UNI Panther Volleyball Ranked 110 Times in Top 25 36 Consecutive Non-Losing Seasons 19 NCAA Tournament Appearances No. 6 in NCAA All-Time Win % This Week s Action Thurs., Nov. 24 -- Cedar Falls, Iowa (McLeod Center) #5 Illinois State vs. #4 Southern Illinois, 5 p.m. #6 Loyola at #3 UNI, 7:30 p.m. Fri., Nov. 25 -- Cedar Falls, Iowa (McLeod Center) #1 Missouri State vs. #4/#5 winner, 5 p.m. #2 Wichita State vs. #3/#6 winner, 7:30 p.m. Sat., Nov. 26 -- Cedar Falls, Iowa (McLeod Center) MVC Championship, 4 p.m. UNI Volleyball Set to Play Host to 2016 MVC Tournament The University of Northern Iowa women s volleyball team (23-8 overall, 14-4 MVC) earned the No. 3 seed for the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. UNI will serve as the host for the event Nov. 24-26 in the McLeod Center. All matches can be viewed live on ESPN3. UNI holds the Missouri Valley Conference records for most tourney victories (42) and most tournament titles (16). UNI has appeared in 32 consecutive MVC volleyball tournaments. UNI has also taken part in the semifinals in 31 straight Gateway/MVC tournaments. The Panthers have reached the MVC tourney title match a league-leading 22 times. UNI has a mark of 42-19 all-time in the MVC Tournament. The Panthers have won the title as the host school on six different occasions - 1986, 1987, 19984, 1999, 2010 and 2011. The Panthers enter the MVC Tournament having won five straight matches. The Panthers have also won 13 of their last 14 matches. Kayla Haneline and Amie Held each were named to the MVC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete Team. UNI Athletics Communications UNI Volleyball Contact - Colin McDonough E-mail - colin.mcdonough@uni.edu Cell - 319-415-4059 Follow UNI Volleyball on Facebook - UNI Volleyball Follow UNI Volleyball on Twitter - @UNIVolleyball For the latest news and info check out www.unipanthers.com 2016 Schedule/Results Date Opponent Time/Result Michigan Invitational (Ann Arbor, Mich.) Aug. 26 vs. Miami (Ohio) W, 3-0 Aug. 27 vs. Saint Louis W, 3-0 Aug. 27 at Michigan L, 3-0 USC Radisson Classic (Los Angeles, Calif.) Sept. 2 vs. #22 Creighton L, 3-0 Sept. 3 at USC (Pac-12 TV) L, 3-1 Sept. 3 vs. #23 Kentucky W, 3-0 Kangaroo Klassic (Kansas City, Mo.) Sept. 9 vs. Nebraska-Omaha W, 3-0 Sept. 9 at UMKC W, 3-1 Sept. 10 at #4 Kansas L, 3-0 Sept. 13 Iowa State W, 3-2 UNI Tournament (Cedar Falls, Iowa) Sept. 16 Illinois State* (ESPN3) L, 3-2 Sept. 17 Northwestern (ESPN3) W, 3-0 Sept. 17 Syracuse (ESPN3) W, 3-0 Sept. 18 North Dakota St. (ESPN3) W, 3-0 Sept. 23 at Southern Illinois* (ESPN3) L, 3-2 Sept. 24 at Evansville* (ESPN3) W, 3-0 Sept. 30 Missouri State* (ESPN3) L, 3-2 Oct. 1 Wichita State* W, 3-1 Oct. 3 Indiana State* (ESPN3) W, 3-1 Oct. 8 at Drake* (ESPN3) W, 3-0 Oct. 14 at Bradley* (ESPN3) W, 3-0 Oct. 15 at Loyola* (ESPN3) W, 3-2 Oct. 21 Evansville* (ESPN3) W, 3-0 Oct. 22 Southern Illinois* (ESPN3) W, 3-1 Oct. 28 at Wichita State* (ESPN3) W, 3-0 Oct. 29 at Missouri State* L, 3-1 Nov. 5 Drake* (ESPN3) W, 3-0 Nov. 11 Loyola* (ESPN3) W, 3-0 Nov. 12 Bradley* (ESPN3) W, 3-0 Nov. 18 at Illinois State* (ESPN3) W, 3-1 Nov. 19 at Indiana State* (ESPN3) W, 3-0 MVC Tournament (Cedar Falls, Iowa) Nov. 24 Loyola (ESPN3) 7:30 pm Nov. 25 Wichita State (ESPN3) 7:30 pm Nov. 26 Championship (ESPN3) 4 pm All Times Central Home matches in BOLD
2016 UNI Volleyball TV/Radio Roster #2 Jaidyn Blanchfield #3 Amie Held Sr., MH Sr., OH/L/DS Boise, Idaho Festus, Mo. #4 Bri Weber So., OH Dike, Iowa #9 Maddie McNeil #10 Heather Hook #11 Karlie Taylor R-Fr., OH R-Jr., S Fr., OH Eagan, Minn. Grundy Center, Iowa Eddyville, Iowa #5 Lexi Astor #6 Kendyl Sorge So., OH So., L/DS Fort Dodge, Iowa Janesville, Iowa #12 Kate Busswitz #13 Kayla Haneline #14 Rachel Koop Fr., MH R-Sr., MH R-Fr., S Cedar Rapids, Iowa Plattsmouth, Neb. New Hartford, Iowa #15 Delaney Bolton #16 Lindsey Schulz #17 Piper Thomas #18 Abbi Staack Jr., DS R-Sr., OH So., MH Fr., DS Council Bluffs, Iowa Carroll, Iowa Jesup, Iowa Janesville, Iowa UNI Volleyball Quick Facts School... University of Northern Iowa Founded... 1876 Nickname... Panthers Colors...Purple and Old Gold Enrollment... 11,905 Conference... Missouri Valley 2 UNI VOLLEYBALL #8 Ashlee Sinnott Sr., DS/OH Waterloo, Iowa Interim President... Jim Wohlpart Director of Athletics... David Harris SWA... Christina Roybal Arena:... McLeod Center (6,650) #20 Taylor Hedges Head Coach Fr., DS Bobbi Petersen New Hartford, Iowa Head Coach...Bobbi Petersen Record... 433-130 (17th year) Office:...319-273-7170 Asst. Coaches. Kalani Mahi, Kim Davis Volunteer Coach...Jonny Olson Director of VB Ops...Michelle Coulter Athletic Trainer...Chelsea Lowe
PANTHERS SET TO HOST 2016 MVC TOURNAMENT The University of Northern Iowa women s volleyball team (23-8 overall, 14-4 MVC) earned the No. 3 seed for the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. UNI will serve as the host for the event Nov. 24-26 in the McLeod Center. UNI will take on No. 6-seeded Illinois State in the second quarterfinal Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The winner of the UNI-Loyola match will take on the No. 2-seeded Wichita State Shockers on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The championship match is slated for Saturday at 4 p.m. ESPN3 FOR THIS WEEK The entire 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament will be broadcast live on The Valley on ESPN3 with Greg Halbleib (playby-play) and Linda Dollar (analyst) calling the action. RADIO COVERAGE Live radio coverage of the UNI Panther volleyball team can be found on www.unipanthers.com and KXEL (1540-AM). All audio will be free of charge (no subscription service). Chris Kleinhans-Schulz is in his fifth season as the play-by-play voice of Panther volleyball. Live Audio Coverage Schedule Thurs., Loyola - News/Talk 1540 KXEL Fri., Wichita St. - News/Talk 1540 KXEL Sat., Title Match - News/Talk 1540 KXEL ALL-TIME SERIES UNI holds a 14-0 lead in the all-time series vs. Loyola. The Panthers swept the Ramblers in both matches this season (W, 3-2; W, 3-0). The Panthers own 50-16-1 lead in the all-time series vs. Wichita State. The Panthers took both matches from the Shockers this season (W, 3-1; W, 3-0). HEAD COACH BOBBI PETERSEN Head coach Bobbi Petersen is in her 17th year as the UNI head coach. Petersen has posted an impressive 433-130 record at the helm of 3 UNI VOLLEYBALL UNI s program, with seven Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles, eight 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 (.769). In 2015, Petersen joined the 400- win club allowing her to become only the fourth MVC coach to earn 400 victories. Petersen joined Linda Dollar (758 - Missouri State), Iradge Ahrabi-Fard (503 - UNI) and Melissa Stokes (438 - Missouri State) in that elite class. PANTHERS HOLD MVC MARKS UNI holds the Missouri Valley Conference records for most tourney victories (42) and most tournament titles (16). MVC TOURNEY STAPLE UNI has appeared in 32 consecutive MVC volleyball tournaments. UNI has also taken part in the semifinals in 31 straight Gateway/MVC tournaments. TOUGH OUT IN THE TOURNEY The Panthers have reached the MVC tourney title match a league-leading 22 times. CELEBRATE AT HOME The Panthers have won the title as the host school on six different occasions - 1986, 1987, 19984, 1999, 2010 and 2011. ENTERING THE FIELD HOT The Panthers enter the MVC Tournament having won five straight matches. The Panthers have also won 13 of their last 14 matches. WINNING YEAR AFTER YEAR UNI has won 19 or more matches in 19 consecutive years. UNI secured the 34th 20-win season in program history. Missouri Valley Conference Standings Conference Overall School W-L W-L Missouri State 16-2 25-7 Wichita State 15-3 22-7 UNI 14-4 23-8 Southern Illinois 12-6 21-11 Illinois State 9-9 16-14 Loyola 9-9 14-17 Drake 8-10 17-15 Indiana State 4-14 10-20 Bradley 2-16 7-22 Evansville 1-17 5-26 SORGE NOTCHES 4TH MVC DEF POW HONOR Libero Kendyl Sorge (Janesville, Iowa) has earned her fourth overall Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week honor. Sorge averaged 6.29 digs per set and tallied 44 total digs in leading UNI to a pair of Missouri Valley Conference victories. Sorge notched 24 digs and added three assists in a 3-1 win at Illinois State. Sorge added 20 digs and three more assists to go along with a service ace in Saturday s 3-0 sweep at Indiana State. UNI s Multiple Def. POW Selections Ellie Blankenship - Nine Times Amie Held - Five Times Candice Burke - Four Times Kendyl Sorge - Four Times SORGE SURGES TO 1,000 DIGS Kendyl Sorge became the 16th UNI Panther to surpass the 1,000 dig mark in her career. Sorge ranks No. 13 on UNI s alltime digs list with 1,050 career digs. UNI s 1,000-Dig List 1. Ellie Blankenship (2007-10) 2,656 2. Amie Held (2013-present) 1,954 3. Candice Burke (2008-12) 1,737 4. Amy Braun (2009-12) 1,672 5. Stephanie May (2003-06) 1,570 6. Bobbi Becker (1986-89) 1,457 7. Kate Galer (1993-96) 1,368 8. Alexandra Auker (1997-2000) 1,303 9. Bre Payton (2007-11) 1,222 10. Mary Bernhardt (1984-87) 1,202 11. Miranda Weber (1999-2002) 1,148 12. Laura Rowen (2004-07) 1,145 13. Kendyl Sorge (2015-present) 1,050 14. Jill Arganbright (2000-03) 1,025 15. Kim McCaffrey (1997-2001) 1,015 16. Kim Kester (1999-2002) 1,013 SORGE, HELD RANK HIGH ON UNI S DIGS/SET LIST Kendyl Sorge ranks No. 2 on UNI s all-time digs per set list with a 4.32 digs/set average. Amie Held ranks No. 3 (4.33) on the digs per set list. Ellie Blankenship (2007-2010) holds down the top spot with a 5.59 digs/set average.
11 OR MORE VALLEY WINS UNI has won 11 or more Missouri Valley Conference matches in every season since the league went to home-and-home regular season scheduling in 1992. POWER CONFERENCE UNI is among four MVC schools ranked in the top 65 of the RPI released by the NCAA on Monday. Wichita State (No. 35), UNI (No. 44), Missouri State (No. 46) and Southern Illinois (No. 63) are all ranked in the top 65 of the latest NCAA RPI. 5 WINS VS RPI TOP 50 UNI has won five matches against top-50 RPI opponents this season. Missouri State is the only other MVC school with five top-50 RPI victories. The Panthers are one of 29 teams in the nation with five or more wins against the RPI Top 50. Five or more wins vs. top-50 RPI Rk. Team (Top 50 Wins) 1. Wisconsin (16) 2. Texas (12) 3. Nebraska (14) 4. Minnesota (11) 6. Kansas (10) 7. Missouri (5) 8. BYU (5) 9. Stanford (10) 10. North Carolina (8) 11. Washington (7) 12. UCLA (9) 14. Michigan State (8) 17. Michigan (8) 18. Creighton (5) 19. Kansas State (7) 20. Utah (7) 21. Oregon (7) 22. Purdue (6) 23. Penn State (6) 25. TCU (5) 30. Iowa State (5) 31. Arizona (7) 36. Marquette (5) 37. Pittsburgh (5) 43. USC (5) 44. UNI (5) 45. Washington State (6) 46. Missouri State (5) 81. Colorado (6) MORE STREAKS OF NOTE UNI, Hawaii, Nebraska, Stanford, Penn State and UCLA lead the nation with 36 consecutive non-losing 4 UNI VOLLEYBALL seasons in NCAA Div. I volleyball. UNI has also posted 32 straight NCAA Division I winning seasons the sixth-longest active streak in the nation behind Hawaii (36), Nebraska (36), Penn State (36), Stanford (36) and UCLA (34). AMONG THE NATION S BEST UNI ranks No. 1 in the nation in digs per set (18.59). UNI ranks No. 3 in the nation in total team attacks per set (39.06). The Panthers also rank No. 6 in the nation in kills per set (14.53). UNI s 248 total team attacks is the second-highest single-match total in the nation this season. HANELINE ECLIPSES 1,000 KILLS Senior Kayla Haneline ranks No. 17 on UNI s all-time kills list with 1,131. Shari Vermeer ranks No. 16 with 1,133 kills from 2000-2004. Krista DeGeest ranks No. 15 with 1,150 kills from 2008-2012. Haneline is one of 25 Panthers to have reached 1,000 career kills. WEBER, HANELINE AMONG BEST ON UNI KILLS/SET ALL-TIME LISTS Bri Weber ranks No. 11 on UNI s career kills/set list with a 3.01 average in 235 sets. Teammate Kayla Haneline ranks No. 13 on UNI s career kills/set list with a 2.89 average in 391 career sets. PIPER BLOCKS 10 AT ILLINOIS ST Sophomore middle hitter Piper Thomas recorded a career-high 10 blocks in UNI s 3-1 win at Illinois State (Nov. 18). She had two solos and eight block assists against the Redbirds. It marked the first time since the 2013 season that UNI had a player reach double figures in blocks. Courtney Kintzel tallied 13 blocks vs. Wisconsin on Sept. 6, 2013. DOUBLE-DOUBLE CLUB Senior Amie Held holds the team lead in double-doubles with 18 this season. Sophomore Bri Weber is UNI s active career leader in double-doubles with 33. Sophomore Piper Thomas recorded her first career double-double Friday at Illinois State with 17 kills and 10 blocks. UNI Double-Doubles 18, Amie Held (32 career) 15, Bri Weber (33 career) 12, Heather Hook (23 career) 1, Piper Thomas (1 career) HOOK IS TOPS IN THE VALLEY Junior setter Heather Hook leads the MVC and ranks No. 14 in total assists (1,228). Hook also ranks No. 20 in the nation in assists per set (11.16). HELD UP TO NO. 2 ON DIGS CHART Senior Amie Held ranks second on UNI s all-time digs chart with 1,954. Ellie Blankenship holds the alltime digs mark at UNI with 2,656 from 2007-2010. UNI s All-Time Digs List 1. Ellie Blankenship (2007-10) 2,656 2. Amie Held (2013-pres.) 1,954 3. Candice Burke (2008-12) 1,737 4. Amy Braun (2009-12) 1,672 5. Stephanie May (2003-06) 1,570 6. Bobbi Becker (1986-89) 1,457 7. Kate Galer (1993-96) 1,368 8. Alexandra Auker (1997-00) 1,303 9. Mary Bernhardt (1984-87) 1,202 10. Miranda Weber (1999-02) 1,148 HOOK RANKS 9TH ON ASSIST LIST Junior Heather Hook ranks No. 8 on UNI s all-time assist list with 2,645. Jill Arganbright holds the alltime digs mark at UNI with 6,064 from 2000-2003. UNI s All-Time Assists List 1. Jill Arganbright (2000-03) 6,064 2. Shannon Perry (1996-99) 4,881 3. Bre Payton (2008-11) 4,752 4. Kara Galer (1992-95) 4,265 5. Kristin Belzung (2003-07) 4,256 6. Mary Bernhardt (1984-87) 3,977 7. Bobbie Kreple (1987-90) 2,780 8. Heather Hook (2014-pres.) 2,645 9. Kinsey Caldwell (2013-14) 2,549 10. Katie Crowley (1988-91) 1,895 HANELINE, HELD NAMED TO MVC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE TEAM UNI seniors Kayla Haneline and Amie Held have each been named to the MVC Volleyball Scholar-Ath-
lete Team. It marks the third straight firstteam honor for Held and the second consecutive year that Haneline has been named to the first team. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA (on a 4.00 scale). Also, students must have participated in at least 75-percent of the regular-season matches. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore status in both athletic and academic standing at their institution (true freshmen and redshirt freshmen were not eligible). Amie Held, UNI, Sr., 3.82, OH/L, 3.82, Sports Psychology Three-time MVC Scholar-Athlete First-Team selection in 2014 and 2015 first-team all-mvc pick in 2015 second-team all-mvc honoree in 2014 leads UNI with 36 service aces and 18 double-doubles tops the team in total kills (347 3.15 kills/set) second on the team in digs (398 3.62 digs/set) posted a career-high 23 kills and added 22 digs in a 3-2 win over Iowa State (Sept. 13) has 26 double-digit dig matches this season... has 19 double-digit kill matches this year. Kayla Haneline, UNI, Sr., 3.59, MH, Biology & Management Two-time First-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete honoree two-time all- MVC first-team honoree in 2014 and 2015 two-time honorable mention AVCA all-district pick in 2014 and 2015 leads the Panthers in hitting percentage (.318) second on the squad in total kills (338) and total blocks (92) secured a season-high 19 kills at Southern Illinois (Sept. 23) has 19 double-digit kill matches this season. COMING UP ACES UNI served up a season-best 10 service aces in its 3-0 win over Drake (Nov. 5). The 10 service aces is the most for the Panthers since Oct. 15, 2010, when UNI also posted 10 aces against Indiana State. PANTHERS SWEEP SEASON SERIES VS SHOCKERS UNI used a 3-0 victory at Wichita 5 UNI VOLLEYBALL State to secure a season-sweep of the series vs. the Shockers. It marks the 17th time since 1992 that the Panthers have won both regular season meetings against the Shockers. It also is the sixth season sweep for UNI of Wichita State since 2009. ON THE OTHER HAND Missouri State was able to record its first season series sweep of UNI since the teams started playing home-and-home regular season matches in 1992. The Bears tallied a 3-2 win over the Panthers in Cedar Falls on Sept. 30, and then the Bears scored a 3-1 win over the Panthers on Saturday in Springfield. GOING THE DISTANCE UNI snapped a three-match losing streak in five-set matches with a 3-2 win at Loyola (Oct. 15). The Panthers had lost five-set decisions to Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Missouri State. The Panthers also collected a five-set win over Iowa State in non-conference play. UNI is 2-3 in five-set matches this season. SORGE EARNS 2ND STRAIGHT MVC PLAYER OF WEEK HONOR For the third time this season and the second time in as many weeks, sophomore libero Kendyl Sorge has been named the MVC defensive player of the week (Oct. 10). Sorge continued her defensive dominance for the Panthers as she averaged 7.43 digs/set and ran her streak of 23 or more dig matches to four straight. Sorge delivered 29 digs and two service aces in a 3-1 win over Indiana State (Oct. 3). Sorge posted 23 digs in a 3-0 win over Drake (Oct. 8) in the Knapp Center. Sorge is averaging a team-best 5.19 digs/set in all matches and has upped that number to 5.79 digs/set in seven MVC matches. TRIO MAKES FIRST APPEARANCES UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen had three players make their collegiate debuts Sept. 24 in the 3-0 win at Evansville. Sophomore Lexi Astor, redshirt freshman Maddie McNeil and fellow redshirt freshman Rachel Koop all saw their first action in the sweep of the Purple Aces. Koop was the only one of the three to record a stat as she posted two assists and a digs. SEASON-HIGH KILLS AT SIU UNI notched a season-best 74 kills in last Friday s 3-2 loss at Southern Illinois. It marks the second time this season that UNI heas reached 70-plus kills (70 at UMKC). HIGH PERCENTAGE PLAY UNI secured its highest hitting percentage in a match (.403 against Evansville) since a.471 effort against George Washington on Aug, 25, 2012. GETTING DEFENSIVE UNI gave up a program-low 28 total points its 3-0 victory at Evansville on Sept. 24 (25-14, 25-9, 25-5). The five points allowed in the third set is the fewest points allowed by a Panther team since going to rally scoring in 2001. 100 WINS IN MCLEOD CENTER UNI recorded the program s 100th victory in the McLeod Center with its 3-0 win over Northwestern (Sept. 17). RARE 20-20 PERFORMANCES Prior to this season, the last time a UNI volleyball player recorded at least 20 kills and 20 digs in a match came all the way back in 2006 (Laura Rowen vs. Clemson - Aug. 26, 2006). However, within the span of three days a pair of Panthers churned out a pair of 20-20 efforts. Senior Amie Held tallied 25 kills and 23 digs in helping UNI to a 3-2 win over the Cyclones (Sept. 13). Sophomore Bri Weber then followed that performance with 22 kills and 23 digs against Illinois State (Sept. 16) at the UNI Tournament. WEBER TO ALL-TOURNEY TEAM Sophomore Bri Weber earned a slot on the all-tournament team at the UNI Tournament. Weber averaged 3.71 kills/set
and 4.57 digs/set in the four matches. She posted a.288 hitting percentage over the 14 sets. RARE LOSS IN MVC OPENER UNI dropped a 3-2 decision to Illinois State (Sept. 16) in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both schools. It marks the first time UNI has been 0-1 in MVC play since the 2007 season. UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen is now 15-2 in MVC opening matches. The Panthers are 23-2 all-time in MVC-opening matches. 5TH-HIGHEST MCLEOD CENTER ATTENDANCE MARK The UNI Panther volleyball program drew 5,240 fans to the McLeod Center on Sept. 13 in its 3-2 win over the Iowa State Cyclones. It is the fifth-highest attended match in the 11-year McLeod Center s history. Top McLeod Center VB Attendance 1. 6,621 (Sept. 4, 2013 vs. Iowa State) 2. 6,490 (Sept. 3, 2011 vs. Iowa State) 3. 6,126 (Sept. 2, 2009 vs. Iowa State) 4. 6,012 (Sept. 24, 2014 vs. Iowa State) 5. 5,240 (Sept. 13, 2016 vs. Iowa State) 6. 5,124 (Sept. 5, 2007 vs. Iowa State) 2ND-MOST DIGS IN PANTHER RECORD BOOK UNI notched 120 total digs against Iowa State (Sept. 13) - ranking as the second-most digs in a single-match in Panther program history. UNI Most Digs (Single Match) 1. 125 vs. Washington State (9/11/87) 2. 120 vs. Iowa State (9/13/16) 3. 118 at Illinois State (10/27/90) 4. 117 vs. Baylor (12/5/93) 117 vs. Wichita State (10/17/08) 4TH-MOST TOTAL ATTACKS UNI posted 248 total attacks in the five-set match vs. Iowa State to rank as the fourth-most in single-match in school history. It was the most attacks for a Panther squad since posting 221 total attacks vs. North Dakota State on Oct. 17, 2011. UNI Most Total Attacks (Single Match) 1. 275 vs. Baylor (12/5/93) 2. 260 at Illinois State (10/27/90) 6 UNI VOLLEYBALL 3. 255 vs. Bradley (9/22/84) 4. 248 vs. Iowa State (9/13/16) 5. 247 vs. Drake (10/18/97) SORGE IS STILL DIGGING IT Sophomore Kendyl Sorge tied for the fourth-best single-match dig total in UNI history with 35 digs against the Iowa State Cyclones. UNI Individual Digs (Single Match) 1. 45, Patricia Dietz (Iowa - 9/27/05) 2. 39, Mary Bernhardt (Wash. St. - 9/11/87) 3. 38, Ellie Blankenship (Illinois St. - 10/25/08) 4. 35, Candice Burke (Long Beach St. - 9/15/12) 35, Candice Burke (Evansville - 10/12/12) 35, Kendyl Sorge (Iowa State - 9/13/16) TAYLOR MAKES FIRST START Freshman Karlie Taylor made the most of her first career start by posting a career-best 13 kills (.367 hitting percentage) in a 3-0 win over Omaha (Sept. 9). Taylor added 12 kills and a block in UNI s 3-1 win over UMKC. Taylor completed her week s action with eight kills at No. 4-ranked Kansas. Taylor secured 33 kills in the three matches to rank second on the squad. DIGGING SORGE S PLAY; MVC s DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Sophomore libero Kendyl has been honored as the MVC defensive player of the week (Sept. 12). Sorge put on a defensive display with a team-best 49 digs (4.90/ set) in UNI s three matches against Omaha, UMKC and Kansas. Sorge had 11 digs in a 3-0 win over Omaha. Sorge then notched a season-high 25 digs in UNI s 3-1 victory at UMKC. She completed her weekend with 13 digs at No. 4-ranked Kansas. PANTHERS TAKE DOWN NO. 23 KENTUCKY UNI scored the program s first win over a ranked opponent since Sept. 7, 2013, when the Panthers knocked off No. 17 Louisville in Fargo, N.D., 3-0. HOOK NAMED TO USC ALL-TOUR- NAMENT TEAM Junior setter Heather Hook earned a spot on the USC Radisson Classic All-Tournament squad. Hook averaged 10.20 assists per set as UNI went 1-2 against the field. Hook tallied 12 kills, hit.526 and collected six blocks in the three matches. FIRST SET WIN OVER USC UNI also recorded the program s first-ever set victory over the USC Trojans (Sept. 3). UNI rallied from a 20-11 deficit in the third set with a 15-4 run to take the set, 26-24. It was the first set dropped by USC against UNI, Creighton or Kentucky in the three years that the four teams have been competing in this rotating tournament. HELD NAMED MVC DEF POW For the fifth time in her collegiate career, Amie Held has been named the Missouri Valley Conference s defensive player of the week in volleyball (Aug. 29). Held (Festus, Mo.) was honored for her play over the weekend with a spot on the Michigan Invitational All-Tournament team. Held posted 33 digs (3.67/set), 24 kills (2.67/set), three blocks and service aces in helping UNI to a 2-1 mark with wins over Miami (Ohio) and Saint Louis. Held secured a double-double with 10 digs and 10 kills against the Billikens. MICHIGAN INVITE ALL-TOURNEY UNI was represented by seniors Kayla Haneline and Amie Held on the 2016 Michigan Invitational All-Tournament team. Haneline led the Panthers with 34 kills (3.78/set) and hit.475 over the three matches. Held added 24 kills (2.67/set) and posted 33 digs (3.67/set). 11 CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF APR RECOGNITION, PERFECTION For the past 11 years the NCAA has recognized teams in the top-10 percent of the Academic Progress Report and the UNI volleyball team has been on the list all 11 years. In fact, the UNI volleyball team has had a perfect score of 1,000 in each of the 11 years. UNI volleyball is one of 110 programs in the nation to have earned
the recognition in each of the 11 years teams have been honored. AVCA TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD The UNI volleyball team compiled a 3.40 cumulative GPA during the 2015-16 season. It marks the fifth consecutive season that the Panthers have earned the AVCA Team Academic Award. POLLING NUMBERS UNI has been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 110 times in program history - the most in the Missouri Valley Conference. By comparison, the rest of the current teams in the MVC have been ranked 52 times (Wichita St. - 35; Illinois St. - 14; Missouri St. - 3). In the state of Iowa, UNI s 110 poll rankings puts it on top. Iowa State has been ranked in 77 polls, while Iowa has been ranked in one. UNI has been ranked in the top 10 in the AVCA poll on 25 occasions. Wichita State has twice been ranked in the top 10 for the second-best number in the MVC. UNI s highest ranking in the AVCA Top 25 is No. 6 (Sept. 15, 2003). AMONG ELITE COMPANY The Panthers rank No. 6 all-time in NCAA Division I winning percentage (.776). UNI trails only Penn State (.865), Hawaii (.856), Nebraska (.841), Florida (.829) and Stanford (.812) in NCAA Division I winning percentage totals. 17 MVC REGULAR SEASON TITLES The Panthers have tallied 17 MVC regular season titles through the years. UNI won the regular season title in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013. 19 NCAA APPEARANCES In its 19 trips to the NCAA tournament, UNI has posted 14 wins, advancing to at least the second round 11 times. UNI has advanced as far as the NCAA s Sweet 16 three times since 7 UNI VOLLEYBALL 1999. In 2002, the Panthers went into the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in the East Region. HANELINE, HELD COMPETED FOR USA VOLLEYBALL OVER SUMMER USA Volleyball selected 36 athletes, including UNI s Kayla Haneline and Amie Held, to participate in the U.S. Collegiate National Team-Indianapolis. The squad, which is part of USA Volleyball s High Performance pipeline and is considered a second tryout for the U.S. Women s National Team, trained and competed from June 21-30 in Indianapolis. PANTHERS TABBED FOURTH IN MVC PRESEASON POLL The Panthers earned one first-place vote in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference coaches poll. UNI is projected to finish fourth behind Wichita State, Missouri State and Southern Illinois. 2016 PRESEASON POLL 1. Wichita State (7) 97 2. Missouri State (1) 85 3. Southern Illinois (1) 82 4. UNI (1) 72 5. Illinois State 57 6. Loyola 50 7. Indiana State 41 8. Drake 33 9. Bradley 18 10. Evansville 15 HANELINE EARNS PRESEASON ALL-MVC STATUS Senior Kayla Haneline (Plattsmouth, Neb.) has been named to the preseason all-mvc squad for the second straight year. Haneline led UNI in kills (3.16/ set) and blocks (1.02/set) last year. FAN FAVORITES The Panthers consistently have ranked among the national leaders in attendance, including ranking No. 16 with 2,058 fans per home match. Last season, UNI ranked No. 13 in the nation in average home attendance at 2,277 per match. WEEKLY PRESS LUNCHEONS UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen will be available at the weekly Press Luncheons held each Monday beginning at noon in the back room of Pepper s Grill and Sports Pub located on 18th Street in Cedar Falls.
2016 UNI Volleyball Roster No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown (High School/Last School) 2 Jaidyn Blanchfield MH 5-10 Sr. Boise, Idaho (Borah/College of Southern Idaho) 3 Amie Held OH/L/DS 5-9 Sr. Festus, Mo. (St. Piux X) 4 Bri Weber OH 5-10 So. Dike, Iowa (Dike-New Hartford) 5 Lexi Astor OH 5-10 So. Fort Dodge, Iowa (Fort Dodge) 6 Kendyl Sorge L/DS 5-7 So. Janesville, Iowa (Janesville) 8 Ashlee Sinnott DS/OH 5-10 Sr. Waterloo, Iowa (Columbus) 9 Maddie McNeil OH 5-11 R-Fr. Eagan, Minn. (Eagan) 10 Heather Hook S 5-11 R-Jr. Grundy Center, Iowa (Grundy Center) 11 Karlie Taylor OH 5-11 Fr. Eddyville, Iowa (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) 12 Kate Busswitz MH 6-2 Fr. Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Prairie) 13 Kayla Haneline MH 6-2 R-Sr. Plattsmouth, Neb. (Lourdes Catholic) 14 Rachel Koop S 5-9 R-Fr. New Hartford, Iowa (Dike-New Hartford) 15 Delaney Bolton DS 5-9 Jr. Council Bluffs, Iowa (Abraham Lincoln) 16 Lindsey Schulz OH 6-0 R-Sr. Carroll, Iowa (Carroll) 17 Piper Thomas MH 6-1 So. Jesup, Iowa (Jesup) 18 Abbi Staack DS 5-8 Fr. Janesville, Iowa (Waverly-Shell Rock) 20 Taylor Hedges DS 5-7 Fr. New Hartford, Iowa (Dike-New Hartford) Head Coach: Bobbi Petersen Assistant Coaches: Kalani Mahi, Kim Davis Director of VB Operations: Michelle Coulter Athletic Trainer: Chelsea Lowe Pronunciation Guide 2 JAY-din Blanchfield 4 BREE WEBB-er 5 LEX-ee As-tur 6 KEN-dull SORE-gee 8 Ashley SIN-utt 12 Autumn AHL-itz 13 Kayla HANE-line 15 Duh-laney BOLT-in 16 Lindsey SHULZ 8 UNI VOLLEYBALL
THE LAST TIME UNI... Won a match 3-0... at Indiana State, 11/19/16 Won a match 3-1... vs. Southern Illinois, 10/22/16 Won a match 3-2... at Loyola, 10/15/16 Lost a match 3-0... at #4 Kansas, 9/10/16 Lost a match 3-1... at Missouri State, 10/29/16 Lost a match 3-2... vs. Missouri State, 9/30/16 Beat a ranked team... 3-0, vs. #23 Kentucky, 9/3/16 Beat a ranked team at a neutral site... 3-0, vs. #23 Kentucky, 9/3/16 (at Los Angeles, Calif.) Beat a ranked team on the road... 3-2 at #8 Minnesota, 9/04/10 Beat a Top 10 team... 3-2 at #8 Minnesota, 9/04/10 Lost to a ranked team... 3-0 at #4 Kansas, 9/10/16 Won a match it trailed 2-0 (home)... vs. Missouri State, 9/28/13 Won a match it trailed 2-0 (road)... at Missouri State, 10/28/11 Lost a match it led 2-0 (home)... vs. Creighton, 9/21/07 Lost a match it led 2-0 (road/neutral)... vs. Wichita State, 11/27/15 Had 100 or more kills... 104 vs. Missouri State, 11/22/86 Had 90 or more kills... 94 at Illinois State, 10/6/07 Had 80-89 kills... 85 at Saint Louis, 9/25/07 Had 70-79 kills... 75 at Loyola, 10/15/16 Had 220 or more attacks... 221 vs. North Dakota State, 10/17/11 Had 210-219 attacks... 216 at Southern Illinois, 9/23/16 Had 200-209 attacks... 208 vs. Illinois State, 9/16/16 Had 10 or more services aces... 10 vs. Drake, 11/5/2016 Had 110 or more digs... 111 vs. Missouri State, 10/10/15 Had 100-109 digs... 120 vs. Iowa State, 9/13/16 Had 90-99 digs... 95 vs. Indiana State, 10/3/16 Had 80-89 digs... 85 at Illinois State, 11/18/16 Had 70-79 digs... 73 at Indiana State, 11/19/16 Had 25 or more team blocks... 28 at Creighton, 9/17/05 Had 20-24 team blocks... 20 vs. Missouri State, 10/28/11 Had 15-19 team blocks... 17 at Southern Illinois, 11/7/14 Had 10-14 team blocks... 14 at Illinois State, 11/18/16 Hit.500 or better as a team....537 vs. Iowa State, 9/14/99 Hit.450-.499 as a team....471 vs. George Washington, 8/25/12 Hit.400-.449 as a team....403 at Evansville, 9/24/16 Hit.350-.399 as a team....398 vs. Loyola, 11/11/16 Hit.300-.349 as a team....333 at Michigan, 8/27/16 Hit negative as a team... -.046 at Illinois State, 10/7/05 Held an opponent to.001-.100 hitting....082 at Illinois State, 11/18/16 Held an opponent to.000 or less hitting... -.038 at Evansville, 9/24/16 Had a player with 75 or more assists... 75, Jill Arganbright at Creighton, 10/27/00 Had a player with 70-74 assists... 71, Kristin Belzung at Illinois State, 10/6/07 Had a player with 60-69 assists... 63, Bre Payton, vs. North Dakota State, 10/17/11 Had a player with 40 or more kills... 40, Bobbi Becker vs. Illinois State, 11/11/89 Had a player with 30 or more kills... 31, Kate Galer vs. Creighton, 10/12/96 Had a player with 20 or more kills... 20, Bri Weber vs. Wichita State, 10/1/16 Had a player with 15 or more blocks... 15, Trista Humpal at Creighton, 9/17/05 Had a player with 10-14 blocks... 10, Piper Thomas at Illinois State, 11/18/16 Had a player with 7 or more service aces... 7, Alex Auker vs. Minnesota, 9/15/99 Had a player with 40 or more digs... 45, Patricia Dietz at Iowa, 9/27/05 Had two players with 30 more digs... 33, Kendyl Sorge vs. Missouri State, 10/10/15; 30, Amie Held vs. Missouri State, 10/10/15 Had a player with 30-39 digs... 35, Kendyl Sorge vs. Iowa State, 9/13/16 Had a player with 26-29 digs... 29, Kendyl Sorge vs. Indiana State, 10/3/16 Had a player with 20-25 digs... 23, Kendyl Sorge at Drake, 10/8/16 Had a player with a triple double... 10k-39a-14d, Kinsey Caldwell vs. Bradley, 11/22/13 Had a player with 20 kills and 20 digs... 22k, 23d -- Bri Weber vs. Illinois State, 9/16/16 Had two players with 20 or more kills... Shannon Aschoff (20) and Michelle Burow (20), vs.creighton, 11/20/09 Had two players with 10 or more blocks... Ashten Stelken (13) and Shannon Aschoff (12) vs. Creighton, 1/23/07 Had three players with 10 or more blocks... Trista Humpal (15), Danielle Brazda (13) & Stephanie Germann (10) at Creighton, 9/17/05 9 UNI VOLLEYBALL
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2016 MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP NOV. 24-26 CEDAR FALLS, IA. No. 1 Missouri State No. 4 Southern Illinois Semi nal #1 Fri., Nov. 25, 5 PM Quarter nal #1 Thurs., Nov. 24, 5 PM No. 5 Illinois State No. 3 UNI Championship Sat., Nov. 26, 4 PM MVC CHAMPION Quarter nal #2 Thurs, Nov. 24, 7:30 PM No. 6 Loyola Semi nal #2 Fri., Nov. 25, 7:30 PM No. 2 Wichita State All matches will be played at the McLeod Center on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa. 32 UNI VOLLEYBALL