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1 TOC/Quick Facts 1 Table of Contents Quick Facts/Table of Contents 1 Panther Volleyball A Winning Tradition 2-3 Missouri Valley Conference 4 Media Information 5 Molten Ad 6 THE COACHES 7 Head Coach Bobbi Petersen 8-9 Assistant Coaches 10 Support Staff 11 Asics Ad 12 THE 2009 PANTHERS 13 Outlook Roster 16 Shannon Aschoff 17 Ellie Blankenship 18 Beth Discher 19 Chelsea Saunders 20 Kali Karsten 21 Michelle Burow/Bre Payton 22 Candice Burke/Krista DeGeest/Megan Lehman 23 Amy Braun/Shelby Kintzel/Molly Turk 23 Macy Ubben/Jenny Willms REVIEW 25 Season in Review Stats Results MVC Stats General Information Location...Cedar Falls, Iowa Founded Enrollment...12,908 President...Dr. Benjamin Allen Nickname...Panthers Colors... Purple & Old Gold Conference... Missouri Valley Athletics Staff Athletics Director... Troy Dannen Senior Woman Administrator... Jean Berger NCAA Faculty Representative... Anne Woodrick Volleyball Athletic Trainer... Megan Brady Strength and Conditioning Coach... Jed Smith Athletics Phone UNI Athletics Ticket Office TIX Volleyball Information Head Coach... Bobbi Petersen Alma Mater (Year)...UNI ( 90) Career & UNI Record (9 years) Assistant Coaches... Kalani Mahi, Kim Davis Administrative Assistant... Michelle Coulter Volleyball Office Phone Best Time to Reach Coach Petersen...Mornings Home Facility (Capacity)... McLeod Center (7,043) 2008 Overall Record Missouri Valley Conference Record/Finish /3rd Starters Returning/Lost libero/2 Letterwinners Returning/Lost... 7/4 THE UNIVERSITY 35 This is UNI 36 President Benjamin Allen 37 Athletics Director Troy Dannen 38 Panther Head Coaches 39 The McLeod Center 40 Radio/TV Roster IBC Credits: The 2009 UNI Volleyball Media Guide was written and edited by Josh Lehman and Kara Moran. Design and photography by UNI Marketing and Public Relations. Printed by Pioneer Graphics

2 2 Panther Volleyball 3 Team Success In 27 years of Missouri Valley Conference competition, UNI has posted 20 or more victories 24 times, captured 13 regular season conference titles, and appeared in 14 NCAA Tournaments and three NIVC Tournaments. UNI advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament three times since In 2002, the Panthers went in as the No. 4 seed in the entire tournament -- No. 1 in the East Region -- hosting the first two rounds and defeating Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Missouri. UNI finished the year ranked sixth in the nation by the AVCA. UNI has compiled a mark over the last 23 years, including in conference play, and has been ranked in the nation s top 25 in 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004, with a high ranking of sixth in both 2002 and In addition, UNI is one of just 19 college volleyball programs to have won more than 800 all-time matches. Excellence in the Classroom Five UNI players have been named Academic All- Americans a total of nine times. Mary Bernhardt was a three-time First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American from , while Kate Galer was a first-team pick in 1996 after earning third-team honors the previous season. Jill Arganbright earned second-team accolades in 2002 and was a first-team choice in 2003, and teammate Molly O Brien was a second-team selection in Kris Schroeder was honored on the second team in Since the Missouri Valley Conference instituted its academic all-conference squad in 1992, UNI has had 40 selections to the first team, including 22 in the last nine years. Individual Honors Conference, region and national honors have become commonplace for UNI players. During the past 25 years, the Panthers have had 91 all-conference selections including 54 first-team choices and nine league Players of the Year. Molly O Brien was the first ever Missouri Valley Conference player to earn MVC Player of the Year honors three straight seasons, from Sixteen Panthers have been voted to the all-district or all-region team. Setter Shannon Perry became UNI s first ever All-American in 1999 when she was voted to the AVCA s second team, while Molly O Brien earned the same honor in Head coach Bobbi Petersen was named National Coach of the Year by her peers in 2002, while former head coach Iradge Ahrabi-Fard earned the award in Petersen also was named Central Region Coach of the Year in 2001 and Home Court Dominance The Panthers moved into their new on-campus home, the McLeod Center, in their final regular season match of A record crowd of 5,522 saw UNI post a 3-0 win over Bradley on Nov. 18, 2006, marking the first athletic event in the new facility. UNI s former home court, the West Gym, was retired on Nov. 7, 2006, with the Panthers compiling an overall record of in 27 seasons including a phenomenal record since 1990, with 10 undefeated home seasons. UNI has posted two of the 10 longest home court winning streaks in NCAA volleyball history a 74-match streak from that is the third-longest ever, and a 50-match streak from that is tied for ninth. In addition, the Panthers consistently have ranked among the national leaders in attendance, including averaging more than 1,400 fans per match in Postseason Play The Panthers have played in the NCAA tournament 14 of the past 23 seasons, with three NIVC appearances during that stretch, as well. UNI has advanced as far as the NCAA s Sweet 16 three times since In 2002, the Panthers went into the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in the East Region. In its 14 trips to the NCAA tournament, UNI has posted 11 wins, advancing to at least the second round eight times. National Rankings The Panthers have become a steady fixture in the NCAA Top 25 during recent years. In fact, UNI was ranked at least one week in the AVCA national rankings from 1998 through 2004, and have been ranked in the organization s preseason poll four of the past eight years. The Panthers were ranked as high as sixth in the nation in both 2002 and Centennial Success The Missouri Valley Conference celebrated its 100th year of existence in 2006, and eight people with UNI ties were named to the MVC All-Centennial Volleyball Team. Players named to the team were setter Jill Arganbright ( ), outside hitter and current UNI head coach Bobbi Becker Petersen ( ), setter Kara Galer ( ), outside hitter Kate Galer ( ), outside hitter and current UNI assistant coach Kim McCaffrey Davis ( ), middle blocker Molly O Brien ( ), and setter Shannon Perry ( ). In addition, former UNI coach Iradge Ahrabi-Fard ( , ) was voted as the team s coach. With seven players on the 21-person team, UNI had the most members of any Valley school, and O Brien was the leading votegetter in online fan voting. All-Time Winningest Women s Volleyball Programs 1. UCLA 1, Nebraska 1, Missouri State 1, Brigham Young 1, Long Beach State 1, Penn State 1, Hawaii Texas Minnesota Texas-Arlington Illinois State Stanford Dayton Pittsburgh Pacific UNI Houston Texas A&M Ohio State UC Santa Barbara LSU Southern California Memphis Wisconsin Eastern Kentucky 772 Media Coverage For the seventh straight season, UNI will have many of its volleyball matches aired live on radio. For the fifth straight year, KWLO 1300 AM (Star 1330) will broadcast Panther volleyball and women s basketball. In addition, both CBS College Sports and FSN Midwest have televised Missouri Valley Conference matches live from Cedar Falls.Fox Sports Midwest have televised Missouri Valley Conference matches live from Cedar Falls. The Panther Sports Network will televise the Sept. 2 match against in-state rival Iowa State.

3 4 Missouri Valley Conference Media Information 5 The Missouri Valley Conference enters its 103rd year at the start of the academic year, and the nation s secondoldest NCAA Division I conference continues to be a leader in college athletics. The Valley continues to lead by example as one of college athletics most progressive conferences. The Valley emphasizes the importance of the student-athlete and is aggressive in its approach to provide opportunities for its member institutions. The Valley had another historic year in volleyball as three league teams earned bids into the NCAA Tournament field. In 2007, a conference record four teams were invited to the Big Dance, while only five times previously has the league received as many as two NCAA bids. Tournament champion Missouri State was joined by UNI and Wichita State in postseason play. Based in St. Louis since 1985, the league is assertive in its approach to hosting NCAA basketball championship events, operating a revenue-producing in-house television network, bidding out the right to host sport championships and landing title sponsorships for those events. The success of The Valley television package is one of the great stories in the league, in terms of the clearance of the men s basketball tournament title game on national broadcast television, the excellent national and regional coverage for basketball and other sports, and the effective sale of advertising content to more than 25 companies. The MVC Television Network has blossomed into a revenue-generating vehicle and The Valley s most visible marketing tool. During the tenure of Doug Elgin, The Valley s ninth and longest-tenured commissioner, The Valley has been aggressive in hosting NCAA events in St. Louis. This continuing involvement of the MVC in hosting NCAA events represents one of the most concentrated stretches of host opportunities for any university or conference in the 70-plus year history of the national championship tournament. In 2010, the Missouri Valley will host an NCAA men s basketball regional, while The Valley has hosted three Final Fours this decade (women s events in 2001 and 2009, and the Men s Final Four in 2005). The league had previously hosted men s regionals in 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2007; and a men s first/second round event in Additionally, Creighton and The Valley co-hosted a men s basketball first and second round in 2008 in Omaha. And while the Missouri Valley Conference has been progressive in pursuing NCAA events, it has continued to be a national leader in the athletic arena. And starting in , the conference broke new ground by allowing league members to bid for hosting rights for select team sport championships. By establishing uniform host criteria, the conference is able to assist a host institution in a season-long promotional campaign and provide an avenue where hosts can acquire sponsors and achieve a profit for the event. The season was a landmark season for the conference as State Farm Insurance and the league came to terms on an agreement that provides State Farm with title sponsorship of all of the league s 18 championships. The conference s progressive marketing and in-house television package has helped open doors to regional and national sponsors outside of the realm of title sponsorships, as the league s men s basketball tournament sponsorship revenues continues to reach all-time highs. Meanwhile, the league has been progressive in other areas, as it has taken its merchandise program in-house, while offering e-commerce solutions for league apparel, championship photography and a conference-wide videostreaming package. The seeds for this vision were planted by eight administrators representing five institutions, who met at the Midland Hotel in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 12, The five schools which formed the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association were Washington University of St. Louis, and the state universities of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Two months after the initial meeting, two more schools -- Drake University and Iowa State College -- were admitted. In the fall of 1907, basketball became the first competitive sport. Today, the Missouri Valley Conference sponsors the following sports: baseball, men s and women s basketball, men s and women s cross country and track & field (indoor and outdoor), men s and women s golf, men s and women s soccer, softball, women s swimming and diving, men s and women s tennis, and women s volleyball. This season, the league will conduct its 99th outdoor track and field championship, its 92nd tennis championship, its 56th baseball tournament, and its 72nd golf championship for the men. Those programs, plus other current sponsored sports of cross country (51 years), indoor track (43), soccer (19) and swimming and diving (16), have helped solidify the Missouri Valley Conference as one of the most respected conferences nationally. Indeed, the inclusion of women s programs under The Valley banner has provided a boost. The Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference -- which began in merged with the Missouri Valley Conference and was unveiled as part of the new conference on July 1, And while the inclusion of women s sports under a comprehensive athletic umbrella is a recent development in the league s storied history, over the years, Valley studentathletes and coaches have become household names during the league s illustrious history, both during their collegiate careers and, for some, professional careers. In fact, The Valley began honoring that tradition in the summer of 1997, when the conference began its athletics Hall of Fame. Hersey Hawkins of Bradley, Larry Bird of Indiana State, Wes Unseld of Louisville, Coach Henry Iba of Oklahoma State, Dave Stallworth of Wichita State, Ed Macauley of Saint Louis, and Oscar Robertson of Cincinnati were members of the initial induction class. Currently, nearly 40 former players, coaches and alums dot the league s Hall of Fame. Men s basketball, perhaps, has the league s most storied tradition with the likes of Hall of Famers Bird and Robertson, but The Valley has also produced national-caliber studentathletes in its other sponsored sports. In 2001, Missouri State s Jackie Stiles became the first Valley woman to earn the Honda- Broderick Cup, given to the nation s top female collegiate student-athlete. In the sport of track and field, Indiana State s Holli Hyche captured seven national sprint titles in the early 1990s, Southern Illinois Darrin Plab won back-to-back NCAA outdoor high jump titles in 1991 and 1992, SIU s Brittany Riley became the World record holder in the weight throw in And Kylie Hutson of Indiana State swept both the indoor and outdoor pole vault titles in In the fall of 1997, Creighton s Johnny Torres was named the collegiate male soccer player of the year for a secondstraight year, while SMU s Luchi Gonzalez (2001) and Tulsa s Ryan Pore (2004) have also earned a National Player of the Year honor in men s soccer. Meanwhile league member Wichita State has produced three national collegiate players of the year in baseball, including Joe Carter (1981), Phil Stephenson (1982) and Darren Dreifort (1993). From its early beginning to its current standing on the map of college athletics, The Valley will always continue to be proactive in its approach. League members include Bradley, Creighton, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, and Wichita State. Eastern Illinois is an affiliate member in men s soccer, while Central Arkansas and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville begin affiliate men s soccer membership in Elgin Viverito Mitch Missouri Valley Conference Staff Doug Elgin, Commissioner Patty Viverito, Sr. Associate Commissioner Joe Mitch, Associate Commissioner Jack Watkins, Associate Commissioner for Television and Marketing Mike Kern, Associate Commissioner for Communications Kelli Briscoe, Assistant Director of Communications Lori Brutton, Assistant to the CFO Maxine Day, Executive Assistant Carla Fight, Assistant to the Commissioner/ Administrative Assistant Jeremiah Ingram, Assistant Commissioner for Communications Jamie Jarrett, Director of Corporate Sales Mary Mulvenna, Assistant Commissioner for Compliance and Community Relations Rich Steed, Chief Financial Officer Bobby Thomas, Operations and Women s Final Four Assistant Lauren Eads, Assistant Director for Women s Basketball Tournaments UNI Athletics Media Relations Phone: Fax: sportsinfo@uni.edu Website: www. Colin McDonough Interim Assistant A.D./Media Relations colin.mcdonough@uni.edu O: C: Kara Moran Assistant Director of Media Relations/VB Contact kara.moran@uni.edu O: C: Laurie Wild Media Relations Assistant lawild@uni.edu O: C: Panthers On The Radio/ Internet Once again this season, UNI volleyball will be broadcast on KWLO 1330 AM (Star 1330). KWLO, with a coverage area of most of eastern and northeastern Iowa, will air at least 12 UNI volleyball matches, plus any postseason action the Panthers participate in. This is the seventh straight year that UNI volleyball can be heard live on the air, making Panther volleyball one of the few teams in the Midwest to have a live commercial radio home. In addition, all home UNI volleyball matches will have live audio and video streamed at UNIPanthers.com. Stretch Internet is in its second season of serving as the Panthers internet audio and video provider. Wire Service Associated Press , P.O. Box 1741 Fax: Des Moines, IA Luke Meredith lmeredith@ap.org Print Cedar Rapids Gazette , Fax: rd Ave. S.E. Cedar Rapids, IA J.R. Ogden (editor) sports@gazettecommunications.com Des Moines Register Fax: P.O. Box 957 Des Moines, IA Bryce Miller (editor) des-sprt@dmreg.com Northern Iowan University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA Quad-City Times Fax: P.O. Box E. 2nd St. Davenport, IA sports@qctimes.com Waterloo Courier Fax: P.O. Box 540 Waterloo, IA Doug Newhoff (editor) sportsdoor@wcfcourier.com Television Fox Fax: Boyson Rd. Cedar Rapids, IA Greg Stuart (production) gstuart@kfxa.tv KCRG-TV Fax: nd Ave. at 5th St. S.E. Cedar Rapids, IA John Campbell (director) john.campbell@kcrg.com KGAN-TV Fax: P.O. Box 3131 Cedar Rapids, IA Jared Aarons (director) jaarons@sbgnet.com KWWL-TV , Fax: KWWL Bldg. 500 E. 4th St. Waterloo, IA Rick Coleman (director) rcoleman@kwwl.com Radios KWLO/KXEL Fax: Jefferson St. Waterloo, IA KCNZ Fax: Shirley St. P.O. Box 248 Cedar Falls, IA Scott Fenzloff (director) kcnz@kcnzam.com KCRR Fax: Sycamore St. Suite 638 Waterloo, IA Elwin Huffman (director) elwin.huffman@cumulus.com WMT , Fax: P.O. Box 2147 Cedar Rapids, IA 52406

4 Chapter/Page Header The Coaches Head Coach Bobbi Petersen Assistant Coaches Support Staff Official Volleyball of The Missouri Valley Conference Molten is the Official Ball of the NCAA Men s and Women s Volleyball Championships NCAA is a trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association moltenusa.com Trademarks owned by Molten Corporation or Molten USA, Inc Molten USA, Inc.

5 8 Head Coach Bobbi Petersen 9 Bobbi Petersen Head Coach 10th Year When thinking about the tradition-filled history of UNI volleyball, few names jump out like Bobbi Petersen s. A former standout on the court for UNI and arguably the greatest player in the school s history she has continued her connection with the Purple and Old Gold as both an assistant coach, and as head coach. Under her guidance, she has taken UNI volleyball from its usual standard of excellence to a tier with the nation s elite programs. Now in her 10th year as the Panthers head coach, Petersen has posted an impressive record at the helm of UNI s program, with three Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles, five MVC tournament crowns and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances to her credit. She ranks in the top 10 of active Division I coaches in winning percentage (.765), with the Panthers winning 20 or more matches eight of her nine years as head coach. During her tenure as head coach, Petersen has helped 23 student-athletes earn first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, including coaching three conference players of the year. She has also placed at least one student-athlete on the league s all-freshman team each of the past five years. In addition, she has helped four athletes earn AVCA All-District honors, with Molly O Brien earning third team AVCA All-America honors in Academically, the Panthers have shined under Petersen s guidance as well. A total of 19 players have earned first-team Missouri Valley Conference Scholar- Athlete honors during her time at the helm, with two players earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. The 2008 season was another banner one for the Panthers, as Petersen guided UNI to a 25-9 record, and its ninth NCAA tournament appearance in the past 11 years. For the first time ever, UNI earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, after finishing as runner-up at the State Farm MVC Tournament. The Panthers also kept their streak alive of 20-match victory seasons, having now won at least 20 matches each of the past 11 seasons. Seniors Amy Sampson and Ashten Stelken earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, with Stelken being named honorable mention AVCA All-District. The Panthers claimed the 2007 State Farm MVC Tournament title in 2007, their fifth under Petersen. Two UNI players, Ashten Stelken and Kristin Belzung, earned first-team All-MVC honors, while Danielle Brazda and Laura Rowen were second-team all-league picks. Freshman libero Ellie Blankenship was an MVC allfreshman team selection, as she set a Panthers singleseason record for digs. Shannon Aschoff was named the 2007 State Farm MVC Tournament MVP, helping lead the Panthers to their second straight tournament title. The Petersen File Education UNI (1990) Bachelor s - Therapeutic Recreation UNI (1992) Master s - Physical Education College Coaching Experience UNI Head Coach, 2001-present UNI Interim Head Coach, 1997 UNI Assistant Coach, , UNI Graduate Assistant Coach, 1990 College Coaching Honors MVC Coach of the Year, 2006 AVCA National Coach of the Year, 2002 AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year, 2002 AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year, 2001 College Volleyball Experience UNI, College Volleyball Honors Missouri Valley Conference All-Centennial Team, 2006 UNI s Gateway Conference Player of the Decade, 1992 First Team All-Conference, 1987, 88, 89 Owns MVC record for kills in a match with 40 Professional Volleyball Experience Iowa Blizzard, Professional Volleyball Honors All-Pro Team, Overall Conference Year School W L Pct. W L Pct. MVC Regular Post Tourn. Season Season 1997 UNI nd 2nd UNI st 1st NCAA Regional 2002 UNI st 1st NCAA Regional 2003 UNI nd 1st NCAA Second Round 2004 UNI T2nd T3rd UNI th T3rd UNI st 1st NCAA Second Round 2007 UNI T2nd 1st NCAA First Round 2008 UNI rd 2nd NCAA First Round Total In 2006, Petersen was honored as Missouri Valley Conference coach of the year, after piloting the Panthers to a 28-8 mark (16-2 in MVC matches) and the second round of the NCAA tournament. After putting together another of it s patented winning streaks the Panthers won 19 of 20 matches at one point UNI defeated Winthrop in the first round of the NCAA tournament, marking the sixth straight time the Panthers had won at least their first-round NCAA match. UNI s season ended with a loss at top-ranked and eventual national champion Nebraska. The 2006 season was not the first time Petersen had been honored with coaching accolades by her peers. She was named the AVCA National Coach of the Year in 2002, along with earning her second consecutive AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year award, after leading the Panthers to a 34-3 mark and a top four national seed in the NCAA tournament. Injuries and inexperience did not stop the 2005 Panthers from posting their eighth straight season of 20 or more wins. Three players expected to be key contributors each saw time on the sideline due to various ailments. However, with just one senior on the roster, UNI continued to grow and mature with each match. The Panthers also posted wins against a pair of NCAA tournament teams. In 2004, with a young squad, Petersen guided UNI to its seventh consecutive season of 20+ victories, and a second-place tie in the Missouri Valley Conference standings. Playing its usual rigorous schedule, Petersen saw UNI post a season-best nine-match winning streak midway through the season, which marked the 12th consecutive season that Panther volleyball has won at least nine matches in a row during the season. Petersen led UNI to its sixth consecutive MVC championship in 2003, as the Panthers defeated Missouri State on the Bears home court to win the title. UNI finished with a 28-6 record and was ranked as high as sixth in the nation during the 2003 campaign. The Panthers advanced to the NCAA tournament s second round, dropping a close decision at eventual Final Four participant Minnesota. Petersen took the Panthers to new heights in 2002 as they were ranked sixth in the nation the highest ranking in school history while entering into the NCAA Tournament as the number four seed. Along the way, UNI faced some of the toughest teams in the country, including Stanford, the defending national champion in the first match of the season. The Panthers came up big with wins over #3 Florida, #7 UCLA, #8 Pepperdine, #20 Minnesota and #20 Missouri. In 2001, Petersen led UNI to a 31-2 mark, as the Panthers knocked off third-ranked Wisconsin, #19 Notre Dame and downed Minnesota in an epic five-game marathon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers eventually fell to #1 Long Beach State in the NCAA regional semi-finals. She also became the first person in conference history to win a league championship as a player (1986 and 87) and head coach when UNI beat Missouri State in the 2001 Valley Tournament final and Southern Illinois in As a player at UNI from , the former Bobbi Becker was a three-time first team all-conference selection and two-time first team all-region pick. Although it has been more than 15 years since she last donned a Panther uniform, her name still appears on UNI s top 10 lists in numerous statistical categories. Her 40 kills in a 1989 match against Illinois State not only is tops in UNI history, but also stands as the all-time Missouri Valley/Gateway Conference record. A native of Dike, Iowa, Petersen compiled 1,611 career kills and 1,457 digs during her career. In 1992, she was voted UNI s Gateway Conference Volleyball Athlete of the Decade. In 2006, she was further honored by being voted to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Centennial volleyball team. A former standout as a Panther player, Petersen replaced the legendary Iradge Ahrabi-Fard as head coach when he retired in It marked the second time she had replaced Ahrabi-Fard; she served as interim head coach in 1997, going 18-9 while he was serving as a consultant to USA Volleyball. Petersen spent six seasons as a Panther assistant prior to her appointment as permanent head coach. In that capacity, she was responsible for nearly all aspects of the Panther program, including recruiting, camps, scheduling, fund-raising and scouting. Petersen earned her bachelor s degree in therapeutic recreation in 1990 and her master s from UNI in physical education in She served as a graduate assistant with the Panthers in 1990 and, after completing her master s, was employed as a therapeutic recreation specialist in Fort Smith, Ark., and Fort Dodge, Iowa. Petersen and her husband, Duane, reside in Dike with their two sets of twin daughters, Baylee and Sydney (9), and Jadyn and Payton (3). Winning Percentage Active Division I Volleyball Coaches Name School Yrs. Won Lost Pct. 1. Russ Rose, Penn State Dave Shoji, Hawai i Mary Wise, Florida John Dunning, Stanford John Cook, Nebraska Brian Gimmillaro, Long Beach State Mick Haley, Southern California Andy Banachowski, UCLA 39 1, Leonid Yelin, Louisville Bobbi Petersen, UNI

6 10 Assistant Coaches Support Staff 11 Kalani Mahi Assistant Coach Sixth Season Kalani Mahi is in his sixth year as a member of Bobbi Petersen s coaching staff. Mahi has a wealth of collegiate and international coaching experience. Prior to joining the Panthers staff in 2004, Mahi served as head coach at the University of Oklahoma in the rugged Big 12 Conference, and improved the Sooners record each of his final three years. He also has previous experience in the Missouri Valley Conference, serving as head coach at Bradley University ( ), where he guided the Braves to three consecutive Missouri Valley Conference tournament appearances and posted the school s most ever wins for a rookie coach. Mahi has also served as an assistant coach at Bradley ( ) and Illinois State ( ). Kim Davis Assistant Coach Eighth Season Former Panther standout Kim Davis is in her eighth year on head coach Bobbi Petersen s coaching staff. A native of Carroll, Iowa, the former Kim McCaffrey A graduate of Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, Mahi was a collegiate club All-American, as well as team captain for the Yellowjackets. He later played and coached professionally overseas. Mahi also worked for USA Volleyball National Development Camps in Lamoni, Iowa, for 12 years as a head coach, court coach and camp clinician. He has a USA Volleyball Coaching Accreditation (CAP) Level II Certification. Mahi received his bachelor s degree from Graceland in 1987 in business administration and computer information systems. He received his master s in health, physical education and recreation from the University of Mississippi in A native of Kaneohe, Hawaii, Mahi and his wife, Chris, have three children, Tayah Kealohilani ikamahinala ila i (9), Halia aloha onapuamaeole (6), and Nohea Henohea makama ikawaileiula (4). was one of the best players in UNI history, having been named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Centennial Volleyball Team in She helped lead UNI to its second NCAA Sweet 16 appearance as a senior in 2001, earning first team all-conference honors for the third time and being selected to the All-Central Region squad. A team captain, Davis was one of three Panthers to collect 400 kills in 2001 with 410. She also led the team in digs with 379. Davis ranked in the top 10 in the Missouri Valley Conference in kill average (3.50), dig average (3.24) and service ace average (0.39). She finished her career with 1,272 kills, at that time good for fifth on UNI s career chart, and 1,015 digs, placing her sixth. She also was only the fourth person in school history to go over the 1,000 mark in both career categories. In the classroom, Davis was a two-time first team MVC scholar-athlete selection. She and her husband, Shane, have a son, Camden (3) and a daughter, Taylor (born April 2009). Megan Brady Athletic Trainer Megan Brady is the women s volleyball athletic trainer for UNI. She joined the UNI athletic staff in Shaun Juan Volunteer Assistant Shaun Juan is in his second season as a volunteer assistant coach for the Panthers. A former libero/outside hitter at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, Calif., Juan helped the Lancers to the NAIA national championship in 2001, and consecutive runners-up finishes in 2002 and Michelle Coulter Administrative Assistant Eighth Season Michelle Coulter is in her eighth year as an administrative assistant to the volleyball program. Coulter coordinates team Prior to coming to Cedar Falls, Brady was an assistant athletic trainer at Morningside College during the athletic year, responsible for athletic training coverage of all women s sports. Brady graduated in 1998 with a bachelor s degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Iowa. She received her master s in athletic administration from Idaho State University in He has served as an assistant volleyball coach at both the high school and club level, and is head coach for the Iowa Force. Juan has been involved with Camp Adventure since 2000, and currently serves as Project Director for Southern Europe. Over the years, he has worked on USA and British military bases in Germany, England, Spain, Japan, South Korea and Italy. A native of Guam, Juan received his bachelor s degree in psychology from Cal Baptist, and is currently pursuing a master s degree in teaching and coaching. travel, match personnel, and merchandise, along with numerous other behind-the-scenes duties. She was a four-year letterwinner for the Panthers as a defensive specialist from She racked up 430 digs over her career, and UNI posted a cumulative record of during her career, with two NCAA tournament appearances. Coulter is a 1996 graduate of UNI with a degree in Therapeutic Recreation. A native of Dike, Iowa, she and her husband, Todd, have three children, Broden (10), Avery (8) and Brielle (4), and live in Dike. Shari Bender Student Manager Shari Bender is in her second season as a student manager for the UNI volleyball team. Bender, a native of Waukee, Iowa, played volleyball at Waukee for three seasons. The sophomore is majoring in German education.

7 asics.com 2009 Panthers Outlook Roster Shannon Aschoff Ellie Blankenship Beth Discher Chelsea Saunders Kali Karsten Michelle Burow Bre Payton Candice Burke Krista DeGeest Megan Lehman Amy Braun Shelby Kintzel Molly Turk Macy Ubben Jenny Willms... 24

8 14 Outlook Roster 15 The University of Northern Iowa volleyball team enters the 2009 season with three straight NCAA Tournament berths, four starters and the libero from the team that finished 25-9 in 2008 and the experience of playing a European tour this summer. Despite that experience, head coach Bobbi Petersen feels there are still questions that need to be answered. After losing four-year starters and first-team all-conference players Ashten Stelken and Amy Sampson, UNI will look to its young roster to fill the holes at middle blocker and hitter positions. The Panthers only have one senior on its roster, preseason all-conference selection Shannon Aschoff, four juniors, and the rest of the team is comprised of underclassmen, including two redshirt and five true freshmen. We have some young kids that are anxious to get in there and compete for positions on the court and are ready to prove they have what it takes to be there, Petersen said. We re anxious to get some of the young players on the court and see how they respond. UNI got a bit of a preview when the Panthers competed in five matches in Europe in May. Going overseas was a great opportunity for some of our younger kids to compete in an atmosphere that was better than normal spring ball and practice, Petersen said. It was also a great opportunity to bond together and learn a lot about each other. UNI will certainly have history on its side as it vies for a successful season. The 2008 team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, marking the third straight trip and the ninth trip in the last 11 seasons. The Panthers are also looking to extend a streak of 11 straight seasons with 20 or more wins. UNI has reached the 20-victory mark 22 times in the last 24 seasons. I like the group we have returning, and the core group that was on the court, Petersen said. This team has worked very hard this spring and summer, and we re ready to transfer that hard work into the fall season. Middle Blockers The middle blocker position will be one area where the Panthers show their youth. After losing four-year starter and two-time all-conference player Ashten Stelken, sophomore Michelle Burow is the most experienced player at the position. Burrow started all 34 matches for the Panthers as a freshman. She ranked second on the team with.96 blocks per set, and she was fourth on the team with 1.56 kills per set. She also posted a.297 hitting percentage, and her efforts earned her a place on the Missouri Valley Conference all-freshman team. Michelle had a great spring both physically and technically, said Petersen. She has continued to get stronger and improve her skill level. She is one of the fastest middles we have had, and she has great knowledge of the game, allowing her to be very successful. We are excited to see how she handles the role of leading our middle group. The remainder of the blocking corps will be comprised of redshirt freshman Krista DeGeest and true freshman Shelby Kintzel. Krista got a lot of great experience this spring. She continues to make improvements in both physical abilities as well as her technical and mental sides of the game, Petersen said. She is a big block and has worked hard to improve her offensive options and decision making. We are anxious to see how Krista responds to match play this fall. We re looking for her to step up and take control of the M2 position. Even though it is very difficult to come in as a middle, Shelby could be seeing playing time as a freshman, Petersen said. She has a big presence at the net, and we are excited to get her here and teach her our system. Depending on her learning curve and how she adapts to the pace of the game, she could see time on the court. Pin Hitters The Panthers return a pair of veteran players in the pinhitter position in senior Shannon Aschoff and junior Beth Discher. Both starters from last season, Aschoff and Discher will become go-to players after the loss of Stelken and Sampson. Aschoff earned second-team all-valley honors in 2008, averaging 3.02 kills and 2.46 digs per set as a junior. As the team s only senior and one of the team s captains, Petersen expects Aschoff to also serve in a leadership role for UNI. Shannon is one of the most versatile pins we have. She is not just a great attacker, but she also puts up one of the best blocks on the team. She also has played some back court for us, so we will need that experience as well, Petersen said. She is one of our most seasoned players, so we will rely on her for many things, both on and off the court this season. We are really looking for her to have an awesome season in many different ways. Discher took over a starting position in 2008, starting all 34 matches as a sophomore. She averaged 1.46 kills and.65 blocks per game that season, and Petersen expects her to be a key component to the Panthers success this season. We look for her to step up and have a bigger role this season. She had a great spring, and she has the potential to become one of those players that opponents cannot stop, Petersen said. She is huge at the net, both as an attacker and a blocker, and she has made great improvements on the technical and mental sides of the game. Her shot selection and decision making made huge strides in the spring, and we look for Beth to have a breakout season. She should be someone opponents need to worry about. Junior Kali Karsten returns after missing 2008 with and ACL tear. Kali has worked hard to get herself back, and she is excited about fighting for an opportunity to get on the court, Petersen said. She is one of the most naturally gifted student athletes on our team, and she continues to improve on the technical and mental aspects of the game, making up for the time lost in the spring. Petersen also expects redshirt freshman Megan Lehman to vie for playing time this season. Megan is a big pin who can provide a tough block as well as an offensive option, Petersen said. She will continue to learn about the game at this level, which will allow her to continue to improve as an all-around payer. The Panthers will also bring in a pair of true freshman, Amy Braun and Macy Ubben, to round out the pin position. Braun, who was also recruited by some schools to play as a libero, could see playing time right away. Amy will come in as one of the most well-rounded players we will have. She has played a high level of club and can play at a high level in both the front and back court. She can hit anywhere on the net and has an advanced development of shots for her age, which will help her offensively, Petersen said. We are excited to see how Amy adapts to the game at this level, and we expect her to fight for time on the court. Ubben enters as a four-sport athlete who will be focusing on volleyball for the first time. Macy hasn t spent a lot of time in training for volleyball, Petersen said. We are anxious to train her and see where her potential can go. She is a huge block and can swing effectively from both the left and right side. Depending on her learning curve, she may find some court time this fall as well. Setters Sophomore Bre Payton returns after starting 25 games as a setter in She led the Panthers with 9.79 assists per set, and Petersen feels she has made big strides after serving as UNI s lone setter in the spring. Bre had an opportunity to get a lot of experience and training this spring, Petersen said. She improved her set location, decision making and the mental side of running an offense. As a lefty, she is very dangerous as an offensive attacker. She will keep the defense on its toes as she has improved hitting all areas of the court with her swings and tips. She should be a lot of fun to watch this season. Along with Payton, the Panthers will bring in true freshman Molly Turk. Molly will be ready to challenge for the setting position, Petersen said. She is extremely athletic, and besides having what it takes to make a great setter, she plays strong defense. We are looking forward to getting her here and teaching her our system. We re positive that with her physical abilities, work ethic and attitude, she will blossom as a competitive setter. Defensive Specialists Petersen believes defense will be one of the Panthers strengths in The Panthers return second-team all-conference libero Ellie Blankenship. The junior s 5.59 digs per set ranked among the national leaders. She will also act as a leader on the floor, serving as a team captain. Ellie has strong reading abilities, great defensive attitude, amazing reaction time and is one of the most competitive players on our team, Petersen said. We are looking for Ellie to improve not only her leadership in the back court, but for the team as a whole as a co-captain. She will be asked to take control of defense and passing patterns during competition. She is an exciting player to watch, and we are expecting her to be a key to the success of this year s team. Junior Chelsea Saunders also returns to the Panther backcourt. Saunders played in all 34 matches for the Panthers as a sophomore, tallying 2.23 digs per set. Chelsea saw significant playing time last season and has grown a lot as a contributor for our team, Petersen said. She can play any position in the back court, which will help with the versatility of our defensive scheme. Chelsea has developed a tough jump float serve that could score a significant amount of points this season. Redshirt freshman Candice Burke and true freshman Jenny Willms join the Panther backcourt. Candice has learned a lot about the pace of the game at this level during her redshirt year and really had some good matches in our overseas trip, Petersen said. She is very quick on the court and continues to improve her technique allowing her to do well in all of the backcourt positions. Jenny will add some depth to our backcourt, Petersen said. She was a setter for most of her high school years, but she has really developed as a defensive specialist. She will be exceptionally good at the right side, which is an area where we have needed improvement. We are looking forward to seeing how Jenny adapts to the college game, and we expect her to challenge for time on the court. Schedule The Panthers will become road-tested early on, playing away from the McLeod Center in six of the first seven weekends of the season. UNI opens the season in College Station, Texas, competing against Texas A&M, Virginia and Iona in the Texas A&M Invitational. The Panthers host Iowa State on Sept. 2 in the home opener, and then head to the Middle Tennessee Blue Raider Bash, taking on MTSU, Northern Illinois and Ohio. Following a mid-week home matchup with Western Illinois, UNI will compete in the Bowling Green Tournament, facing Robert Morris and UW- Green Bay along with the host team. The Panthers, who were picked to finish third in Missouri Valley Conference by the league s coaches, open league play at Drake on Sept. 18. We start out with a tough preseason schedule to prepare us for the conference season, Petersen said. Conference will be an absolute battle with many teams returning a great number of starters. Not only will it be a battle for the top spot, but it also looks to be the strongest year we ve had from top to bottom. It will be a tough conference race, and even though we weren t picked to win it, that is our goal, and that is what we will be fighting to do. Our kids and coaches believe we can do it, and this type of conference race is what makes the season exciting. This year s State Farm Missouri Valley Conference tournament, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, will be hosted by Creighton Nov UNI has advanced to the finals in each of the past three seasons University of Northern Iowa Numerical Volleyball Roster No. Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Hometown/High School 1 Ellie Blankenship Jr. L 5-10 Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy 2 Bre Payton So. S 5-9 Waterloo, Iowa/Columbus 3 Molly Turk Fr. S 5-10 Elgin, Ill./Burlington Central 4 Jenny Willms Fr. DS 5-7 Dike, Iowa/Dike-New Hartford 5 Kali Karsten Jr. OH 6-0 Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls 8 Megan Lehman Fr. OH 6-1 New Hampton, Iowa/New Hampton 10 Amy Braun Fr. OH 5-10 Lakeville, Minn./North 11 Macy Ubben Fr. OH 6-2 Ackley, Iowa/AGWSR 13 Chelsea Saunders Jr. DS 5-11 Flower Mound, Texas/Marcus 14 Shannon Aschoff Sr. OH 6-2 Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny 15 Shelby Kintzel Fr. MB 6-1 Mount Vernon, Iowa/Mount Vernon 16 Michelle Burow So. MB 6-1 Lincoln, Neb./Norris 17 Beth Discher Jr. OH 6-0 Grimes, Iowa/Dallas Center-Grimes 18 Krista DeGeest Fr. MB 6-2 Spencer, Iowa/Spencer 19 Candice Burke Fr. DS 5-6 Waterloo, Iowa/East Head Coach: Bobbi Petersen (UNI 90) Assistant Coaches: Kalani Mahi, Kim Davis Volunteer Assistant: Shaun Juan Panthers By Class Seniors (1) Shannon Aschoff Juniors (4) Ellie Blankenship Beth Discher Kali Karsten Chelsea Saunders Sophomores (2) Michelle Burow Bre Payton Freshmen (8) Amy Braun Candice Burke Krista DeGeest Shelby Kintzel Megan Lehman Molly Turk Macy Ubben Jenny Willms Administrative Assistant: Michelle Coulter Athletic Trainer: Megan Brady Student Manager: Shari Bender Panthers By Height 6-2 Shannon Aschoff Krista DeGeest Macy Ubben 6-1 Michelle Burow Shelby Kintzel Megan Lehman 6-0 Beth Discher Kali Karsten 5-11 Chelsea Saunders 5-10 Ellie Blankenship Amy Braun Molly Turk 5-9 Bre Payton 5-7 Jenny Willms 5-6 Candice Burke Front Row, R-L: Shelby Kintzel, Amy Braun, Beth Discher, Molly Turk, Jenny Willms, Candice Burke, Kali Karsten Middle Row, R-L: Michelle Burow, Shannon Aschoff, Krista DeGeest, Bre Payton, Ellie Blankenship, Chelsea Saunders, Michelle Lehman, Macy Ubben Back Row, R-L: Megan Brady, Michelle Coulter, Bobbi Petersen, Kim Davis, Kalani Mahi, Shari Bender

9 16 Shannon Aschoff Ellie Blankenship 17 Shannon Aschoff Ankeny, Iowa 14 Ankeny, HS 6-2 Outside Hitter Senior 2008: Named second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference averaged 3.02 kills per set, best of any returning player also averaged 2.46 digs per set and 0.64 blocks per set her 1,091 total attacks were second-most on the team recorded career high 19 kills against Florida Atlantic 8/30 recorded double figure kills in 20 matches also had double digits in digs 13 times career best 20 digs three times, against #14 Wichita State (10/17), Illinois State (10/25) and Creighton (11/28) season high eight blocks at Iowa State 9/10 named State Farm MVC Player of the Week 9/2 twice earned all-tournament honors, at the Varney s KSU Invitational and the FAU Invitational earned MVP honors at FAU s tournament. 2007: Hit.307, second best on the team averaged 2.71 kills and 1.13 blocks per game had 15 matches of double-digit kills racked up career high 17 kills against both Kentucky (8/25) and Saint Louis (9/25) had three double-doubles on the season had 16 kills and 10 digs against Illinois State 10/6 had 10 kills and 10 digs versus Drake 10/19 and had 15 kills and career-best 12 blocks against Creighton 11/23 was named to all-tournament teams at the Varney s KSU Invitational, and the UNI Invitational named MVP of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament had 26 kills, eight assists, seven digs and 17 blocks over those two matches, while hitting.386 ( ). 2006: Named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team averaged 2.51 kills per game hitting percentage of.283 ( ) was second-best of all UNI s attackers named MVC Freshman of the Week Oct. 2 had six matches of doubledigit kills career best 15 kills at Creighton 10/6 recorded 14 kills against Wichita State 10/21 recorded double-figure kills in both of UNI s NCAA tournament matches, with 11 against Winthrop (12/1) and 12 versus top-ranked and eventual national champion Nebraska (12/2) hit.317 over those two matches ( ). High School: Two-time state of Iowa 4A Player of the Year, in 2004 and 2005 Ankeny won the state championship both seasons, and she was named to the alltournament team both times named to PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces list of top 100 recruits of 2006 named to the Fab 50 recruits in Volleyball Magazine four time Central Iowa Metro League all-academic honoree. Personal: Daughter of Dave and Bonnie Aschoff majoring in health promotion hobbies include rollerblading and water skiing favorite quote is It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before born Aug. 8, 1987, in Des Moines, Iowa. Career Highs Kills: 19 at Florida Atlantic (8/30/08) Aces: 6 vs. Wright State (8/25/07) Blocks: 12 vs. Creighton (11/23/07) Digs: 20, several times Assists: 7 vs. Creighton (11/23/07) Points: 21.0, twice Ellie Blankenship Cedar Rapids, Iowa 1 Kennedy HS 5-10 Libero Junior 2008: Was a second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection set UNI records for digs in a season (676) and digs per set (5.59) she had owned both records previously that she set as a freshman recorded double figures in digs in 33 of 34 matches topped 20 digs in 14 matches, and reached 30 or more digs three times had a career high 38 digs against Illinois State 10/25 her 5.59 digs per set average ranked seventh nationally and led the Missouri Valley Conference became first UNI player to reach 1,000 career digs before her junior season against Missouri State 10/18 twice named State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week (9/8 and 10/27) named to the UNI Invitational All-Tournament Team. 2007: Had the most productive season ever for a UNI defensive specialist recorded then UNI-record 624 digs (5.43 digs per set) as a true freshman racked up doublefigures in digs in all 33 matches had 13 matches of 20 or more digs, and three matches of 30 or more career best 32 digs in just her third college match, against Kentucky 8/25 named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team named MVC Freshman of the Week Nov. 12 after averaging 6.67 digs per game over two UNI matches her 25 digs against Evansville 11/9 tied a UNI record for the most digs ever by a Panther player in a three-game match finished second on the team in service aces with 23. High School: Earned eight letters in three sports at Kennedy: volleyball (3), tennis (3) and basketball (2) three-year starter in volleyball first-team all-conference in volleyball and second-team all-state as a senior was team co-captain in 2006 played in IGCA Senior All-Star Volleyball Classic four-year honor roll student in tennis, team was state runner up in 2004 and 2006 and state champion in Personal: Daughter of David and Lois Blankenship full name is Danielle ZoAnne Blankenship has an older sister, Carrie, and an older brother, Troy sister, Carrie, played college volleyball at Northern Illinois; brother, Troy, played college football at Iowa State; and mother, Lois, played college basketball at Iowa born June 4, 1989, in Cedar Rapids. Career Highs Kills: 1, several times Aces: 4, twice Blocks: 0 Digs: 38 vs. Illinois State (10/25/08) Assists: 4, several times Points: 4.0, twice Aschoff s Career Stats Year MP GP K KPS E TA Pct Ast APS SA SAPS Digs DPS BS BA Tot BPS , Totals , Blankenship s Career Stats Year MP GP K KPS E TA Pct Ast APS SA SAPS Digs DPS BS BA Tot BPS Totals ,

10 18 Beth Discher Chelsea Saunders 19 Beth Discher Grimes, Iowa 17 Dallas Center-Grimes HS 6-0 Outside Hitter Junior 2008: Stepped into a starting outside hitters role for the Panthers appeared in 120 sets and started all 34 matches had a career-high 11 kills at Bradley 11/8 also posted a career-best six blocks that night against the Braves posted a career-high seven digs versus Creighton 9/20 had 10 kills versus Bradley when the Braves visited the McLeod Center (10/11) topped seven or more kills in 12 matches hit better than.350 in nine matches, including topping.400 hitting five times season-best.474 hitting percentage ( ) against Bradley 10/ : Appeared in 12 matches and 22 games as a redshirt sophomore started one match, 10/5 at Indiana State responded with career best in kills (10) and blocks (6) that night against the Sycamores had five kills and four digs at Western Illinois 10/6 recorded three kills each against Wright State (8/25) and Drake (9/22). Career Highs Kills: 11 at Bradley (11/8/08) Aces: 0 Blocks: 6.0, twice Digs: 7 vs. Creighton (9/20/08) Assists: 5 at Florida Atlantic (8/30/08) Points: 14.0 at Bradley (11/8/08) 2006: Redshirted. High School: A three-sport star at Dallas Center-Grimes High School, in volleyball, basketball and track school s career leader in both kills and blocks a four-year All-Raccoon River Conference selection first-team all-state honoree as a senior played in the 2005 Iowa Girls Coaches Senior All-Star Volleyball Classic member of Iowa Power Volleyball Alliance club volleyball team IPVA placed ninth at junior Olympic Nationals in summer 2005 named to PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces list of top 250 recruits of 2006 was student body president and salutatorian as a senior made honor roll eight consecutive semesters. Personal: Daughter of Ken and Lori Discher majoring in accounting chose UNI because of the outstanding business and volleyball programs, and the beautiful campus enjoys spending time with friends and family parents have been biggest influence because of their encouragement and support born January 13, 1988, in Des Moines. Chelsea Saunders Flower Mound, Texas 13 Marcus HS 5-11 Defensive Specialist Junior 2008: Appeared in all 34 matches and 120 sets in the back row averaged 2.23 digs per set tallied double-digits in digs nine times, with a career high 22 at #14 Wichita State 10/17 had 15 digs against both Southern Illinois (10/4) and Creighton (11/28) recorded a career best five service aces against Bethune-Cookman 8/30 had four service aces in back-to-back matches versus Indiana State (10/24) and Illinois State (10/25). 2007: As a true freshman, appeared in 11 matches and 13 games had a career-best four digs at Western Illinois 10/9 had two digs against Wright State (8/25), Drake (9/22) and Bradley (10/27) recorded one service ace each versus Bradley (9/29) and Indiana State (10/5/07) had one kill against Fresno State (9/8/07). High School: Two-year starter and three-year letterwinner at Marcus High School was named the state of Texas 2006 District 6 Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year team MVP as a senior averaged 4.5 digs per game as a senior played club volleyball on Texas Advantage, which finished 11th at the USA junior volleyball championships in 2006 named her club team s best all-around player in both 2005 and 2006 named to Prep Volleyball.com Senior Aces List as one of top 250 players in the nation. Personal: Daughter of Kurt and Becky Saunders full name is Chelsea Lane Saunders majoring in international marketing enjoys photography, art and going to movies in her spare time chose to attend UNI because of the coaching staff and outstanding volleyball program favorite quote is If I have given my all and still to not win, I haven t lost. Others may remember winning or losing; I remember the journey. Apolo Anton Ohno born June 22, 1989, in San Antonio, Texas. Career Highs Kills: 1, twice Aces: 5 vs. Bethune-Cookman (8/30/08) Blocks: 0 Digs: 22 at #14 Wichita State (10/17/08) Assists: 6 at Drake (11/20/08) Points: 5.0, twice Discher s Career Stats Year MP GP K KPS E TA Pct Ast APS SA SAPS Digs DPS BS BA Tot BPS Redshirted Totals Saunders Career Stats Year MP GP K KPS E TA Pct Ast APS SA SAPS Digs DPS BS BA Tot BPS Totals

11 20 Kali Karsten Burow, Payton : Missed season with knee injury. 2007: Appeared in five matches as a redshirt freshman played in five games had one kill each against Wright State (8/25), Drake (9/22) and Indiana State (11/3). 2006: Redshirted. Kali Karsten Cedar Falls, Iowa 5 Cedar Falls HS 6-0 Outside Hitter Junior High School: Was a four-sport standout at Cedar Falls High School earned letters in volleyball, track, soccer and basketball volleyball first team all-stater as both a junior and senior co-captain of her team as a senior team advanced to state semifinals in both 2004 and 2005, with a combined record of holds seven CFHS season records, including kills (344), kill average (2.94), blocks (106), and service aces (0.68 per game) in track, was a member of the state champion 4x200 relay team in 2006, running state meet record in the process also qualified for state in the 4x100 relay, distance medley relay and spring medley relay selected to Cedar Falls High School Hall of Fame for her track performances. Personal: Daughter of Rex and Laurie Karsten father is a professor in the department of management at UNI majoring in communications/electronic media chose UNI because of the coaching staff, combination of athletics and academics, and the family environment enjoys reading, listening to music and video editing in her spare time born August 8, 1988, in Cheyenne, Wyo. Career Highs Kills: 1, several times Aces: 0 Blocks: 0 Digs: 0 Assists: 0 Points: 1.0 several times Lincoln, Neb. 16 Norris 6-1 Middle Blocker Sophomore 2008: Named to Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team started all 34 matches and appeared in 120 sets at middle blocker led team with.297 hitting percentage averaged 1.56 kills per set and 0.96 blocks per set for the season had career high 10 kills against Liberty 9/13 career best eight blocks at Bradley 11/8 had seven or more kills 12 times had 11 matches hitting better than.400, with six matches of.500 or better hitting. 2007: Redshirted. Waterloo, Iowa 2 Columbus 5-9 Setter Sophomore 2008: Started 25 matches at setter as a redshirt freshman, appearing in 86 sets was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team averaged 9.79 assists and 2.26 digs per set career high 45 assists at Evansville 11/1 topped 40 assists on seven occasions reached double-figures in digs three times, with career high 19 digs against Illinois State 10/25 also had career best eight blocks that night versus the Redbirds recorded career high eight kills, 34 assists, four blocks and six digs versus Drake 11/ : Redshirted. Michelle Burow Bre Payton High School: A three-time first team All-Eastern Midland Conference selection earned second team Class B All-State honors as a junior, and first-team all-state accolades her senior season named 1st team Super State as a senior played in Nebraska Coaches Association All-Star Game named female co-athlete of the year at Norris High School racked up 374 kills and a.384 hitting percentage her senior season was a two-time academic all-state selection was her high school s salutorian with a 4.0 GPA. Personal: Daughter of Lorain and Carol Burow full name is Michelle Linn Burow majoring in finance enjoys listening to music and playing guitar and piano in her spare time biggest influence on her life has been her mother born March 3, 1989, in Lincoln, Neb. Career Highs Kills: 10 vs. Liberty (9/13/08) Aces: 0 Blocks: 8 at Bradley (11/8/08) Digs: 2, several times Assists: 2, several times Points: 11.0 twice High School: Four-time first-team all-conference selection three-time first-team all-metro and all-district second team all-state as a sophomore and first team all-state as both a junior and senior elite all-state and state all-tournament team in 2006 also a standout in basketball, softball and track and field named to Waterloo Columbus honor roll. Personal: Daughter of Bill and Barb Payton full name is Breann has two older siblings, Brett and Lindsey major is undecided enjoys listing to music and hanging out with friends born November 9, 1988, in Waterloo, Iowa Career Highs Kills: 8 at Drake (11/20/08) Aces: 2, several times Blocks: 8 vs. Illinois State (10/25/08) Digs: 19 vs. Illinois State (10/25/08) Assists: 45 at Evansville (11/1/08) Points: 11.0 at Drake (11/20/08) Karsten s Career Stats Year MP GP K KPS E TA Pct Ast APS SA SAPS Digs DPS BS BA Tot BPS Redshirted DNP Totals Burow s Career Stats Year MP GP K KPS E TA Pct Ast APS SA SAPS Digs DPS BS BA Tot BPS Redshirted Totals Payton s Career Stats Year MP GP K KPS E TA Pct Ast APS SA SAPS Digs DPS BS BA Tot BPS Redshirted Totals

12 22 Burke, DeGeest, Lehman Braun, Kintzel, Turk : Redshirted. 2008: Redshirted. Candice Burke Waterloo, Iowa 19 East HS 5-6 Defensive Specialist Freshman Krista DeGeest Spencer, Iowa 18 Spencer HS 6-2 Middle Blocker Freshman High School: Was a two-time first-team all-conference performer at Waterloo East High School also a two-time all-metro selection team won conference her senior year named team s MVP her senior season was chosen the 2008 Waterloo East High Female Athlete of the Year also played soccer and basketball four year member of the honor roll. Personal: Daughter of Robert and Annette Burke full name is Candice Nichole Burke has two sisters, Alison and Paige major is undecided biggest influences have been her parents enjoying boating, skiing and tubing born February 1, 1990, in Waterloo, Iowa. High School: Two-time first-team all-state selection at Spencer High School twice named first-team all-conference, including unanimous selection as a senior named to 2007 All-State Elite Team racked up 1,048 kills and 295 blocks during her career, with a.424 career hitting percentage team captain as a senior team qualified for state her junior year named to Prepvolleyball.com Senior Aces List in 2007, as one of top 250 recruits in the nation also was on state qualifying basketball team her senior year honor roll and Presidential Scholar all four years played club volleyball for University of Okoboji 18U. Personal: Daughter of Scott and Nancy DeGeest full name is Krista Marie DeGeest has three sisters, Kayla, Britta and Tessa major is undecided lists her older sister, Kayla, as the biggest influence in her life best lesson she s learned in life so far is, Believe in yourself, even if others don t. born January 10, 1990, in Spencer, Iowa. Amy Braun Lakeville, Minn. 10 North HS 5-10 Outside HItter Freshman High School: Five-year letterwinner in volleyball named 2008 Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Miss Volleyball two-time PrepVolleyball.com High School All-American 2008 AVCA High School All-American three-time first-team all state selection racked up 1,589 career kills and 2,014 career digs at Lakeville Shelby Kintzel Mount Vernon, Iowa 15 Mount Vernon HS 6-1 Middle Blocker Freshman High School: Earned nine letters in three sports at Mount Vernon High School: volleyball, basketball and track and field averaged 3.0 kills and 1.00 blocks per game, while hitting.420, her senior year in volleyball IGCA Class 3A Volleyball Player of the Year in 2008 was named Linn County Female Athlete of the Year for two-time first-team all-state selection in volleyball twice helped MVHS to state runner-up finishes (2007, 2008) four-year honor roll member salutatorian. North High School team was state runner-up in 2004 and 2006, and finished third in 2005 and 2007 graduated Magna Cum Laude three-time Lake Conference Interscholastic Award. Personal: Daughter of John and Pat Braun full name is Amy Kathleen Braun has a sister, Jennifer, and a brother, Thomas majoring in elementary education favorite book is Dear John by Nicholas Sparks favorite historical figure is Abraham Lincoln favorite song is Slide by the Goo Goo Dolls born February 26, 1991, in Burnsville, Minn. Personal: Daughter of Bob and JoAnn Kintzel full name is Shelby Ann Kintzel has a younger sister, Courtney majoring in speech pathology biggest influence in her life has been her parents favorite movie is The Princess Bride favorite sports memory is winning the 2009 Class 3A state title in track and field born August 1, 1991, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 2008: Redshirted. Megan Lehman New Hampton, Iowa 8 New Hampton HS 6-1 Outside Hitter Freshman High School: Named first-team all-conference and all-district as both a junior and senior also team captain both seasons set school records for season kills and blocks, and career kills and blocks had career hitting percentage of.341, averaging 3.2 kills and 1.4 blocks per game also participated in track... four years on the honor roll. Personal: Daughter of Cary and Julie Lehman full name is Megan Ann Lehman has two siblings major is undecided enjoys reading, camping and being outside favorite book is The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks born February 8, 1990, in New Hampton, Iowa. Molly Turk Elgin Ill. 3 Burlington Central HS 5-10 Setter Freshman High School: Four-year letterwinner in volleyball at Burlington Central High School PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces selection in 2008 honorable mention All- American and first-team all-state as a senior Burlington Central Athlete of the Year in All-Area Player of the Year as a senior three-time all-conference selection team was Class 3A state runner up in 2008 three-time member of the honor roll. Personal: Daughter of Jeffrey and Lynne full name is Maureen Jean-Claire Turk has two siblings majoring in business enjoys biking and running in her spare time favorite book is Twilight favorite sports memory is competing in the state volleyball finals in 2008 born May 10, 1991, in Elgin, Ill.

13 24 Ubben, Willms Macy Ubben state runner up as a senior NICL West Conference MVP in 2008 three-time first-team all-conference selection also lettered in basketball, softball and tennis valedictorian. Personal: Daughter of Dale and Lori Ubben full name is Macy Lanae Ubben major is biology favorite book is Pride and Prejudice favorite movie is Dodgeball best sports memory is competing in the Iowa state volleyball championship born June 24, 1991 in Iowa Falls, Iowa 2008 Season in Review Review Season in Review Stats MVC Stats Ackley, Iowa 11 AGWSR HS 6-2 Outside Hitter Freshman High School: Four-year letterwinner in volleyball at AGWSR High School firstteam all-state selection as a senior captain of state all-tournament team that year as well averaged 3.8 kills and 3.9 digs per set her senior season, while hitting.378 set school records for career kills (845) and career digs (710) team was Jenny Willms Personal: Daughter of Larry and Joyce Willms full name is Jennifer Marie Willms has an older brother, Kevin major is biology enjoys swimming, playing tennis and going to movies in her spare time favorite sports memories are winning the sprint medley relay at state track and field, and appearing in the state volleyball tournament born December 31, 1990 in Waterloo, Iowa. Dike, Iowa 4 Dike HS 5-7 Defensive Specialist Freshman High School: Lettered in four sports at Dike-New Hartford High School: Volleyball, track, basketball and softball three-time all-state selection in volleyball fourtime all-conference pick helped the Wolverines to a state runner up finish in both 2007 and 2008 twice named to the volleyball state all-tournament team IGCA Senior All-Star Selection averaged 8.7 assists per set, with a 96.8 serving percentage as a senior.

14 26 Season in Review 27 Stelken 2008 Individual Honors #1 Ellie Blankenship Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week, Sept. 8 & Oct. 27 UNI Invitational All-Tournament Team #2 Bre Payton Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week, Sept. 22 #4 Ashten Stelken First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference Honorable Mention AVCA All-Region First Team Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete State Farm Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Team Prairie Farms Missouri Valley Conference Scholar- Athlete of the Week, Sept. 17 & Oct. 28 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, Oct. 27 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week, Oct. 15 Varney s Kansas State University All-Tournament Team UNI Invitational All-Tournament Team Florida Atlantic University Invitational All-Tournament Team #11 Amy Sampson First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference State Farm Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Team UNI Invitational Most Valuable Player #14 Shannon Aschoff Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, Sept. 2 Varney s Kansas State University All-Tournament Team Florida Atlantic University Invitational All-Tournament Team #16 Michelle Burow Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week, Sept Team Notes UNI finished the season 25-9 overall, 13-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Panthers earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, falling to Iowa State, 3-1, in the first round in Minneapolis, Minn. Last year was UNI s first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. In each of the previous 13 times the Panthers have advanced to postseason play, they won the Missouri Valley Conference postseason tournament, earning the league s automatic bid. UNI lost to Missouri State in the conference tournament final in 2008, but was still one of three teams from The Valley to make the NCAA field, joining MSU and Wichita State. Since making its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1986, the Panthers have failed to make the NCAA tournament field just nine times. Three of those years UNI was selected to play in the now defunct National Invitational Volleyball Classic (NIVC), meaning that only six times in the last 23 years have the Panthers failed to make some sort of postseason play marked the 11th straight year that the Panthers have won at least 20 matches, with UNI having claimed at least 20 victories in 22 of the past 24 seasons. Five of those seasons, the Panthers have won 30 or more matches, including three times in the last 10 years (1999, 2001 and 2002) As a team, UNI ranked in the top 30 nationally in a pair of statistical categories. The Panthers were 17th in blocks per set (2.65) and 28th in digs per set (16.58). Individually, senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken was ninth in the nation in blocks per set at 1.45, while sophomore libero Ellie Blankenship ranked seventh nationally in digs per set at Amy Sampson and Ashten Stelken, with 27 and 22 kills, respectively, against Creighton Nov. 28, became the first UNI teammates to each have 20 or more kills in the same match since Stelken (22) and Laura Rowen (20) did it on Oct. 6, 2007 against Illinois State. Sophomore libero Ellie Blankenship, who set UNI records for digs and digs per set as a freshman, broke both those marks in 2008, ending with 676 digs and 5.59 digs per set. She ranked seventh nationally in digs per set. Blankenship had a career-high 38 digs against Illinois State Oct. 24, and has reached double-digits in digs in 33 of 34 matches this year. She reached double-figures in digs in her first 18 matches this season, and had her string of 51 straight matches of at least 10 digs snapped against Bradley Oct. 11. That match against Bradley (when she got seven digs in the 3-0 sweep of the Braves) is the only time in two seasons that she has not gotten at least 10 digs. Blankenship s 51-match streak stands as the 12thbest streak in NCAA history. Aschoff Payton. Senior outside hitter Amy Sampson and senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken were each named 2008 first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference, in voting by the league s head coaches. Junior outside hitter Shannon Aschoff and sophomore libero Ellie Blankenship were named second-team All-MVC, while setter Bre Payton and middle blocker Michelle Burow were named to the Missouri Valley Conference all-freshman team. Ashten Stelken and Amy Sampson were named to the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Team. Sampson averaged 4.50 kills per set over UNI s three matches, while hitting.265, including recording a career-high 27 kills in the semifinal win over Creighton. Stelken averaged 4.17 kills and 1.08 blocks per set, while hitting.369, over the three matches, tying her career best with 22 kills against Creighton. Senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken was honored by being named to the 2008 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete First Team. Stelken, who was also a first-team MVC scholar-athlete in 2007, holds a 3.40 grade point average in elementary education. UNI had a season-high 117 digs in its 3-2 loss to Wichita State Oct. 17. That was the most digs the Panthers have ever had in a rally-scoring match (which was implemented in 2001). The total was just short of the overall school record of 125 digs, set on Sept. 1, 1987, against Washington State. With the 3-1 victory against Drake Sept. 19, UNI extended its streak of winning its conference opener to 23 straight seasons. The last time the Panthers dropped their opening conference match was on Oct. 18, 1985 when Southern Illinois posted a 3-2 win over UNI (15-11, 14-16, 14-16, 15-5, 15-13). That was also the last time SIU defeated UNI in Cedar Falls. UNI won its first five matches of 2008 by perfect 3-0 sweeps, and won the first set against Clemson Sept. 6, for a string of 16 set victories to start the year. That is the most sets won in a row to start the season by UNI since the 1986 campaign, when the Panthers won their first 25 sets of the year. Sampson Blankenship Burow

15 Stats 2008 Results 29 Record Overall Home Away Neutral ALL MATCHES CONFERENCE NON-CONFERENCE All Matches (25-9) Attack Set Serve Dig Blocking No. Name G K KPS E TA Pct A APS SA SE SAPS RE Digs DPS BS BA TB BPS BE BHE Pts 11 Sampson, Amy Stelken, Ashten Aschoff, Shannon Burow, Michelle Discher, Beth Payton, Bre Benson, Jessa Oexmann, Sarah Grunder, Kayla Blankenship, Ellie Saunders, Chelsea Hammack, Maddy TEAM 10 UNI Opponents Conference Matches (14-4) Attack Set Serve Dig Blocking No. Name G K KPS E TA Pct A APS SA SE SAPS RE Digs DPS BS BA TB BPS BE BHE Pts 11 Sampson, Amy Stelken, Ashten Aschoff, Shannon Discher, Beth Burow, Michelle Payton, Bre Benson, Jessa Oexmann, Sarah Grunder, Kayla Saunders, Chelsea Blankenship, Ellie Hammack, Maddy TEAM 6 UNI Opponents Date Opponent Score Score-by-game Overall Conf Time Attend 08/29/08 vs North Florida W ,25-10, : /30/08 vs Bethune Cookman W ,25-16, : /30/08 at Florida Atlantic W ,25-16, : /05/08 NORTHERN ILLINOIS W ,28-26, : /06/08 MARQUETTE W ,25-23, : /06/08 CLEMSON W ,22-25,25-22, : /10/08 at Iowa State W ,25-21,25-21, : /12/08 at #19 Kansas State 0-3 L 21-25,19-25, : /13/08 vs Liberty W ,26-24, : /13/08 vs Cornell W ,25-12, : * 09/19/08 DRAKE W ,25-19,28-26, : * 09/20/08 CREIGHTON W ,25-20,13-25, : /23/08 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE W ,25-11,23-25, : * 09/26/08 at Illinois State W ,25-18, : * 09/27/08 at Indiana State W ,25-17, : /30/08 SAINT LOUIS 0-3 L 14-25,19-25, : * 10/03/08 EVANSVILLE W ,25-16, : * 10/04/08 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS W ,25-20, : * 10/11/08 BRADLEY W ,25-20, : * 10/17/08 at #14 Wichita State 2-3 L 23-25,28-26,25-22,16-25, : * 10/18/08 at Missouri State 1-3 L 23-25,25-14,22-25, : * 10/24/08 INDIANA STATE W ,25-19, : * 10/25/08 ILLINOIS STATE W ,25-19,25-27,20-25, : * 10/31/08 at Southern Illinois W ,16-25,25-20,25-13, : * 11/01/08 at Evansville 1-3 L 18-25,24-26,25-20, :45 90 * 11/08/08 at Bradley W ,25-19,21-25, : * 11/14/08 MISSOURI STATE W ,25-16, : * 11/15/08 #11 WICHITA STATE 0-3 L 21-25,16-25, : * 11/20/08 at Drake W ,25-18,20-25, : * 11/21/08 at Creighton 0-3 L 16-25,19-25, : /27/08 vs Evansville W ,25-18,25-15, : /28/08 vs Creighton W ,26-24,18-25,25-27, : /29/08 vs Missouri State 0-3 L 23-25,18-25, : /05/08 vs Iowa State 1-3 L 24-26,25-16,21-25, :38 * Missouri Valley Conference match Team Statistics UNI Opp Attack Kills Errors Total Attacks Attack Pct Kills/Set Set Assists Attempts Assist Pct Assists/Set Serve Aces Errors Attempts Serve Pct Aces/Set UNI Opp Serve Receptions Errors Errors/Set Defense Digs Digs/Set Blocking Block Solo Block Assist Total Blocks Blocks/Set Block Errors Ball handling errors Attendance Total Dates/Avg Per Date 14/ /937 Neutral site #/Avg 8/1226 Current win streak 0 - Home win streak 0 - Team Record W-L Overall 25-9 Conference 13-5 Home 12-2 Away 7-5 Neutral sets sets sets 3-1 Attend Dates Total Average Total Home Away Neutral

16 MVC Stats 31 Team All Matches Hitting Percentage Team G K E Total Pct. 1. Wichita State UNI Creighton Missouri State Southern Illinois Illinois State Evansville Drake Indiana State Bradley Kills Team G No. Avg. 1. Illinois State Wichita State UNI Creighton Missouri State Southern Illinois Evansville Drake Indiana State Bradley Individual All Matches Hitting Percentage Player Yr. G Kills Errs Total Pct. 1. McGee, Sarah, WSU SO Stelken, Ashten, UNI SR Burow, Michelle, UNI FR Roberson, Chandra, SIU JR Houts, Jessica, CU JR Hooper,MaryElizabeth, WSU FR Bloemke, Lauren, CU JR Sylvester, Kerry, UE SR Norman,Calli, MSU FR Niggemeyer, Katie, WSU JR Service Aces Player Yr. G No. Avg. 1. Roberson, Chandra, SIU JR Stockman, Emily, WSU JR Saunders, Chelsea, UNI SO Stauter,Kristin, ILS FR Leggett,Mallory, ILS SO Lauersdorf, Chelsea, DU JR Elswick, Kristy, SIU SR Gabruseva, Ginta, UE JR Blankenship, Ellie, UNI SO Decker, Carolyn, CU SR Opponent Hitting Percentage Team G K E Total Pct. 1. Wichita State Creighton UNI Southern Illinois Illinois State Missouri State Evansville Drake Indiana State Bradley Assists Team G No. Avg. 1. Illinois State Wichita State Creighton UNI Missouri State Southern Illinois Evansville Indiana State Drake Bradley Blocks Team G Solo Asst. Total Avg. 1. Creighton UNI Missouri State Southern Illinois Wichita State Drake Illinois State Bradley Evansville Indiana State Service Aces Team G No. Avg. 1. Southern Illinois UNI Illinois State Drake Wichita State Indiana State Creighton Bradley Evansville Missouri State Digs Team G No. Avg. 1. Illinois State Southern Illinois Creighton Wichita State UNI Evansville Missouri State Drake Indiana State Bradley Kills Player Yr. G No. Avg. 1. Stockman, Emily, WSU JR Berwanger, Jennifer, SIU SO Riessen,Peggy, ILS JR Leggett,Mallory, ILS SO Sampson, Amy, UNI SR Bys, Angela, DU SO Houts, Jessica, CU JR Stelken, Ashten, UNI SR Aschoff, Shannon, UNI JR Cvejdlik, Amanda, CU SR Assists Player Yr. G No. Avg. 1. Lindsey,Erin, ILS SR Lebeda, Korie, CU SR Robbins, Brooklyn, SIU SR Hooper,MaryElizabeth, WSU FR Payton, Bre, UNI FR Kell,Ashley, MSU SR Fromm,Whitney, INS JR Black, Sam, BU SR Lauersdorf, Chelsea, DU JR Sawin, Ellen-, UE FR Blocks Player Yr. G Solo Asst. Total Avg. 1. Stelken, Ashten, UNI SR Houts, Jessica, CU JR McGee, Sarah, WSU SO Roberson, Chandra, SIU JR Burow, Michelle, UNI FR Michnowicz,Kelley, MSU FR Fuller,Bethany, MSU SO Reidy, Michelle, DU FR Norman,Calli, MSU FR Conner, Jasmine, SIU SO Digs Player Yr. G No. Avg. 1. Blankenship, Ellie, UNI SO Broussard, Kelly, WSU SR Rivera, Bianca, CU SR Wittenburg, Alana, DU SO Sylvester, Julie, UE SO Cox,Kristy, INS SR Del Conte,Terri, MSU SR Berwanger, Jennifer, SIU SO Mollerus,Kasey, ILS JR Elswick, Kristy, SIU SR

17 MVC Stats 33 Team Conference Matches Hitting Percentage Team G Kills Errs Total Pct. 1. Creighton Wichita State Missouri State UNI Illinois State Southern Illinois Drake Evansville Indiana State Bradley Opponent Hitting Percentage Team G Kills Errs Total Pct. 1. Wichita State Creighton UNI Illinois State Southern Illinois Evansville Missouri State Drake Indiana State Bradley Assists Team G No. Avg. 1. Illinois State Wichita State Creighton Missouri State UNI Evansville Southern Illinois Drake Indiana State Bradley Kills Team G No. Avg. 1. Illinois State Creighton Wichita State Missouri State UNI Southern Illinois Evansville Drake Bradley Indiana State Blocks Team G Solo Asst Total Avg. 1. UNI Creighton Wichita State Southern Illinois Missouri State Illinois State Drake Evansville Bradley Indiana State Service Aces Team G No. Avg. 1. Southern Illinois UNI Wichita State Illinois State Drake Creighton Evansville Indiana State Bradley Missouri State Digs Team G No. Avg. 1. Illinois State Creighton Wichita State Southern Illinois UNI Missouri State Evansville Drake Indiana State Bradley Individual Conference Matches Hitting Percentage Player Yr. G Kills Errs Total Pct. 1. McGee, Sarah, WSU SO Backes, Amanda, WSU SO Houts, Jessica, CU JR Hooper,MaryElizabeth, WSU FR Norman,Calli, MSU FR Cvejdlik, Amanda, CU SR Sylvester, Kerry, UE SR Michnowicz,Kelley, MSU FR Stelken, Ashten, UNI SR Austin, Emily-BU SO Kills Player Yr. G No. Avg. 1. Stockman, Emily, WSU JR Berwanger, Jennifer, SIU SO Riessen,Peggy, ILS JR Leggett,Mallory, ILS SO Sampson, Amy, UNI SR Cvejdlik, Amanda, CU SR Bys, Angela-Drake SO Houts, Jessica, CU JR Stelken, Ashten, UNI SR Decker, Carolyn, CU SR Assists Player Yr. G No. Avg. 1. Lindsey,Erin, ILS SR Lebeda, Korie, CU SR Hooper,MaryElizabeth, WSU FR Kell,Ashley, MSU SR Robbins, Brooklyn, SIU SR Sawin, Ellen, UE FR Payton, Bre, UNI FR Fromm,Whitney, INS JR Black, Sam-Bradley SR Lauersdorf, Chelsea-Drake JR Service Aces Player Yr. G No. Avg. 1. Stockman, Emily, WSU JR Roberson, Chandra, SIU JR Saunders, Chelsea, UNI SO Elswick, Kristy, SIU SR Blankenship, Ellie, UNI SO Maher, Brooke, UE FR Grunder, Kayla, UNI JR Leggett,Mallory, ILS SO Laughlin, Kelsie, SIU JR Lindsey,Erin, ILS SR Blocks Player Yr. G Solo Asst Total Avg. 1. Stelken, Ashten, UNI SR Houts, Jessica, CU JR McGee, Sarah, WSU SO Brown, Nicole-Drake SO Burow, Michelle, UNI FR Norman,Calli, MSU FR Visk,Tabitha, ILS FR Roberson, Chandra, SIU JR Michnowicz,Kelley, MSU FR Conner, Jasmine, SIU SO Digs Player Yr. G No. Avg. 1. Broussard, Kelly, WSU SR Rivera, Bianca, CU SR Blankenship, Ellie, UNI SO Sylvester, Julie, UE SO Wittenburg, Alana-Drake SO Del Conte,Terri, MSU SR Cox,Kristy, INS SR Mollerus,Kasey, ILS JR Berwanger, Jennifer, SIU SO Riessen,Peggy, ILS JR Stelken and Payton Sampson

18 MVC Stats Chapter/Page Header 35 The University This is UNI Administration Director of Athletics Panther Head Coaches The McLeod Center Individual Match Highs Hitting Percentage (K-E-TA).882 ( ) Hackmann,Cara (MSU) vs IPFW ( ).769 ( ) Stelken, Ashten (UNI) at Bethune Cookman (Aug 30, 2008).750 ( ) McGee, Sarah (WSU) vs Lamar ( ).714 ( ) Cvejdlik, Amanda (Creighton) vs Drake ( ).667 ( ) Roberson, Chandra (SIU) vs Arkansas State (Sep 13, 2008) Kills (K-E-TA) 27 ( ) Sampson, Amy (UNI) at Creighton ( ) 25 ( ) Roberson, Chandra (Southern Illinois) at Evansville (Sep 26, 2008) 25 ( ) Stoker,Jodilynn (Indiana State) vs Illinois State ( ) 24 ( ) Riessen,Peggy (ILS) vs Louisville (Sep 12, 2008) 24 ( ) Riessen,Peggy (ILS) vs Northern Illinois (Sep 02, 2008) Total Attempts (K-E-TA) 77 ( ) Sampson, Amy (UNI) at Creighton ( ) 76 ( ) Leggett,Mallory (Illinois State) at Northern Iowa (10/25/08) 71 ( ) Whitaker,Kelli (INS) at Iona (Sep 05, 2008) 68 ( ) Berwanger, Jennifer (Southern Illinois) at Missouri State ( ) 68 ( ) Riessen,Peggy (Illinois State) vs Missouri State (Oct 31, 2008) Assists 63 Kell,Ashley (Missouri State) at Southern Illinois ( ) 62 Robbins, Brooklyn (SIU) vs Southest Missouri St (Sep 13, 2008) 62 Lebeda, Korie (CU) vs UAB ( ) 61 Fromm,Whitney (INS) at Iona (Sep 05, 2008) 60 Hooper,MaryElizabeth (Wichita State) vs Drake ( ) 60 Robbins, Brooklyn (Southern Illinois) at Drake (10/17/08) 60 Benson, Jessa (Northern Iowa) at Creighton ( ) 60 Fromm,Whitney (INS) at Western Illinois ( ) Digs 43 Broussard, Kelly (Wichita State) vs Northern Iowa ( ) 38 Blankenship, Ellie (UNI) vs Illinois State (10/25/08) 36 Del Conte,Terri (Missouri State) vs Southern Illinois ( ) 36 Cox,Kristy (Indiana State) vs Missouri State ( ) 36 Cox,Kristy (Indiana State) at Missouri State ( ) Blocks (BS-BA) 12 ( 1-11) Stelken, Ashten (UNI) vs Illinois State (10/25/08) 11 ( 3-8) Stelken, Ashten (UNI) at Missouri State ( ) 11 ( 2-9) McGee, Sarah (Wichita State) vs Bradley ( ) 11 ( 1-10) Stelken, Ashten (UNI) at Wichita State ( ) 11 ( 0-11) Comiskey, Kaitlyn (BU) vs SIU Edwardsville ( ) Team Match Highs Hitting Percentage (K-E-TA).465 ( ) WSU at UMKC (09/02/08).456 ( ) MSU vs IPFW ( ).434 ( ) UNI vs North Florida (Aug 29, 2008).414 ( ) Creighton vs Drake ( ).414 ( ) ILS vs Oakland (Sep 06, 2008) Kills (K-E-TA) 77 ( ) Illinois State vs Missouri State (Oct 31, 2008) 76 ( ) Missouri State vs Southern Illinois ( ) 76 ( ) Missouri State at Southern Illinois ( ) 75 ( ) Wichita State vs Drake ( ) 72 ( ) UNI at Creighton ( ) Total Attempts (K-E-TA) 238 ( ) Wichita State vs Northern Iowa ( ) 233 ( ) Illinois State at Northern Iowa (10/25/08) 227 ( ) Illinois State vs Missouri State (Oct 31, 2008) 223 ( ) UNI vs Illinois State (10/25/08) 217 ( ) Missouri State vs Southern Illinois ( ) Assists 73 Wichita State vs Drake ( ) 70 Missouri State at Southern Illinois ( ) 69 llinois State vs Missouri State (Oct 31, 2008) 67 UNI at Creighton ( ) 67 Illinois State at UNI (10/25/08) Digs 131 Illinois State at UNI (10/25/08) 118 Wichita State vs UNI ( ) 117 UNI at Wichita State ( ) 112 UNI vs Illinois State (10/25/08) 112 Missouri State vs Southern Illinois ( ) Blocks 19.0 UNI vs Illinois State (10/25/08) 19.0 BU vs SIU Edwardsville ( ) 18.0 UNI at Wichita State ( ) 18.0 UNI at Missouri State ( ) 17.0 Missouri State at Long Beach State ( )

19 36 This is UNI Administration 37 Building on a strong tradition of teacher education, the University of Northern Iowa has evolved into one of the finest comprehensive public universities in the country. UNI emphasizes excellence in undergraduate education and offers selected graduate programs at the master s, specialist s and doctoral levels. UNI s heritage and philosophy place great value on providing a student-centered educational experience. The university offers a learning environment that is small enough to provide students with individual attention, yet large enough to provide a variety of resources, including distinguished faculty. Today, UNI offers more than 120 undergraduate majors. Outstanding academic programs, many of which are nationally-recognized for their excellence, have been established in the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. In addition, UNI participates in the bachelor of liberal studies program offered by Iowa s Regent Universities and provides classes in centers around the state through the division of Continuing Education and Special Programs. Recognized as the premier public undergraduate university in the state, UNI is experiencing an increasing demand for its high-quality programs. Enrollment at UNI was 12,609 in the fall of Students come from every county in Iowa, and about 94 percent of UNI s undergraduate students are residents of Iowa upon enrollment. The University of Northern Iowa was founded in 1876 as Iowa State Normal School. It became Iowa State Teachers College in In 1961, the name was changed to the State College of Iowa and in 1967, the Iowa legislature changed the status of the institution to that of a university under its present title. UNI Highlights U.S. News and World Report ranks UNI in the top two among public comprehensive universities in the Midwest. Kiplinger Personal Finance places UNI in the top 50 in the nation for best value in public colleges. The Education Trust ( named UNI first among peer institutions nationally for overall high performance in graduation rates. UNI prides itself on smaller class sizes that enhance facultystudent interaction and personalized instruction. Thirty-two percent of classes have fewer than 20 students, and 83 percent have fewer than 40 students. UNI students are actively involved with more than 200 student organizations, including special interest clubs, sororities and fraternities, religious groups and academic groups. UNI is the alma mater of NFL and Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner, as well as U.S. Senator Charles Grassley. The UNI Wellness/Recreation Center, attached to the north side of the UNI-Dome, features a climbing wall, two pools, a running track, weight and fitness rooms, and courts for basketball, volleyball and racquetball. Benjamin Allen University President Benjamin J. Allen was named the ninth president of the University of Northern Iowa on April 28, 2006, and assumed his duties on June 5, He received his doctorate and master s degree in economics from the University of Illinois and his Bachelor of Science degree in business economics from Indiana University. President Allen was vice president for academic affairs and provost at Iowa State University and was responsible to the president in all aspects of the academic programs at Iowa State. He has the distinction of having been named the first University Distinguished Professor in Business at ISU. Before joining the ISU faculty in 1979, he taught at Washington State University and was a Brookings Economic Policy Fellow in the Office of Transportation Regulatory Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation. He was the Visiting McKinley Professor of Economics and Public Utilities at the University of Illinois in and held the Oren Harris Chair in Transportation at the University of Arkansas during the academic year. In 2007, President Allen was appointed by two state college associations (the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the National Association The Cabinet Bill Calhoun Vice President Advancement Board of Regents State of Iowa as of July 1, 2009 David W. Miles President Jack B. Evans President Pro Tem Bonnie J. Campbell Patricia Geadelmann Special Assistant to the President/Board & Government Relations Robert N. Downer Michael G. Gartner Ruth R. Harkin Greta A. Johnson Craig A. Lang Rose A. Vasquez Gloria Gibson Executive Vice President/ Provost of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges) to the Presidential Advisory Committee for the National Commission on University Accountability. Under his leadership, the University of Northern Iowa has established priorities of increasing student achievement in undergraduate programs and providing statewide leadership in Pre-K through 12 education, including UNI s lead role in the Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership with Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. He, along with the director of the Iowa Department of Education, is overseeing the development of the statewide Research and Development School. President Allen is an ex-officio board member of the Iowa Department of Economic Development. He co-chaired the Institute for Tomorrow s Workforce, a non-profit educational foundation created to help prepare all Iowa learners for the 21st century global marketplace. A staunch supporter of the local community, President Allen is a member of the executive committee of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance. Ben and Pat Allen Terrence Hogan Vice President Educational & Student Services James O Connor Assistant Vice President University Marketing & Public Relations Tom Schellhardt Vice President Administration & Finance Front row: Bonnie Campbell, Greta Johnson, Rose Vasquez, Michael Gartner, Ruth Harkin Back row: President David Miles, President Pro Tem Jack Evans, Craig Lang, Bob Downer

20 38 Director of Athletics Head Coaches 39 Troy Dannen UNI Director of Athletics Troy Dannen was named the University of Northern Iowa s Director of Athletics on May 29, He became the school s fifth director of athletics since UNI turned Division I in When he rejoined the Panther family in 2009, it was a homecoming for Dannen, who attended UNI as an undergraduate in the 1980s. He maintained close ties to the school during his nearly 20 years away from the University, and his passion and drive for the Purple and Gold was a key reason he chose to come back and guide the department. His vision for UNI is to use the passion he has for Panther athletics, and wave the flag like never before. Not only by helping to continue the outstanding academic and athletic success that UNI teams have had in recent years, but also to expand the Panthers reach throughout the state. Dannen believes that Panther athletic department should value excellence in all endeavors, with its primary objective being personal development and growth of its student-athletes. Dannen believes in achieving that objective by focusing on the core educational mission of the University and ensuring the department acts with integrity and in a fiscally responsible manner. Through this, Panther athletics can continue to thrive, and achieve greater levels of success both on and off the field of play. The road map for that action plan starts with having a passion for UNI, and bringing it to the table each day. Then, focusing that passion into a work ethic and drive to make UNI the best place it can be. This past year, Dannen s first, UNI finished fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference s all-sports standings, marking the third straight year the Panthers have posted an upper-division finish. UNI captured conference championships in football, men s basketball, and men s indoor and outdoor track and field, while wrestling won the West Regional. Teams or individuals in eight sports advanced to NCAA postseason play. Dannen originated the idea for the first Rally in the Valley dinner auction, which raised more than $100,000 for UNI athletics. He has initiated a grass-roots campaign to increase membership in the Panther Scholarship Club, especially in the state capital of Des Moines. Dannen also spearheaded the athletic department s drive to fund-raise to replace the aging turf in the UNI-Dome. He has overseen the construction of new administrative offices and a student-athlete academic center, as well as the building of suites in both the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center. In addition to success on the field of play, Dannen continues to make academic success a priority as well. A total of 135 Panthers (more than 30 percent of all UNI Jean Berger Senior Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator Jean Berger joined the University of Northern Iowa staff as senior associate athletic director and senior woman administrator in October At UNI, Berger is the direct supervisor of six UNI women s sports - basketball, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis and volleyball. She also oversees athletic training and media relations. She is responsible for implementing and monitoring gender equity plans; assisting with marketing and budgeting of assigned programs; and providing support to the compliance office and academic advising. Before coming to UNI, Berger worked for more than 17 years at Drake. Berger began working with the Bulldogs in 1991 as an assistant sports information director. In 1994 she took over as the senior woman administrator and assistant athletic director for internal affairs, and in 2005 she was promoted to associate athletic director. student-athletes) were named to the Missouri Valley Conference s honor roll this year, for maintaining at least a 3.2 grade point average during the fall of For the six years prior to coming back to UNI, Dannen served as Executive Director of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU). As the governing body for high school sports in the state of Iowa, the IGHSAU oversees nearly 400 schools and more than 70,000 students, in the 11 sports offered by the Union. Dannen has served in various capacities at the IGHSAU over 18 years, including serving nine years ( ) as associate executive director. Dannen oversaw a 40 percent growth in the Union s budget on his watch, all the while operating the IGHSAU in the black, which allowed for the establishment of a significant reserve fund. Sponsorship agreements soared to new heights during his tenure as executive director, as Dannen has spearheaded expanding the Union s existing deals and developing landmark new corporate sponsors. He also developed a statewide multi-media rights agreement for the IGHSAU, and created numerous scholarship programs for high school student-athletes who excel in the classroom. In addition, Dannen is active in community service in both the greater Des Moines area and around the state. He has been a member of the Iowa Games Board of Directors, the Greater Des Moines Sports Commission, and served on the AAU Junior Olympics Local Organizing Committee. He also has served on the Iowa Athletic Council, Iowa Referee Committee and the Drake Relays Committee. Dannen has also been active internationally, having twice been a presenter in Malaysia at the request of the Olympic Council of Malaysia on the topic of youth sports and sport program development. Born and raised on a farm near Marshalltown, Iowa, Dannen, 42, received his bachelor s degree in public relations with a minor in journalism from UNI in He and his wife, Lori, have two daughters: Emily and Holly. Troy, Lori, Holly and Emily Dannen Berger s responsibilities at Drake included supervision of 11 athletic programs and overseeing the department s student services, including compliance, academic support, sports medicine and strength and conditioning. She also worked as a sponsor for the Drake Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She serves as the Missouri Valley Conference representative to the NCAA Division I Women s Basketball Issues Committee, and she previously served a five-year term on the NCAA Division I Women s Basketball Committee. Berger also worked closely with Drake s Title IX Review and gender equity plan, the 1995 NCAA Midwest Women s Basketball Regional, two cycles of Drake s NCAA Certification self-study and the Drake Relays. Before working at Drake, Berger spent one year as an assistant sports information director at Wichita State. From , Berger worked as the sports information director at Wayne State College. Berger attended the University of Iowa, and she earned her bachelor s degree in journalism and her master s degree in physical education and sports studies. She is a native of Winterset, Iowa, and has two daughters, Jessica (22) and Jenna (15). Mark Farley Football Ryan Jacobs Softball Dave Paulsen Interim Men s and Women s Cross Country Bobbi Petersen Women s Volleyball Ben Jacobson Men s Basketball John Bermel Men s and Women s Golf Stacey Simmer Women s Swimming and Diving Brad Penrith Wrestling Tanya Warren Women s Basketball James Price Women s Soccer Sachin Kirtane Women s Tennis This is UNI Building on a strong tradition of teacher education, the University of Northern Iowa has evolved into one of the finest comprehensive public universities in the country. UNI emphasizes excellence in undergraduate education and offers selected graduate programs at the master s, specialist s and doctoral levels. UNI s heritage and philosophy place great value on providing a student-centered educational experience. The university offers a learning environment that is small enough to provide students with individualized attention, yet large enough to provide a variety of resources, including distinguished faculty. UNI s special combination of challenge and support is indeed a key ingredient of a Students First education. Today, UNI offers more than 120 undergraduate majors. Outstanding academic programs, many of which are nationallyrecognized for their excellence, have been established in the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. In addition, UNI participates in the bachelor of liberal studies program offered by Iowa s Regent Universities and provides classes in centers around the state through the division of Continuing Education and Special Programs. Recognized as the premier public undergraduate university in the state, UNI is experiencing an increasing demand for its highquality programs. Enrollment at UNI was 12,908 students in the fall of Students come from every county in Iowa, and about 94 percent of UNI s undergraduate students are residents of Iowa upon enrollment. The University of Northern Iowa was founded in 1876 as the Iowa State Normal School. It became Iowa State Teachers College in In 1961, the name was changed to State College of Iowa, and in 1967, the Iowa Legislature changed the status of the institution to that of a university under its present title. Facts + Highlights U.S. News and World Report ranks UNI in the top two among public comprehensive universities in the Midwest. Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine places UNI in the top 50 in the nation for best value in public colleges. The Education Trust ( named UNI first among peer institutions nationally for overall high performance in graduation rates. UNI prides itself on smaller class sizes that enhance faculty-student interaction and personalized instruction. Thirty-two percent of classes have fewer than 20 students, and 83 percent have fewer than 40 students. UNI students are actively involved with more than 200 student organizations, including special interest clubs, sororities and fraternities, religious groups and academic groups. UNI is the alma mater of NFL and Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner, as well as U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley. The UNI Wellness/Recreation Center, attached to the north side of the UNI-Dome, features a climbing wall, two pools, a running track, weight and fitness rooms, and courts for basketball, volleyball and racquetball.

21 40 McLeod Center After years of dreaming and planning, UNI opened its new home arena, the McLeod Center, in November of It serves as the home for the Panther volleyball, basketball and wrestling programs. Panther volleyball was honored by hosting the first athletics event in the building, facing Bradley on November 18, UNI set a new home attendance record that night against the Braves, as 5,522 fans packed the arena to witness a 3-0 Panthers sweep. Construction began in the fall of 2004, and the building cost $26 million. Attached to the south end of the UNI-Dome, and when combined with the Wellness and Recreation Center, it combines for a state-of-theart athletic and recreation complex. Totally capacity in the building is more than 7,000, and it accommodates sports, concerts, exhibitions and other community events. Named for the Clark and Mary McLeod Family, the McLeod Center provides a focal point for students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community to come together to cheer on the Panthers. It bolsters the university as a premier performance center, and ensures continued success and growth of UNI s student-athlete tradition.