University of Northern Iowa Athletics
2017 Women's Volleyball Roster
Roster
Thomas, Piper
RS/MH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballL/DS
/ Women's VolleyballS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballMH
/ Women's VolleyballMH
/ Women's VolleyballS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballMH
/ Women's VolleyballDS
/ Women's VolleyballDS
/ Women's VolleyballMH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
Jersey Number 17
Piper Thomas
- Position:
- Middle Hitter
- Class:
- Junior
- High School:
- Jesup
- Hometown:
- Jesup, Iowa
Bio
2018: Played 126 sets for the Panthers...second highest on the team and fourth in the conference in kills with 465...most blocks on the team with 98...second most points scored on the team with 527...recorded season best 24 kills versus Illinois State (11/24/18)...posted a .344 hitting percentage which ranked second in the conference...named to the Active Ankle All Tournament Team...2-time MVC Player of the Week (10/1/18) and (10/29/18)...named first team All MVC...2018 MVC Player of the Year...named to the MVC All Tournament team...named to the MVC Scholar Athlete team...MVC Tournament MVP...ranks first in UNI program for block solos with 98.2017: Started in all 36 matches and played in all 131 sets for the Panthers ... ranked first on the team in kills (524 - 4.00/set), blocks (119) and hitting percentage (.360) ... top hitter in MVC matches only (.403) ... ranked second in the league in MVC matches only in kills/set (4.28) ... posted six 20-plus kill matches this season ... only player in the country to have a match with 28 kills, no attack errors (.563) and 10 blocks (vs. Illinois State in the MVC Tournament semifinal) ... she posted 20 kills in four-set matches on three occasions (20 vs. No. 18 USC; 20 vs. Missouri State; 28 at Illinois State) ... three-time MVC Player of the Week honoree in 2017 ... Thomas was named to the first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference squad ... her 524 kills ranks as the fourth-best single-season total in UNI history ... her 604.5 points is the fifth-highest single-season total in program history ... All-Tournament Team Austin Peay's Governors Challenge and 2017 MVC Tournament ... MVP of Austin Peay's Governors Challenge (UNI defeated Missouri, Middle Tennessee, Austin Peay) ... MVC Scholar-Athlete Team selection (majoring in movement & exercise science) … named to the AVCA All-Midwest Region First Team … named AVCA Honorable Mention All-American … named Prepvolleyball.com Honorable Mention All-American.
2016: Started all 34 matches ... played in 120 of a possible 122 sets ... led the team in solo blocks (22), block assists (102) and total blocks (124) ... ranked fourth on the team in total kills (269) ... had 11 double-figure kill efforts ... had 15 kills and hit .462 in a four-set match vs. USC (9/3) ... posted eight blocks in a 3-0 win over Omaha (9/9) ... secured 14 kills and six blocks in a 3-2 win over Iowa State (9/13) ... registered 15 kills and hit .323 in a five-set match at Southern Illinois (9/23) ... hit. 409 with 11 kills in a 3-1 win over Wichita State (10/1) ... hit .312 and had 15 kills in a 3-1 win over Indiana State (10/3) ... notched her first career double-double with 17 kills (.419 hitting percentage) and 10 blocks in a 3-1 win at Illinois State (11/18) ... credited with 14 kills and eight blocks vs. Creighton (12/1) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Lawrence, Kan.
2015: Named to the MVC All-Freshmen Team - becoming the 19th UNI player to be named to the league's all-freshmen squad ... started all 34 matches ... played in all 133 sets ... ranked second on the squad in blocks (103) and hitting percentage (.247) ... ranked third on the team in kills (314) ... ranked fourth on the squad in service aces (16) ... two-time MVC Freshman of the Week honoree ... earned her first MVC freshman of the week honor (10/19) after recording 11 kills (.471 hitting percentage) vs. Drake ... earned the MVC's top freshman honor (Nov. 2) after averaging 3.29 kills with a .271 hitting percentage in wins over Illinois State and Indiana State ... averaged 2.89 kills and hit .317 for the Panthers in two MVC Tournament matches ... she tallied 18 double-figure kill efforts ... set her career-high with 16 kills in a five-set win over Evansville (9/26) ... posted a career-best seven blocks in a 3-0 win at Bradley (9/29).
High School: Earned team MVP honors in each of her four years for the Jesup J-Hawks ... served as a three-year captain for the volleyball squad ... named to the first-team all-conference in 2013 and 2014 in the North Iowa Cedar League ... named to the second-team all-conference in 2012. Thomas tallied all-district honors in 2013 ... also lettered in track and helped win state championships in the 4x800 relay in 2012 and 2013 ... a part of three consecutive state runner-up finishes in the distance medley relay ... honor roll student ... played club volleyball for Highway 20 in 2009 and Club Iowa Juniors from 2010 to the present ... won the USA Volleyball 17-and-under national championship in the USA Division and was selected to the all-tournament team.
Personal: Daughter of Rob and Rachel Thomas ... majoring in movement and exercise science.
Career Highs
Kills: 28 at Illinois State (11/24/17)
Aces: 3 vs. Northern Illinois (9/19/15)
Assists: 2 [4] vs Missouri State (10/14/17)
Blocks: 10 [2] at Illinois State (11/24/17)
Digs: 6 at Omaha (9/15/17)
Points: 33.5 at Illinois State (11/24/17)
Bobbi Petersen Press Conference Sep. 29, 2025
Tuesday, September 30
PST: Reese Booth (2025)
Friday, September 26
Panther basketball and wrestling bring skills to Main Street Madness 2025
Friday, September 26
UNI Panther Football: The Best Pod of your Day (Episode 5)
Wednesday, September 24
