)   2,780
9.   Kinsey Caldwell (2013-14)   2,549
10.   Katie Crowley (1988-91)   1,895

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 79 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.

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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Amie Held

Heather Hook

Kendyl Sorge

Karlie Taylor

Bri Weber

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